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for a hospital's heating purposes. During the design of a co-gen plant or after it is up and running, there are several factors that should be considered to enhance its performance. TIP: Weigh the capital costs vs. the co- gen system's ability to reduce operational costs. Have the MEP engineer run an energy model and lifecycle cost analysis to determine if co-gen is the right option. These analyses will help inform system optimization and performance as well. In addition to co-generation, a facility could investigate tri-generation, which is combined heat, power and cooling plants using steam to drive chillers. Renewable energies There are several options for healthcare facilities to utilize renewable energy tech- nologies, depending on the local climate. The following is a quick sampling: Solar thermal — This system uses the sun to generate thermal energy, usually in the form of low temperature hot water. A network of piping integrated into solar panels heats the water before delivering it to pre-heat hot water or domestic hot water for use somewhere in the hospital. This type of system, like photovolta- ics, requires space so systems may need uncluttered rooftops or parking areas for installation. 1.25% Achieving LEED certifi cation can add less than 1.25 percent to capital costs. .67 — the average capital cost premium for LEED-certifi ed hospitals over 100,000 square feet. Wind Turbines — Those contracting electricity through a wind farm are likely obtaining power through a distributed energy grid required to purchase wind power. This is more practical for hospi- tals than putting wind turbines onsite. The advantage of a wind power purchase agreement is reliability. If the wind farm goes down, or the transmission line from the wind farm to the grid is disrupted, the distributed energy grid will still deliver power, just from a dif erent source. Photovoltaics — Some facilities are challenged to fi nd space for a large photovoltaic array. Roofs, parking structures or lots and building façades are all areas that arrays can be installed. Facilities should keep in mind that PVs are scalable and so smaller incremental arrays are often more practical. A site should only incorporate as much as is practical and economically feasible (PV costs have declined dramatically the past several years). TIP: When utilizing renewables, con- sider how it af ects reliability. Make sure a reliable backup is available, should the renewable be of ine. Also, think through the transfer from the main energy source to the backup. Usually onsite backup is fuel oil or some type of fossil fuel-driven source. Benchmarking energy usage Energy Use Intensity is a metric devel- oped by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program that expresses energy usage relative to facility square footage in one year. This is typically expressed in KBtu/sf/yr. EUI benchmarks can be found on the Energy Star website for dif erent building categories. This informa- tion is valuable to a consultant evaluating building systems or reviewing a client's property portfolio, as well as the facility manager, who wants to track operational ef ciency year after year. Facility managers can also use this information for internal benchmarking goals for new construction and infrastructure upgrade projects. The EUI metric helps to level the op- erational consumption playing fi eld, giving facility managers a tool to relate directly to system ef ciency and more easily com- pare one facility's operational expense to another's in dollars and cents, regardless of regional climate dif erences or facility type. TIP: Engage the engineering team in determining the property portfolio's EUI and energy-use characterization (i.e., end uses) in order to determine where op- erational budgets may need to be applied to improve system ef ciencies and save money. Even if a facility's plans do not in- clude large capital outlays for replacement or expansion projects, consider retro-com- missioning on the existing infrastructure. This can help get systems to operate as intended and back to maximum ef ciency. It's rare to walk into a facility where owners/operators aren't concerned about operational expenses. The challenge is how to build a hospital's MEP building infrastructure as holistically as possible to adapt to the majority of these changes — plus those that have yet to surface. Facilities built and renovated for fl exibility, longevity, robustness and speed to market will provide a more sustainable infrastruc- ture that will navigate these changes for years to come. John Bilotta, P.E., is a principal at Syska Hennessy Group. SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES S U S T A I N A B L E S T R A T ISSUE FOCUS 60 Medical Construction & Design | SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 | MCDM AG.COM Surface parking photovoltaic array project at Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility in Santa Clarita, California.