Managing energy retrofit of acute hospitals and community clinics through EPC contracting: the MARTE project.

Acute hospitals and community clinics contribute to energy consumption and have a negative environmental impact. This is mainly due to the age of the buildings, a poor level of energy efficiency and a basic maintenance plan. Owing to the very limited money available for public administrators, Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), involving an Energy Service Company (ESCo), can provide the capital needed for investments aimed at increasing energy efficiency. In this paper three acute hospitals and two community clinics in Italy are analyzed prior to EPC development in order to assess the economic feasibility of retrofit strategies. The outcome of energy audits carried out in 2014, the analyses of consumption measured over the last 3 years, and the assessment of use profiles were all considered for the development of models to break down the overall consumption and to assess potential savings. Recommended improvement strategies include better insulation in envelopes, enhancement of mechanical and lighting equipment, use of renewable energy, better regulation of systems. Finally, payback periods for the most likely scenarios were evaluated. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.