In a 2010 Health Care Facilities Sustainable Operations Survey by the American Society of Healthcare Engineering, they indicate that 79 percent of healthcare facilities opt for sustainable features as a way to curb costs. Green design is neither a passing fad nor a marketer’s repackaging and reselling of the same old ways of doing things.
Since the 1980s, virtually every industry has downsized—except healthcare, which plows ahead like the seemingly invincible Titanic. Now, most industry analysts believe past methods for doing business are crumbling and major changes lie ahead.
From a national standpoint, the healthcare industry spends $6.5 billion on energy each year that’s eventually passed along to consumers. If healthcare providers were able to save 20 percent on energy consumption, it could save consumers $1 billion a year. The 20 percent goal is completely within reach, given current technologies, and emerging innovations will only sweeten the savings.