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Evaluation of Energy Consumption in German Hospitals: Benchmarking in the Public Sector

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  • Alfonso González González

    (Department of Mechanical, Energy and Materials Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

  • Justo García-Sanz-Calcedo

    (Department of Graphical Expression, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

  • David Rodríguez Salgado

    (Department of Mechanical, Energy and Materials Engineering, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

Abstract

The use of benchmarking in the management of healthcare facilities enables immediate comparison between hospitals. Benchmarking allows ascertaining their expected energy consumption and estimating the possible savings margin. In the 2005–2015 period, 90 EU Eco-Audits of 23 public hospitals in Germany were studied to analyze the energy consumption related with weather conditions, built surface area, gross domestic product (GDP), geographic location (GL), bed numbers, and employee numbers. The results reveal that the average annual energy consumption of a hospital under normal conditions, both climatic and operational, is 0.27 MWh/m 2 , 14.37 MWh/worker, and 23.41 MWh/bed. The indicator dependent on the number of beds proved to be the most suitable as a reference to quantify the energy consumption of a hospital.

Suggested Citation

  • Alfonso González González & Justo García-Sanz-Calcedo & David Rodríguez Salgado, 2018. "Evaluation of Energy Consumption in German Hospitals: Benchmarking in the Public Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-14, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:9:p:2279-:d:166559
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    1. Dong Kon Hwang & Jinkyun Cho & Junghwan Moon, 2019. "Feasibility Study on Energy Audit and Data Driven Analysis Procedure for Building Energy Efficiency: Bench-Marking in Korean Hospital Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Vaziri, Shabnam Mahmoudzadeh & Rezaee, Babak & Monirian, Masoud Amel, 2020. "Utilizing renewable energy sources efficiently in hospitals using demand dispatch," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 551-562.
    3. Malte Stienecker & Anne Hagemeier, 2023. "Developing Feedforward Neural Networks as Benchmark for Load Forecasting: Methodology Presentation and Application to Hospital Heat Load Forecasting," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Agnieszka Ociepa-Kubicka & Iwona Deska & Ewa Ociepa, 2021. "Organizations towards the Evaluation of Environmental Management Tools ISO 14001 and EMAS," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-19, August.
    5. Chro Hama Radha, 2023. "Retrofitting for Improving Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency in the Hospital Building," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Małgorzata Cygańska & Magdalena Kludacz-Alessandri, 2021. "Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    7. John Vourdoubas, 2022. "Possibility of Using Fuel Cells for Co-generation of Heat and Power in Venizelio Hospital in Crete, Greece," Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 11(1), pages 51-61, December.
    8. Gonzalo Sánchez-Barroso & Jaime González-Domínguez & Justo García-Sanz-Calcedo, 2020. "Potential Savings in DHW Facilities through the Use of Solar Thermal Energy in the Hospitals of Extremadura (Spain)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-16, April.
    9. Ahmet Bircan Atmaca & Gülay Zorer Gedik & Andreas Wagner, 2021. "Determination of Optimum Envelope of Religious Buildings in Terms of Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption: Mosque Cases," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.

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