Targeting 100!

Targeting 100! Development of Research | 2007-2010

Within the building sector, healthcare is the second most energy intensive building type in the US. Using 594 trillion Btu in 2003, healthcare accounts for 9% of all building energy use according the US Energy Information Administration. Looked at in broader perspective healthcare as a building type accounts for 4% of all energy consumed in the United States today including energy for industry, transportation, and building infrastructure. Thus, hospitals represent a monumental target of opportunity for energy reduction nationwide.

This research, Targeting 100!, provides a conceptual framework and decision-making structure at a schematic design level of precision for hospital owners, architects and engineers to radically reduce energy use in hospitals. Following the goals of Architecture 2030 and The 2030 Challenge, it offers access to design strategies and the cost implications of those strategies for new hospitals to utilize 60% less energy. The name, Targeting 100!, comes from the 2030 Challenge energy reduction goal for hospitals; a 60% energy use reduction from typical acute care hospital targets approximately 100 KBtu/SF Year, thus the name “Targeting 100!”.

In-depth research grounded in the Pacific Northwest has evolved over the last five years as we have deepened our understanding of energy use in hospitals. The following Targeting 100! Reports outline the research and results of the team’s work in the Pacific Northwest. It is designed as a tool and frame of reference for moving energy efficiency goals forward in project teams, providing a path towards achieving 2030 Challenge energy goals, and providing evidence that these goals do not require substantially increased project capital commitment.

Targeting 100! National Scope of Research | 2010-2012

In August 2010, the IDL with a team of experts including SOLARC Architecture and Engineering, NBBJ Architects, and TBD Consultants, were awarded a US Department of Energy grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to continue researching methodologies for attaining significant energy savings in hospitals.

This research involves collecting data on existing hospitals, developing detailed energy and cost simulation models, and analyzing how to integrate hospital buildings and systems to produce high performance hospitals that utilize 60% less energy than typical operational hospitals. The research team will also design and disseminate educational tools to key stakeholders in hospital design, construction, and operations. It expands the in-depth research that the team conducted for the Pacific Northwest and applies it nationally to the most populous ASHRAE climate zones of the United States with studies based in: New York, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

Study Regions: Building a National Network

The development of complex hospital projects requires multi-faceted perspectives and expertise. The goal of this research is to provide information that can be used in the development of real projects. Therefore it is critical to understand the regional differences in hospital design, construction, and operations. The direct involvement of key industry experts in the development of the research is helping to build the most relevant framework for findings that have the best chance for implementation. The peer review process will build this framework by providing a forum for regional hospital stakeholders to have an impact on this research by contributing to the structure, design, and results of the project.

Half-day peer review meetings were held in each study region in Winter/Spring 2011. Two additional meetings (in person or online), highlighting the progress and results of the study as well as the development of tools designed to disseminate research knowledge, are currently being planned for Fall 2011- Summer 2012.