Methodology developed for the analysis of the energy productive buildings modules in the health network.

MARTINI, IRENE; DISCOLI, CARLOS; ROSENFELD, ELIAS

Energy and Buildings: Efficiency, Air Quality and Conservation.

NOVA Publishers

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2009; p. 69 - 81

The public health network in Argentina consists of a wide variety of buildings presenting a complex system of services and structures. Such a system presents various problems, particularly of hygrothermal habitability and non-conscious use of energy, which have a great impact on the quality of services provided. To identify the energy consumption of each area within the different health facilities, a detailed methodology was developed that enabled the relation of energy variables of each health speciality through a differential analysis construction. This methodology involves analysing the buildings from a construction typology catalogue which modulates the representative units of various hospitals. A database of Energy-Productive Building Modules (Módulos Edilicios Energéticos Productivos: MEEP) was built in order to evaluate the interactions among physical spaces, building envelope, infrastructure, and equipment usage with the energy consumption, for each specialty service provided in the most common buildings present in the health service network. This database allows us to classify, describe, compare and design different health facilities using representative typology units that characterize the energetic and productive needs of each health facility unit (laboratory, surgery, intensive care, etc.). Once defined the MEEP´s values, a methodology was developed, in order to quantify and to discriminate the energy requirements by means of the analysis of characteristic sectors of each health basic service, in each integration level. These levels are identified as: MEEP, Functional Units, Services, Areas and Building. The analysis of the different levels allows us to contrast, to validate and to adjust the results obtained in each one.The methodology developed in this paper proposes alternatives and tools to identify and measure variables, in different integration levels, with the aim of improving energy efficiency in health buildings. Technological, energetic, productive and behaviour variables were considered. A high complex hospital is analysed, defining the different Modules that constitute it with its respective Functional Unity, Services and Areas. The first results are presented, in which the comfort conditioning requirements, lighting and equipment consumption are analysed for the different levels proposed. This methodology enables investigators: i. to obtain detailed information on each facility; ii. to identify variables critical to an energy consumption perspective; iii. to detect areas of over consumption and/or inadequate infrastructure; iv. to gather essential reference material for the design of health facilities and other similar sectors.