Not only employers in the healthcare sector, but also doctors who run their own practices are likely to have been eyeing their energy balance and the associated electricity bill with concern over the past few days due to the current global situation. Regardless of whether you are affected by the increased gas prices due to the war in Ukraine and the associated increased fuel and energy costs, or simply want to reduce your own energy consumption for the sake of the environment. Energy-intensive facilities such as hospitals, clinics and medical practices can also save energy.
In our article we take up the current topic and have put together practical tips for employers in the healthcare sector and doctors with their own practice. In the first part of the article, read how medical practices can best save energy.
Four tips: This is how medical practices can save energy
A current price analysis of 145 countries found that German consumers are currently paying more for electricity and gas than in any other country in the world. The analysis was based on data from the energy service Global Petrol Prices . According to energy and economic experts, a quick turnaround is currently not in sight, not even in view of the precarious global political situation. Therefore, the energy expert Ampere and the Virchowbundfour practical tips that can be easily implemented in practice, with which medical practices in particular can reduce their energy costs for heating, electricity and gas and save sustainably. They also recommend medical practices to establish continuous energy cost management as early as possible.
smart meters
A smart meter (intelligent measuring system) consists of two elements: a digital electricity meter and a communication module that enables data transmission. It determines the electricity consumption, saves and processes the data and thus replaces the old analogue electricity meter (Ferraris meter). The metering point operator installs the new electricity meters, maintains them and transmits the data to the electricity supplier and grid operator, among others. The smart meter can be easily connected to a communication module (smart meter gateway), which turns a modern measuring device into an intelligent measuring system in the first place and enables data transmission in both directions, because it can both send and receive signals.
Smart meters make it possible to clearly display, analyze and evaluate all consumption data in the doctor’s office. This can not only help to adjust one’s own power consumption, for example depending on the time of day, but also to actively control it. In addition to their savings potential, smart meters also make a contribution to climate neutrality. Although the annual costs of the new measuring systems are higher than those of the analog Ferraris meters, they are particularly attractive for medical practices because the actual power consumption is precisely monitored by them. In this way, power guzzlers can be specifically identified and energy costs permanently reduced if, for example, particularly power-hungry devices can be disconnected from the network when they are not in use or replaced with more economical models. Independent reading is also no longer necessary,
Energy efficiency management and energy audit
Every medical practice should also pay attention to its energy efficiency, because a sustainable reduction in the energy consumed can significantly reduce the overall energy costs. A one-off professional energy data acquisition within the doctor’s practice can reliably uncover this savings potential and enables practice owners to recognize which measures are actually effective and which devices are hidden energy guzzlers. An energy audit according to DIN EN 16247 is also a good basis for the introduction of further energy efficiency measures within a medical practice.
Save energy by regularly changing suppliers
It may be annoying, but it’s true: If you switch electricity providers more often, you can save a lot of money, because providers usually lure new customers with tariffs that are particularly cheap in the first year. Doctors with their own practices who regularly compare prices, always look for another provider in good time after the minimum contract period has expired and conclude a tariff there as a new customer can thus benefit from the cheapest electricity prices and significant savings.
The only disadvantage is that Germans are generally not willing to change providers, because around 900 providers with a total of around 6,000 tariffs make it difficult to find the cheapest electricity tariff each year, to terminate the old contract in good time and to conclude a new contract.
Collective energy purchase
Last but not least, there is a special savings opportunity, especially for groups of practices: If a sufficiently large number of practices (and possibly also other companies such as pharmacies, therapists or laboratories) join together to form a so-called energy purchasing group, everyone saves significantly more than with individual tariffs. The reason: Due to the larger demand, joint energy buyers receive more favorable conditions than individual end consumers. So it’s worth asking nearby practices, pharmacies, therapists and laboratories, but also other private companies such as the car mechanic across the street and the bakery two houses down, about their electricity provider.
- : public
