How U.S. hospitals can realize net-zero energy

Hospitals can reduce energy use with the aim of achieving net-zero energy (NZE). Insights from hospitals that are on the path to NZE and other buildings that have realized this goal help identify barriers and help identify next steps for the healthcare sector to design-toward and achieve NZE.

This paper contextualizes hospital energy use in the U.S., discusses common design practice, and defines the scope and scale of NZE for commercial building projects. It highlights programs such as Targeting 100! and case study examples of forward-thinking hospitals that are leaders in deep energy savings and are on the path toward NZE. It also explores an example of a non-hospital building that has achieved NZE, providing insights into achieving this goal in practice.

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Bullitt Center Energy Analysis

The UW IDL has performed comprehensive operational energy performance data measurement, verification, and documentation of the Bullitt Center, a five-story net-zero energy “Living Building” in Seattle, WA. The building achieves performance goals through multiple integrated strategies incorporating technologies, systems, and human behavior. Data collection included evaluating end-use energy, renewables, passive systems operation, light and comprehensive plug-load management and tenant engagement. IDL led the implementation of device-level data acquisition for commercial office equipment in service of the Bullitt Foundation’s innovative green-lease program.

This research has resulted in several publications including a poster exhibit and research paper that examine energy use, including factors that are influenced by occupant decisions.

[posters shown above] Gustin, A. (UW Architecture), Torres, (UW M. Arch. Student) I., Davis, D. (UW M.S. Design Computing Student), Meek, C., Burpee, H. (UW Architecture), Gilbride, M. (UW Architecture), “Weather and Occupancy-driven Energy Consumption at the Bullitt Center,” M. Rosenfeld Symposium at the University of California Berkeley, Poster Presentation, Berkeley CA, April 2019.

The Bullitt Center: A Comparative Analysis Between Simulated and Operational Performance assesses a slice of Bullitt Center building performance data collected over a three-year period in order to explore the building’s simulated night-flush ventilation strategy compared to its operational performance.

Egnor T, Hayes D, Jennings J, Reichmuth H, Rodenhizer D, Van Den Wymelenberg K, Meek C. (2016) Metered Energy Efficiency Transaction Structure in Net‐Zero New Construction: Pay‐For‐Performance at the Bullitt Center in Seattle, WA. 2016 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Pacific Grove, CA.

Gilbride M, Loveland J, Burpee H, Kriegh J, Meek C. (2016) Occupant‐Behavior‐Driven Energy Savings at the Bullitt Center in Seattle, WA. 2016 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Pacific Grove, CA.

Health Impacts of Green Buildings

The built environment impacts health in multiple dimensions, from large infrastructure to the microscopic molecules and organisms that are not seen or perceived in daily life. In light of the complex interaction between various health-related impacts of the built environment, this publication has taken a multi-disciplinary approach using the Bullitt Center as a pilot project to develop and implement methodologies for collecting data. These data include testing how the building impacts 1) physical activity and 2) indoor environmental quality, including the microbiome. This paper outlines the relevant background information, active design and indoor environmental quality studies, and shares preliminary findings.

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