By Dan Hounsell

The need for energy efficiency in healthcare facilities remains a high priority for managers, pandemic or not. And the larger the system, the greater the opportunities.

With many hospitals and more than 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices from the Florida Keys through Palm Beach County, Baptist Health South Florida’s energy needs are significant, according to South Florida Hospital News. That’s why the organization is embarking on a multimillion-dollar project to better manage its energy use and implement changes that will enhance its environmental programs throughout South Florida.

Already underway at Baptist Health is the digitizing and centralization of an energy management system designed to be more automated and to improve the remote monitoring of energy use.

The organization also is making about a $10 million investment in an energy-saving program. The project includes centralized control stations at each hospital. Already, efficiencies are being seen at some facilities where changes have been made. At Baptist Health’s Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables, for example, the hospital’s monthly energy consumption over the past few months has decreased by about 10 percent compared to the same months last year.