Reducing the carbon footprint of hospitals and health systems is a vital step toward promoting public health, mitigating climate change and demonstrating environmental stewardship. To that end, the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) has partnered with CLEAResult Consulting, a provider of energy management services, to further help hospitals in the state optimize their energy use and reduce their energy consumption. The initiative is a continuation of OHA’s Statewide Energy & Sustainability Program.
“Hospitals and health systems are stewards of the environment, and we must do what we can to reduce energy usage,” says John Palmer, OHA’s director of media and public relations.
The partnership focuses on decarbonization and starts with a comprehensive assessment to determine each organization’s carbon footprint, followed by an analysis of all operations, equipment and data to identify energy usage and determine areas that will have the greatest carbon-reduction impact.
This includes an assessment of heating, cooling and lighting equipment to determine reliability and ways to reduce energy usage. Following completion of the assessment, CLEAResult maps out strategies to correct weak links and provide energy transition services to assist organizations with adding sustainable forms of energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.
Education and training is another critical component. OHA’s partnership with CLEAResult will help hospitals and health systems establish energy-saving behavioral procedures and provide workforce training to inform individuals and teams of decarbonization strategies they can adopt.
Last year, prior to the CLEAResult partnership, hospitals participating in the OHA Statewide Energy & Sustainability Program achieved $11.9 million in utility cost savings. The savings potential increases with this new partnership. And, more importantly, Palmer says reducing emissions will improve public health across the state.
