At a planning day at Healthy Futures (please consider joining), this is a prime campaign. Of course it’s a no-brainer if you ask the general public: we must do it, but the modern hospital doesn’t represent public needs like small local hospitals used to. Management has bigger fish to fry than just making people feel better and acting in the public interest. Imploring a hospital to do its bit to help the environment and mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change is no easy task. Population health seems to be not a major priority when you are lobbying the stakeholders who can influence change. Environmental considerations and public health live in the shadow of the budget sheet. The argument has to be pretty much an economic and political pitch.
.. so I asked for assistance from AI.
Here’s how it went- I’ve shortened it to make it an easy read, plus provided the sources it (says it) used. I put it to both Bard and BingChat (a version of ChatGPT) as well.
BARD, can you research the economic costs for a large hospital to convert its heating from gas to electric heat pumps. If no data is available, extrapolate from any commercial estimates you can access.
Sure, I can research the economic costs for a large hospital to convert its heating from gas to electric heat pumps. Here are some estimates I found:
- According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, the average cost to convert a hospital’s heating system from gas to electric heat pumps is $1 million. However, the cost can vary depending on the size and complexity of the hospital.
- A study by the American Hospital Association found that hospitals that converted to electric heat pumps saved an average of $1 million per year on their energy bills.
- The cost of electricity is generally higher than the cost of natural gas, but the efficiency of heat pumps can offset this difference. Heat pumps can be up to 300% efficient, meaning that they can generate 3 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity they use.
Overall, the economic costs of converting a hospital’s heating system from gas to electric heat pumps are significant upfront, but the long-term savings can be substantial. Hospitals that are looking to reduce their energy costs and improve their environmental impact may want to consider converting to electric heat pumps.
Here are some additional factors that may affect the cost of converting a hospital’s heating system:
- The age of the hospital’s heating system. Older systems may be more expensive to convert than newer systems.
- The size of the hospital. Larger hospitals will have higher conversion costs than smaller hospitals.
- The climate in which the hospital is located. Hospitals in colder climates may have higher conversion costs than hospitals in warmer climates.
If you are considering converting your hospital’s heating system, it is important to get quotes from multiple contractors. You should also consider the long-term savings and environmental benefits of converting to electric heat pumps.
Comment- This was interesting information but didn’t help with a pitch, so I asked for one.
Can you elaborate, giving me some figures that might appeal to hospital administrators?
Yes, a study by the American Hospital Association (AHA) found that hospitals that converted to electric heat pumps saved an average of $1 million per year on their energy bills. The study, which was conducted in 2017, looked at data from over 300 hospitals across the United States. The study found that hospitals that converted to heat pumps saved an average of 40% on their energy costs. The savings were even higher in hospitals that were located in cold climates. For example, hospitals in the Northeast saved an average of $1.5 million per year on their energy bills after converting to heat pumps.
There are several reasons why heat pumps can save hospitals money on their energy bills. First, heat pumps are more efficient than traditional heating and cooling systems. Heat pumps can transfer heat from one place to another, which means that they don’t have to generate as much heat or cold as traditional systems. Second, heat pumps can be used to both heat and cool buildings, which can save hospitals money on their energy bills during both the heating and cooling seasons. Third, heat pumps can be used to provide ventilation for buildings, which can also save hospitals money on their energy bills.
The AHA study found that the savings from converting to heat pumps can offset the cost of the equipment in a few years. In addition to saving money, heat pumps can also help hospitals reduce their environmental impact. Heat pumps don’t produce any emissions, which can help hospitals reduce their carbon footprint.
If you are a hospital administrator, you may want to consider converting to heat pumps. Heat pumps can save your hospital money on its energy bills, reduce its environmental impact, and improve the comfort of your patients and staff.
COMMENT; But I needed my evidence referenced. These days, BingChat has stopped confabulating so much, and I like the way you can prompt it to give references and URLs, so I switched to BingChat for some evidence to back up what Bard was telling me-
Bing, could you please compile me a list of references on the topic of “converting hospitals from fossil fuels to heat pumps” or similar, focussing on articles that outline the economic considerations and the future benefits?
Sure! Here are some references that might be helpful for you:
- “Heating up the global heat pump market” by Nature Energy1.
- “Building decarbonization with electric heat pumps” by McKinsey2.
- “The World’s Three Largest Economies Go All-In On Heat Pumps” by Forbes3.
- “The Future of Heat Pumps” by International Energy Agency4.
These articles outline the economic considerations and future benefits of converting from fossil fuels to heat pumps. For example, heat pumps are a low-carbon heating technology with the potential to deliver large-scale reductions in carbon emissions from building heat 1. They are also highly efficient, delivering three to five units of heat for each unit of electricity needed to run them 1. In addition, heat pumps have become an increasingly effective way for buildings to decarbonize due to operating, equipment, and installation costs becoming more competitive in certain markets 2.
Is there anything else you would like me to find for you?
Yes, it’s really hard to find good solid economic data to detail the cost of conversion, especially when you include cost of removal of old gas burners, sourcing the replacement heat pumps, and labour costs. I don’t really care if what you give me is not applicable to our local circumstances, but anything that you can find that addresses these will be helpful. What can you find for hospitals or similar size buildings such as hotels?
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find any specific information on the cost of converting hospitals or hotels from fossil fuels to heat pumps. However, an article by McKinsey states that electric heat pumps have become an increasingly effective way for buildings to decarbonize due to operating, equipment, and installation costs becoming more competitive in certain markets 1.
Would you like me to search for something else?
At this point I bailed and went to good ol’ Google to see what I might have missed:
This-
and this-
https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/4562-decarbonizing-health-care-facilities