Comparing Energy Efficiency Across Multiple Hospital Wings

Reliable and efficient building performance is critical for healthcare facilities in ensuring optimal comfort and safety for staff and patients. A prominent full service, acute care hospital that treats over 50,000 patients annually, sought QEA Tech’s services to evaluate the performance of all four of its hospital wings, spanning 234,892 square feet. Serving a population of over 800,000 residents, the Hospital is committed to providing exceptional healthcare and environmental sustainability.

With this commitment in mind, QEA Tech conducted building envelope audits for three of the hospital wings, subsequently conducting an audit for the fourth wing after it had completed renovations. The Hospital was particularly interested in QEA Tech’s ability to pinpoint envelope issues down to inches, simplifying the retrofit planning process by providing exact, measurable identification of where action is needed. Additionally, the Hospital had concerns over pieces of bricks falling in certain areas, further emphasizing the need to assess the building’s envelope.

Audit of the Unrenovated Hospital Wings

QEA Tech’s audit of the three unrenovated wings found notable energy loss across the building envelope. Walls and roofs were a significant area of concern, with the walls and roofs in some wings performing at only 27% and 19% of building code guidelines respectively.

QEA Tech’s audit found that across the three wings:

• 56-79% of annual energy loss in megawatt hours (MWh) is preventable
• Over $150,000 in annual energy costs can be saved
• 32%-45% of annual tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) can be avoided

Heat loss through window frames and inconsistent insulation were the most prevalent issues identified. Heat loss through window frames occurred when frames made from highly conductive materials allow heat to bypass the glazing and insulation around the frame. Inconsistent insulation was a result of inadequate coverage, deterioration due to water intrusion, or aging insulation. Energy loss caused by these issues resulted in higher operational costs as well as discomfort for hospital patients and staff, confirming the need for higher performing building envelope materials.

Assessment of the Renovated Wing: Highlighting the Value of Retrofits

After seeing the insights provided by QEA Tech’s audit of its unrenovated wings, the Hospital completed an audit of its newly renovated wing to verify the impact of retrofits made. The Hospital had made renovations in an effort to reduce energy costs and consumption of aging infrastructure. Renovations made include changing select windows to windows with more efficient glazing and frames, recladding the roof, and adding higher performing insulation and new cladding to the walls. These renovations proved to have a significant impact on energy efficiency:

• Annual energy loss (MWh) for the envelope decreased by 53% compared to average energy loss across unrenovated buildings.
• Energy loss (MWh) as a result of heat loss through window frames reduced by 57% compared to average energy loss across unrenovated buildings.
• Energy loss (MWh) as a result of inconsistent insulation decreased by 93% compared to average energy loss across unrenovated buildings.

Comparison of Unrenovated Envelope Elements and Renovated Envelope Elements to Building Code

Retrofitted envelope elements perform much more closely to building code guidelines, with the renovated wall performing at 93% of guidelines, the new roof performing at 79% of guidelines, and the retrofitted window performing at 93% of guidelines. Such improvement shows the profitable impact of the retrofits completed.

Building Envelope Improvements: Closer Look

Retrofits made to the renovated hospital wing achieved substantial savings, helping to decrease energy costs for the building. The comparative analysis below shows the improved energy efficiency for a retrofitted window, wall, and roof compared to unrenovated envelope elements.

The retrofitted wall and roof showed the largest improvement, as these elements were the weakest performing prior to renovations. The significant improvement in energy efficiency and reduction in annual costs for the retrofitted building envelope elements validate the Hospital’s investment in envelope upgrades.

Next Steps on the Road to Energy Efficiency

The Hospital was impressed with the precision, accuracy, and detail provided by QEA Tech’s audit. The Hospital is using data from QEA Tech’s analysis to address structural cracks and brick delamination across the envelope. The Hospital is also taking steps to retrofit more of its windows, communicating with one of QEA Tech’s partnered retrofit vendors to implement high-efficiency window inserts. QEA Tech’s AI-powered audit allowed the Hospital to efficiently and accurately assess the impact of the renovations completed as well as pinpoint exact areas across the envelope where additional improvements are required, helping to optimize future retrofit planning.

Interested in assessing the performance of your building envelope? Connect with QEA Tech to receive a free quote for an audit and to learn how our patented AI software can inform your portfolio planning.