Abstract
Hospitals generate a high amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere compared with residential and commercial buildings. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify and identify the CO2 emissions derived from energy consumption in hospitals, studying their relationship with functional variables. The aim of this article is to analyze the CO2 emissions derived from the hospital energy consumption. In Spain, 14 hospitals were analyzed, studying the built surface area and the number of beds in the period 2010-2014. The results showed that in a hospital, the average annual CO2 emissions divided by built surface area is around 0.10 Ton per m2, and the annual CO2 emissions divided by number of beds is around 13 Ton per bed. These ratios will make it possible to benchmark hospital management and set targets for limiting emissions into the atmosphere.
Highlights
Hospitals are one of the buildings with higher CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, compared with residential and commercial buildings, due to their continuous and complex operation [1]
Given the importance of the environmental impacts associated with greenhouse gas emissions from the energy consumption of a hospital, it is interesting to deepen the quantitative estimation of its CO2 emissions [5]
The results show that the annual CO2 emissions of a hospital due to its energy consumption are directly related to its built surface area and number of beds
Summary
Hospitals are one of the buildings with higher CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, compared with residential and commercial buildings, due to their continuous and complex operation [1]. Mitigating climate change requires management strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions [2]. It is estimated that an increase in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by human action may lead to an increase in global terrestrial temperature. Hospitals have a complex energy systems and conventional energy sources, i.e. heating oil, natural gas and electricity [4]. Given the importance of the environmental impacts associated with greenhouse gas emissions from the energy consumption of a hospital, it is interesting to deepen the quantitative estimation of its CO2 emissions [5]
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