Energy

Total energy consumption decreased

Hospitals typically consume much energy because they have a lot of equipment and operate on a 24/7 basis. Energy is also consumed in heating and lighting and in the construction and renovation of buildings.

In 2019, we consumed 306,000 MWh of purchased energy, about 5,000 MWh less than in 2018. This was mostly due to the weather being warmer than in the previous year, reducing the need for purchased district heating. Consumption of natural gas, used in steam generation, heat generation and backup electrical power generation at hospitals, also decreased. This was due, among other things, to the replacement of the steam generation equipment at Meilahti, which improved production and efficiency.

In properties, energy consumption was decreased by the decommissioning of buildings and increased by the completion and taking into use or transfer to HUS control of new facilities and buildings. At the beginning of 2019, Haartman Hospital came under HUS energy consumption and the New Children’s Hospital began its first full year of operations. The volume of premises under HUS energy consumption increased by about 5% in all on 2018.

However, despite this increase in premises, specific consumption of heating energy adjusted for weather (kWh per cu.m) decreased by 5%. The principal reasons for this were changes in the HUS building stock, with the addition of buildings with lower than average specific consumption and the removal of sites with higher than average specific consumption. Specific consumption was also reduced by building renovations and measures boosting energy efficiency.

In autumn 2019, we increased our renewable energy production capacity by installing our first solar power plant on the roof of the Logistics Center. The Logistics Center was at that time already using environmentally friendly and efficient geothermal energy. HUS has geothermal fields producing renewable energy at Meilahti and Lohja.

Energy consumption increased in electricity and district cooling. New hospitals and premises in particular have a higher level of electricity consumption because of improved conditions and a greater amount of technology. There was also some growth in vehicle fuel consumption. Light fuel oil consumption remained stable year on year.

Savings through energy efficiency

We are a signatory to the national local government energy efficiency agreement 2017–2025, within which we aim to reduce energy consumption by a total of 19,500 MWh per year by the end of 2025.

In 2019, our energy conservation measures resulted in a reduction of 1,823 MWh per year. This figure is calculated by estimating the annual energy savings for each of the measures taken.

Over the first three years of the agreement period, we have achieved energy savings of 9,380 MWh per year, nearly 48% of our overall goal. In 2018, we achieved energy savings of about 6,190 MWh per year, exceeding our annual goal by a factor of 2.4.

In autumn 2019, we began to take a new look at future energy efficiency solutions by introducing the energy efficiency management and monitoring model designed by HUS Facilities Center and HUS Real Estate Ltd. This model facilitates the identifying of energy savings potential even in minor repair projects and improves the predictability of cumulative energy savings. The HUS energy efficiency team is constantly studying and evaluating new ways of improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings.

Energy efficiency is a significant means for combating climate change. The more efficient and conserving we are in using energy, the more we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy production.