Energy Efficiency: Suggestions Based On Best Practices

Some impressing news and examples illustrate the improvements and opportunities in European residential care homes:

• Netherlands: A recent survey on the energy saving potential in the Dutch health care sector identified a realistic saving potential of about 25% within nursing and care homes for elderly (TNO, 2010). This implies also a saving potential of 25% on the energy bill.
• In residential care homes more than 30% of electric energy is consumed by lighting. In Italy many residential care homes plan to use LED solutions for lighting to reduce energy consumption, because LED lamps have an efficiency of 80% (energy-saving lamps: 40%).
• In Liebenau/Germany a plant to win heat from diapers was installed in 2006 and supplies all commercial and private buildings in the two cities Liebenau and Hegenberg with heat and electricity.
• Since year 2000 a large heap of snow provides cooling for a hospital in Sweden which has decreased cooling electricity consumption by more than 90%.
• An overall study for Pieria prefecture in Greece proved a potential energy saving of 61,6% in apartments of the domestic sector, constructed before 1980 (including residential care homes).
• A LED case study in Portugal based on cost-benefit calculations, shows, that the lighting retrofit yield is about 900 MWh electricity savings per year, with a payback of less than four years.
• A residential care home for elderly in the Czech Republic changed the way of hot water production and distribution. The energy consumption was reduced by 13,6 % through decreasing the water temperature from 56°C to 50°C . The hot water consumption declined by more than 18%.
• In Slovenia a pilot project for energy management was established and set in 15 homes. The first results of the project confirmed, that energy savings in homes achieved between 3 to 5 % compared to the previous year.
• A zero emission building without loss of comfort is a good example in Spain for a model of a green building, sustainability and a reference of the latest technological advances in eco-efficiency.
• A French study shows the optimization of management of thermal installations. Maintenance and operation of the installations for the production of heat, hot water, cold and steam are key elements for the control of energy consumption in RCHEPs.

Read more detailed information on country related news.

Communication with more than 100 residential care homes in 10 European countries is the basis for the following energy related topics. Most of the residential care homes, which participate in the SAVE AGE project, still take energy saving measures.

All insights and suggestions are strictly committed to the comfort and habits of the residents. The first necessary action is to create awareness on energy consumption in the daily behavior and habits. Creating incentives with concrete targets of energy consumption reduction and the contribution of each employee could be first steps to a successful change of rethink and acting.

Please refer to further information by clicking the following topics.

• Energy/Air Conditioning

  A typical air conditioning system comprises the equipment providing some or all of the following functions:

  • system heating (boilers, heat pumps, other),
  • cooling,
  • pumps,
  • heat exchangers transferring or absorbing heat from a space or a process,
  • space heating and cooling,
  • ventilation by fans providing air through ducts, to or from heat exchangers and/or the external air.

  Studies have shown that about 60% of the energy in an complete air conditioning system (HVAC - heating, ventilation, air condition) is consumed by the chiller/heat pump and the remaining 40% by peripheral machinery (fans, pumps and system regulation looses).

  Energy saved after optimising all the parameters of the air conditioning or ventilation system will produce, on average, a reduction in the order of 30% of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with its operation.

• Energy/Food Trolleys

  A concrete example for energy saving is the use of heated food trolleys. Each one spends about 5-6kW, and simply reducing the switch on of these trolleys for one hour, in a structure with 3-4 medium trolleys for two meals a day, saves up to 48kWh.

• Energy/Lighting

  LED is based on electroluminescence with an efficiency of 80%. Compared with 4% of a traditional bulb lamp of perceivable light radiations, 15% of halogen lamp and 40% of a low power lamp, this data is very important.
  In RCHEP more than 30% of energy is consumed by lightning, because the lights in RCHEP are always switched on in many areas and especially in common areas.

  Life Cycle Cost studies of different types of lamps show that LED lamps are amongst the most environmentally friendly lighting products. Solid State Lighting has already reached high efficiency level (above 100 lumen/Watt) at decreasing costs. Their lifetime is typically over 5 times longer than fluorescent and can be dimmed continuously or switched on-off, without impacting their lifetime.

  Lighting is one of the largest electricity end-use consumption in hospitals, whose share in the EU is about 30-40%.

  Corridor lights and headboard lights are usually switched on around the clock. Self sufficient inhabitants often want a guiding light during the night to permit them to reach the bathroom without problems.

  Using LED lamps instead of tubular fluorescent lamps in corridors and headboards can save a considerable portion of the total energy consumption.

• Energy/Windows with Energy-Saving Glass

  44% of the windows in Europe´s buildings are still single glazed and less than 15% of Europe´s windows contain energy-saving glass. Savings of more than 100 million tonnes of CO2 could be achieved annually if all Europe´s buildings were fitted with advanced energy saving glass. Using advanced glazing solutions can significantly reduce the need for heating and cooling in buildings.

  Read more:
  These solutions are available on the market for more than 20 years. There is no particular information available for RCHEP, but according to the pilot case studies of the project, there is a large potential for improvements here. Independent studies (TNO Built Environment and Geosciences – Potential impact of low-Emissivity glazing on energy and CO2 savings in Europe – TNO Report 2008-D-R124/B- November 2008), show that savings of more than 100 million tonnes of CO2 could be achieved annually if all Europe´s buildings were fitted with advanced energy saving glass. Using advanced glazing solutions can significantly reduce the need for heating and cooling in buildings.

• Water /Consumption

  Water consumption is one of the most energy consuming topics in residential care homes, it’s up the double of the amount which is consumed in private households. Adjustable aerators can reduce the water consumption as much as 50%.

• Water/ Hot Water

  Hot water is 5-6 times more expensive than cold water and draining water to gain the needed warmth is an expensive and unnecessary way of wasting. Hot water could be used to reduce energy consumption associated with washing machines, dishwashers and even the warming of the food.