How Can The Industry Address HVAC Challenges In Hospitals?

Hospitals operate in a mission-critical environment where cooling loss can lead to catastrophic consequences. An example would be the loss of power to the chillers cooling the facility. Chillers must be able to react quickly to these power loss events and get back online as soon as possible to maintain cooling for critical spaces. For example, the Danfoss Turbocor compressors feature a “Ride Through” capability that allows the compressor to stay online during a momentary power loss or voltage fluctuation, as well as a “Fast Restart” function that enables the compressor to start as fast as 30 sec once power is restored. All of these features help minimize downtime of cooling for the facility by avoiding shutdown during a momentary loss of power.  

One of the most challenging concerns for hospitals and healthcare facilities is preventing cross-contamination of the airflow, which is critical to preventing and controlling the spread of odors and infections. With a robust control program in place that utilizes technological advancements, to include smart sensors that can monitor and measure air quality, ensuring the health of staff and patients is essential. As these systems become more advanced, there is a need for increased protection against environmental elements for the unit and its components and regular maintenance checks to ensure the unit is operating at peak efficiency.

Regarding HVAC installations and repairs in hospitals and healthcare facilities, contractors must be incredibly cautious of the highly flammable and hazardous materials that these spaces often house. If brazing is used in these instances, the facilities have no choice but to close at least a portion of the facility, until the project is complete. But as the pandemic proved to us, access to hospitals and other health facilities is essential. Even one day with a partial or full closure could have serious implications for the surrounding community, especially in rural areas. Closures of these facilities could easily be avoided if contractors employ alternatives to brazing such as press fittings. The press never requires the use of an open flame, eliminating a source of fire hazards within healthcare facilities during the installation process and removing the need for added fire precautions such as hot work permits and fire spotters. Press also offers contractors a permanent mechanical connection up to 60 percent faster than brazing. With less hurdles to jump through and hazards to avoid compared to brazing, press fittings allow contractors to complete projects in hospitals and healthcare facilities without interrupting the staff’s ability to care for their patients. 

In healthcare especially, HVAC plays a larger role in the institutional mission of patient health and comfort. Compliance is an important driver, and hiring experienced technicians is always a challenge, especially in certain geographies. Because "doing more with less" is mission critical, analytics is a generational opportunity to pinpoint the most pressing issues affecting critical spaces, identify the root cause and direct experienced operations teams and their vendors to what matters most. In addition, profit margins in healthcare are thin, and the impact of energy savings on the bottom line and ability to deliver acute care along with brand reputation for sustainability are also significant drivers in the adoption of Fault Detection and Diagnostics, analytics that can make the hard to see visible every day. To accomplish the sustainability, energy and patient comfort missions of facilities teams, HVAC technicians need to be able to spend less time reacting and be more proactive, to spend less time trouble shooting and more time fixing.

HVAC in hospitals and healthcare facilities is more than a simple matter of comfort. Proper temperature and humidity levels must be maintained at all times in hospitals in order to comply with regulatory mandates that ensure the health and safety of patients and staff. Additionally, some medical equipment is sensitive and must be kept in a climate-controlled environment. The industry must advance toward solutions that can effectively handle operating room and facility requirements with consistent results and greater efficiency. Our new commercial A/C units are liquid desiccant technology that cools and dehumidifies air to deliver an ideal temperature and dew point that can each be independently controlled to different values throughout the day. Furthermore, they do not require chilled water to operate, making them the ideal solution for buildings where water temps aren't low enough or chiller installation is not feasible. Reliable, clean, fresh air at an affordable cost will give hospitals what they need to do the important work of treating patients every day without fail.