Health Care HVAC

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Emergency generators are required in many applications where facility operations are to continue to perform even upon a failure of the electric grid.

The production of thermal power is critically important in carrying out the mission of health care facilities where it is used for space heating, humidification, domestic water heating, and for processes in dietary, laundry, and sterilization departments.

Evidence-based design (EBD), now a popular concept in health care facilities, is a very powerful tool.

Look at not only some nearly automatic benefits-in-waiting for your average hospital boiler retrofit, but also at some ideas for what to do if there isn’t budget for a full replacement. Meanwhile, a short laundry list of hospital-specific boiler considerations actually includes the laundry (but not how you might expect).

Medical Plaza meets healthy IAQ standards, low operating costs   

Building codes and designs should also keep four-legged collegues healthy and happy.  

The assortment of standards, variety of technologies, and evolving weather patterns don’t make it simple. However, humidification and dehumidification strategies that suit the facility’s location and address some spaces’ specialized demands are worth the effort.

A pre-retrofit report card helped this major Chicago health care facility chart a smart course of treatment for its HVAC. After improvements for chillers, cooling towers, refrigerants, pumps, and more, the hospital’s central plant upgrade now looks forward to long-term savings, cleaner operations with streamlined maintenance, and better reliability.

This month, a consultant and NFPA committee chairman looks at the major items involved in a hospital’s life safety design. Like the fire risks themselves, the assorted relevant codes are evolving with regard to specifics like smoke dampers. HVAC wall penetrations, alarm zoning, and response plans are just three other aspects to consider in this demanding design environment.