In July 2008, the Department of Energy and ASHE announced the DOE EnergySmart Hospitals initiative during ASHE's annual conference. A critical component of EnergySmart Hospitals is working with the healthcare design and construction community to promote Integrated Building Design and to develop and distribute appropriate tools and resources. This presentation will cover the Integrated Building Design process and its relationship with evidence-based design. Emphasis will be placed on how to implement Integrated Building Design and available tools, best practices and lessons learned to optimize hospital energy performance.

Hospitals are a prime target for energy efficiency efforts due to their high energy intensity, but are also complex buildings that present unique challenges. Hospitals use about 2.5 times more energy per square foot than a typical office building. Energy accounts for only about 1-2 percent of a hospitals operating budget, but can represent over 15 percent of the profit margin. Because energy costs are often viewed as "must-pay, fixed costs," little attention may be paid to energy efficiency during the design and construction of new hospital projects.

The key to attaining reliability, flexibility and efficiency is to establish a structured approach during the design phase of the project. This session will provide lessons learned, techniques for using an integrated design process to reduce energy requirements in hospital buildings, and strategies to enhance the operations and mission of the hospital. Attendees will learn:
- How to set specific, quantifiable energy design goals to guide the design process and assist in verification during operations
- Why it's important to set measurable energy savings goals early
- People make it happen: The role of the building owner, and making the design process work for all team members
- How building simulation tools are used to determine building energy performance at all stages of design, construction, and occupancy, and using design simulations to ensure actual performance meets expectations
- Design tips to prepare the building envelope for upcoming energy loads
- How others are using on-site renewables to meet remaining energy needs
- Case studies — examples of how owners and design teams set — and met — aggressive energy savings goals (from 40% better than code to net-zero energy performance).
- The importance of value versus cost in the decision making process
- How new technologies can substantially improve building performance