Coalition forms to promote energy efficiency in hospitals

A new coalition has formed to promote the use of advanced energy efficiency and renewable technology in the design and construction of hospitals.

The coalition, the Hospital Energy Alliance, includes Gundersen Lutheran Health System of La Crosse, WI, Catholic Healthcare West in San Francisco, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, HCA, Kaiser Permanente, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system and the VA.

The group is led by the U.S. Department of Energy, which last year launched its EnergySmart Hospitals initiative focused on improving energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20 percent and by 30 percent in new construction.

One member of the coalition, Gundersen Lutheran, has already seen the benefits of energy efficient technology. The system launched an energy conservation program in early 2008, and has since managed to reduce energy use by 10 percent. The system plans to generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2014.

To learn more about the coalition:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece

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