Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
January 28, 2009 Paul Lipke, 413‐367‐2878
plipke@ssne.org
Nick DeDominicis, 860‐395‐5333
dedomn@practicegreenhealth.org
Practice Greenhealth Announces
Energy Impact Calculator for Health Facilities
Tool Calculates Impact of Key Energy‐Related Pollutants
on Public Health
(Arlington, VA) Practice Greenhealth has launched a new web‐based tool to calculate the
public health impact and costs of electricity consumed by health facilities in the United
States generated from non‐renewable fossil fuel. The Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange
Energy Impact Calculator (EIC) calculates sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon
dioxide (CO2) and mercury emissions based on kilowatt (kWh) use by the facility and the fuel
mix of the relevant power grid. Applying peer‐reviewed data provided by Environmental
Protection Agency and other experts, the EIC then estimates the health impact and costs of
health incidents such as premature death, chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks and hospital
ER visits created by these emissions.
“The data generated by the Energy Impact Calculator will help the health community
quantify the link between energy and health, and thus elevate the importance of utilizing as
much clean energy as possible to minimize public health impacts of their operations,” stated
Bob Jarboe, executive director of Practice Greenhealth. “We hope it will also encourage
utilities, federal and state governments to make more clean energy available at an
affordable cost to health facilities.”
Using the EIC, a typical 200‐bed hospital in the coal‐powered Midwest using a 7 million kWh
year can learn that it is responsible for over $1 million/year in negative societal public health
impacts ($0.14/kWh), and $107,000/year ($0.01532/kWh) in direct health care costs. By
comparison, most health facilities in the region are paying utilities about $0.06 per kWh.
They may be negotiating with suppliers to save fractions of a penny for coal‐driven
electricity with one hand, while they and society are paying many times that to deal with the
health impact of that same purchase.
Page 1 of 2
In addition to the health impacts, the EIC calculates the healthcare facilities' dollar costs for
treating them, and their external societal costs. “As the pressure for institutional
transparency increases, decision‐makers can see conventional or "brown" energy may not
be the best deal, especially if they include not only direct costs, but health care costs,
community benefits, reputation in the community, senior management and trustee
fiduciary responsibility, liability, climate change risk, and other costs,” said Paul Lipke, Senior
Advisor, Energy and Buildings, Health Care Without Harm/Practice Greenhealth who led the
creation of the EIC.
Practice Greenhealth, along with corporate sponsor Premier, Inc, offers a clean energy
purchasing program, the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange (HCEE), for Practice
Greenhealth members and Premier customers. HCEE users benefit from reverse auctions, in
which energy providers compete to supply health care facility’s energy needs with
renewable and traditional energy at the best possible price. “The Energy Impact Calculator
was designed to enable health care energy purchasers to make business decisions on energy
efficiency projects and renewable energy purchases based on a fuller understanding of their
true costs,” stated Nick DeDominicis, director of Practice Greenhealth’s HCEE.
The characteristics of the power grid where a health facility is located is an important
component of the calculations. The amount of emissions, particulate matter and
contribution to greenhouse gases depends on the types of fuel used to run electric power
stations. When it comes to emissions, coal is the “dirtiest,” followed by fuel oil, natural gas,
nuclear, and renewable sources. Coal region power grids are up to 21 times dirtier than the
cleanest of the others. Electric power generated from renewable sources, such as wind and
solar, have zero emissions.
Increasing use of clean power by health care facilities not only protects the public health, it
creates and sustains green jobs and supports the financing and construction of new clean
energy generation. Health care in the US consumes some 73 trillion kWh annually, second
only to food services.
The Practice Greenhealth EIC is available free of charge on the Practice Greenhealth website
www.practicegreenhealth.org/EIC.
Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for
institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco‐
friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other
stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff
and the environment.
###
Page 2 of 2