Water Efficiency for Hospitals Case Study

A local hospital installed flow control fixtures on all patient and exam room faucets at their facility. The existing flow rate of the faucets was measured at 5 gallons per minute (gpm). After retrofitting the faucets the flow was reduced by 3.5 gpm to 1.5 gpm. The average usage of sinks at the facility was estimated at 25 minutes per day. This results in a water savings of 88 gallons per day, or 32,000 gallons of heated water per year for a combined water and energy savings of approximately $280 annually per sink. The cost to retrofit one sink was estimated at $12 resulting in a payback of less than one month.

A local hospital had over 300 flushometer toilets in their facility which used approximately 4.5 gallons per flush. Replacing all the existing toilets with low flow toilets would save over 5 million gallons of water annually based on estimates of average daily population in the hospital and information on toilet use. The cost of this measure was estimated at $65,000 and the water and sewer savings of approximately $42,000 result in a payback of 18 months.

A local hospital has several refrigeration and air conditioning units that are cooled with once through water. By incorporating these units into a recirculating closed cooling loop, the facility can reduce water consumption by 3 million gallons per year to save over $20,000 in annual water and sewer costs. Initial cost of this project is estimated at $29,000 and payback would occur in less than 18 months.

A local hospital has an opportunity to save water in their x-ray developing process. By retrofitting the flow restrictors to the developing machines, water consumption can be reduced by 176,00 gallons annually. The estimated cost of modifying the machines is $150 and the water and sewer savings is approximately $1,400 resulting in a payback of less than two months.

A local hospital has installed a foot pedal operated spray rinser on the pot scrubbing sink in their kitchen. This has resulted in a much more efficient rinsing process saving approximately 370,000 gallons of water per year. The cost to implement this measure is estimated at $240 and the annual savings is approximately $3,300 resulting in a payback of less than one month.

A local hospital had a rinsewater reuse system installed in their laundry that the installer estimated would reduce water consumption in the laundry process by 1.8 million gallons annually.

In one local hospital a solenoid valve on a bacteriology lab incubator failed, resulting in an unnecessary constant flow of 5 gpm, or 2.6 million gallons annually. The cost to rectify the situation is estimated at $200, giving an immediate payback, versus the $1,800 annual water/sewer cost.