With modern hospitals consuming up to 2.5 times more energy per square foot than typical commercial buildings, they are often hampered by power supply challenges. Nigel Thomas, ABB’s National Specification and Projects Sales Manager, takes a closer look at this urgent yet underreported crisis and offers modern solutions to safeguard uninterrupted electrical power.
Healthcare facilities in the UK and across the globe are under severe pressure. Ageing infrastructure, extreme weather events caused by climate change, and cyber-attacks leading to power blackouts arethreatening their ability to provide continuous, quality healthcare. In addition to these risks, the transition to greener energy makes electricity supplies more unpredictable, even as hospitals require more power to run advanced medical technologies.
To overcome these hurdles, hospitals must operate in a more agile and efficient manner without compromising patient care. Connecting equipment, devices, and technologies from various providers through an open protocol platform is essential for building the resilience needed to address these challenges confidently.
The primary challenges
Hospitals are like small cities in their energy demands. With a multitude of equipment — ranging from life-saving devices to basic operational tools — these demands are immense. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems alone account for around half of all energy usage in hospitals. To deliver reliable patient care, they must have a stable, uninterrupted electricity supply.
However, as healthcare becomes increasingly digital, hospitals’ carbon footprints have grown to concerning levels. So much so that, if global healthcare were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on Earth. Therefore, hospitals face the challenge of embracing innovative yet energy-intensive technologies while also maintaining sustainability. They must also strike a delicate balance between improving conditions for patients and staff while becoming more energy-efficient to reduce emissions.
Stakeholders, primarily patients and healthcare providers, bear the brunt of energy reliability issues. Patients, for instance, depend on stable energy to power life-support machines; any interruption, even for a minute, can be detrimental to their well-being. The economic ramifications are also alarming. A hospital power outage can cost upwards of $7,900 per minute, reflecting not only financial loss but also potential degradation of patient trust and hospital reputation.
Cybersecurity is another concern. As hospitals implement digital systems, the risk of cyberattacks, particularly ransomware, increases. These attacks can have severe implications if energy management systems are compromised. Thus, deploying secure energy management software becomes imperative. By utilising encrypted communication and constant monitoring, these systems can effectively ward off potential threats.
Hospitals must continually innovate to meet evolving patient needs. Yet, building or redeveloping hospitals has grown significantly more costly, mainly due to shortages of specialist skills and increasing labour expenses. This situation presents a challenging task for healthcare providers, who must carefully balance competing priorities: keeping pace with technological advances while managing and controlling escalating costs.
Open protocol platforms and other solutions
To tackle these challenges, hospitals must embrace innovative and sustainable energy solutions. A promising approach lies in the adoption of open protocol solutions, which facilitate interoperability among various pieces of equipment. These systems enable hospitals to select the best-suited technology, minimising the risk associated with vendor lock-in, which can hinder upgrades and adaptability. Open protocols also improve seamless data transfer, enabling more informed decision-making — crucial for efficient energy management and robust power monitoring.
Energy management systems must evolve to integrate smart technologies seamlessly, such as an intelligent power network, which acts as the hospital’s central nervous system. This interconnected approach enables facilities to anticipate and address issues promptly, thereby reducing the risk of power outages. Hospitals must also maintain strong connectivity across their electrical systems while integrating new technologies, such as human-centric lighting, in-room sensors, and voice control activation, all while simultaneously reducing energy consumption.
Another critical solution is the integration of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems. High-efficiency UPS units ensure long-term system availability, significantly reducing carbon emissions while safeguarding against sudden power outages.
Why healthcare providers need a connectivity partner
Working with a connectivity partner in the initial stages of development allows hospitals to build a digital ecosystem that optimises for today and lays the groundwork for the future. Having access to cutting-edge, flexible, and scalable systems is crucial for building the infrastructure necessary to maintain mission-critical uptime.
The path to better energy reliability in hospitals hinges on embracing open, secure, and flexible solutions that are future-proofed against both technological and environmental changes. By addressing inefficiencies and adopting comprehensive energy strategies, hospitals can boost their service delivery, meeting immediate and future healthcare demands with confidence.
This article appeared in the June 2025 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.