The best way for facility managers to save on energy costs in senior living facilities is to use a combination of strategies.
To start, energy efficiency audits are a great way to determine the energy consumption of your senior home. These assessments can help you find ways to save money, use less energy, and reduce your carbon footprint.
One way that these facilities can reduce their energy consumption is by using natural light. This will be a cheaper alternative to artificial lighting and help keep power grids from overloading, which can cause blackouts.
Effective Strategies to Improve Energy Consumption
One of the most sensible strategies to reduce and improve energy consumption in care facilities for the elderly is creating a garden to reduce lawn care energy consumption. You can use plants and flowers to spruce up your garden without spending hours on it.
Introducing the idea of gardens as an eco-friendly alternative to lawns is a great way to make people more aware of their environmental impact. There are also other benefits to gardening, such as reducing stress, improving mental health, and giving seniors cheap food.
Facility managers will benefit from incorporating various tips that other care facility managers provide. Follow along as we talk about some of them.
Improved Insulation and Heating and Cooling Systems
Technology for insulation and heating and cooling systems has been advancing rapidly. Wind turbine technology is becoming more efficient, so buildings are using them to generate energy instead of relying on fossil fuels or other forms of power. In addition, new materials are being developed to make better insulation for residential homes.
Low-Flow Fixtures and Waterless Urinals
Low-flow fixtures are a great option for conserving water. They use half the amount of water of a traditional toilet. Low-flow fixtures also have lower water pressure, so they flush more effectively. They are just as powerful as their higher-flow counterparts and use less water than older toilets.
Energy-Efficient Appliances
Seniors are ageing and living in larger numbers, burdening the country's health care system. Finding ways to conserve energy and reduce energy costs is one solution to this problem. Many appliances can be made more efficient and save energy without sacrificing the quality of their performance.
Energy Footprint: The Main Driver of Energy Consumption in Senior Living Facilities
The energy footprint of a building is the total amount of energy used by the building over a certain period of time. It includes both direct and indirect energy use.
The main driver of energy consumption in senior living facilities is heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The HVAC systems account for about 50% of the total electricity use in these facilities.
Why the Need is Great to Reduce Energy Consumption for Senior Living Facilities
The UK has seen a rapid rise in people over 65, with 1 in 5 Britons now over 65. Senior living facilities account for a substantial amount of electricity usage. To make the facilities more environmentally friendly, they should take steps to reduce their energy consumption.
This trend is set to continue, and by 2037 there will be 2.2 million more people aged 65 and over than there are today. This increase in the number of older people will mean that energy consumption will have to be reduced, as it is estimated that 46% of energy use goes towards heating homes and providing hot water for bathing, cooking, or washing.
Tips for Reducing Energy Consumption in Senior Living Facilities
Reducing energy consumption in senior living facilities is not only a matter of lowering the cost of electricity but also an issue of safety.
Senior living facilities are often located in remote areas where power outages can be frequent and prolonged. Moreover, many seniors are less mobile than average and may need help evacuating during emergencies.
The following tip will help your building use less energy without sacrificing safety or comfort.
Install motion sensors to turn off lights when rooms are empty. This tip is especially important for common areas such as hallways, lobbies, and dining rooms. These spaces need to be lit only when occupied by someone who needs them to navigate safely.
Moreover, motion sensors can detect when no one is present and automatically turn off the lights at a predetermined time interval (e.g., 10 minutes). They can also see if someone enters a room after the lights have been turned off and will automatically turn them back on.
Summary
We discussed a few strategies and tips to ensure peace of mind among the elderly while simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint.
The population of seniors is increasing, and there are more people in need of senior living facilities. The major problem that these facilities have is the high cost of electricity. This has led to a reduction in the quality, service, and care of their residents.
