Published Sunday, 29 July, 2007 at 03:00 PM
Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
QUEENSLAND PUBLIC HOSPITALS GO GREEN
“It’s the equivalent of taking nearly 10,000 cars off the road annually,” Mr Robertson said.
“With the ongoing drought and potential impacts of future climate change, everyone has a role to play in reducing our water and energy use and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
“Queensland Health is no different and our hospitals throughout the state are making significant savings.”
Mr Roberson said 20 Queensland Health districts are participating in an eco-efficiency program to better manage water usage and achieve savings in energy use (SEE TABLE ATTACHED).
“The guaranteed energy savings our hospitals will achieve in a year is estimated to be 44,704,384 kilowatt hours of electricity and 99,694 gigajoules of gas,” he said.
“It’s estimated our hospitals will also achieve water savings of 438,821 kilolitres of water annually.”
Mr Robertson said energy conservation measures included:
• Use of more energy efficient lighting;
• More efficient health ventilation and air-conditioning systems; and
• Use of renewable energy such as heat pumps and solar.
“For example, as a result of conservation measures installed at Hervey Bay Hospital including energy efficient lighting and a building management system software package, more than 1,500 kilowatt hours of electricity is saved every month,” he said.
“Nambour and Ipswich hospitals are making significant savings through renewable energy, with 100 square metres of solar panels installed at each site to heat water through solar energy.
“Nambour Hospital has also installed a tank farm to harvest rain water for use in the hospital’s air-conditioning cooling towers.”
Mr Robertson said public hospitals in the south-east were also complying with the current Level 5 water restrictions.
“Hospitals are preparing Water Efficiency Management Plans to reduce water consumption at facilities affected by the restrictions,” he said.
“Water conservation measures currently being adopted in our hospitals include rainwater harvesting and reuse, installation of water efficient devices, leakage detection, water recycling, use of treated bore water and minimising water losses from cooling towers and swimming pools.”
Mr Robertson said the energy management strategy was expected to generate savings of up to $10 million a year across the state.
“It’s a smart way of achieving efficiencies in energy use, reducing water consumption and generating financial savings for our hospitals,” he said.
“These savings will be reinvested locally to deliver better hospital services and equipment.”
Annual savings and energy efficiency achievements at selected Queensland Health sites
|
Facility Name |
CO2 tonnes |
Electricity (kWh) |
Gas (Gj) |
Water (Kls) |
|
Bundaberg Hospital |
1,045 |
1,029,974 |
417 |
18,330 |
|
Cairns Hospital |
1,251 |
2,365,658 |
871 |
62,780 |
|
Gladstone Hospital |
857 |
809,444 |
2,914 |
4,974 |
|
Hervey Bay Hospital |
1,625 |
1,534,119 |
1,721 |
n/a |
|
Ipswich Hospital |
4,154 |
4,103,055 |
n/a |
23,400 |
|
Logan Hospital |
2,253 |
2,125,482 |
2,400 |
32,248 |
|
Mackay Hospital |
1,605 |
1,439,926 |
2,892 |
12,787 |
|
Nambour Hospital |
3,206 |
4,242,777 |
n/a |
23,500 |
|
Redcliffe Hospital |
2,657 |
2,492,777 |
n/a |
18,000 |
|
Caboolture Hospital |
2,309 |
2,444,722 |
n/a |
8,840 |
|
Rockhampton Hospital |
1,442 |
1,363,579 |
1,492 |
23,406 |
|
RBWH |
555 |
524,520 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Royal Children’s Hospital |
2,429 |
844,300 |
21,143 |
n/a |
|
Herston Campus Water Project |
507 |
1,236,000 |
n/a |
186,200 |
|
Scientific Services complex |
2,623 |
2,408,000 |
n/a |
13,680 |
|
Prince Charles |
11,404 |
15,740,051 |
65,844 |
10,676 |
|
TOTAL: |
39,922 |
44,704,384 |
99,694 |
438,821 |
29 July, 2007
MEDIA: MATTHEW JUTSUM 3225 2680