Creative Commons

The present dissertation deals with energy efficiency in medical units and contains a bibliographic and an experimental part. The main part of the bibliographic section of the dissertation consists of a state of the art review of energy audits that have been conducted in medical units from 1960 until the present day. The energy audits are presented chronologically in order to demonstrate the technologic development and progress in methodology. Additionally a research and review is held about legislation and standardization of energy performance of medical units and healthcare facilities around the world. Legislation about medical units' energy performance and consumption in Greece is reviewed with, emphasis on Κ.Ε.ν.Α.Κ and law3361/2008, followed by a presentation of the general European Union's Directive 2002/91/EC and accompanied legislation for energy performance of tertiary buildings and more specifically hospitals. European Continent's legislation review is closed with United Kingdom's National Health Service standards and guidelines. The research for legislation is continued with United States' ASHRAE's guidelines and other relevant legislative provisions and Canada's energy standards for hospitals with CSA Z317.2 standard. Finally legislation in Brazil is reviewed as an indicator of standardization in the developing world. Comments and comparisons between legislative frameworks around the world are done and some conclusions are made. Moreover the concept of Green Hospital is explained and analyzed. The general concept of green buildings is examined. More specifically the concept of green hospital is analyzed and comparisons are made with the term of low energy hospitals and buildings. The presuppositions and actions that have to be made in order for a hospital to be considered green are presented. A case study with the Northumberland healthcare center is discussed in order for the details of Green Hospital's concept to be presented in an applied way. Additionally Green@Hospitals programme, which presents a Greek interest as well is presented. Concluding the analysis of Green Hospitals a forecast about the future of the concept is attempted. During the experimental part, the knowledge that has been acquired during the literature review is applied on a Greek medical unit. This medical unit is Euromedica Arogi rehabilitation center. A 4 preliminary energy audit is conducted in the facilities of the medical unit, building envelope's, location's and climatic characteristics are recorded and energy consuming devises , such as HVAC, DHW, lighting systems and medical equipment are inspected. Medical unit's energy performance is simulated with the use of TEE-KENAK's (ΕΛΟΤ EN ISO 13790) software and the overall energy consumption and achieved thermal comfort of the assessed medical unit is ranked and compared with the proposed energy performance and thermal comfort by European and global legislative frameworks. Both thermal comfort and energy performance of the assessed rehabilitation center are found to be in compliance with European and ASHRAE's legislative frameworks. Medical unit's energy performance is found to have a ranking equal to Energy Class C. The total final energy consumption has been found to be equal to 319,7 kWh/m2/year, with electricity's percentage being equal to 47,25% and natural gas' percentage, being equal to 52,75 %. The total primary energy consumption of the medical unit is found to be equal to 8.727.453 kWh/year, or 615,2 kWh/m2/year, while the total CO2 emissions are found to be equal to 2.588.564 kg CO2/year. Electricity presents a percentage equal to 71,22% of the total primary energy consumption, while the same percentage for natural gas is equal to 28,78%. The biggest disadvantage of the medical unit is found to be the lack of renewable energy sources' utilization. Some energy saving measures that are suitable for the studied medical unit are proposed and the implementation of a solar thermal photovoltaics', solar thermal collector's and simple photovoltaics' installation on the building's roof is technically and economically assessed. PV installation is found to be the less riskier investment, with the lowest payback period, while PV/T energy saving measure has the higher NPV, and can be characterized as the most promising, environmentally friendly and profitable energy saving measure in the long term.