scholarly journals Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Bawaneh ◽  
Farnaz Ghazi Nezami ◽  
Md. Rasheduzzaman ◽  
Brad Deken
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Energy Consumption Analysis ◽  
Consumption Data ◽  
End Use

Healthcare facilities in the United States account for 4.8% of the total area in the commercial sector and are responsible for 10.3% of total energy consumption in this sector. The number of healthcare facilities increased by 22% since 2003, leading to a 21% rise in energy consumption and an 8% reduction in energy intensity per unit of area (544.8 kWh/m2). This study provides an analytical overview of the end-use energy consumption data in healthcare systems for hospitals in the United States. The energy intensity of the U.S. hospitals ranges from 640.7 kWh/m2 in Zone 5 (very hot) to 781.1 kWh/m2 in Zone 1 (very cold), with an average of 738.5 kWh/m2. This is approximately 2.6 times higher than that of other commercial buildings. High energy intensity in the healthcare facilities, particularly in hospitals, along with energy costs and associated environmental concerns make energy analysis crucial for this type of facility. The proposed analysis shows that U.S. healthcare facilities have higher energy intensity than those of most other countries, especially the European ones. This necessitates the adoption of more energy-efficient approaches to the infrastructure and the management of healthcare facilities in the United States.

An Updated Estimate for Energy Use in U.S. Food Production and Policy Implications

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda D. Cuellar ◽  
Michael E. Webber
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Food System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Food Consumed

In this work we estimate the amount of energy required to produce the food consumed in the United States in 2002 and 2007. Data from government sources and the scientific literature were used to calculate the energy intensity of food production from agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, food sales, storage and preparation. Most data were from 2002; consequently we scaled all data from other years to 2002 by using ratios of total energy consumption in 2002 to total energy consumption in the year data were reported. We concluded that food production required at least 7,880±733 trillion BTU in 2002 and 8,080±752 trillion BTU of energy in 2007, over a third of which came from food handling in homes, restaurants and grocery stores. The energy used to produce food represents approximately 8% of energy consumption. Our estimate is for the energy required to produce the food consumed in the United States and takes into account food imports and exports. To account for net food exports in the agriculture sector we calculated values for the energy intensity of ten food categories and then used the mass of domestic food consumption in each category to calculate the energy embedded in the food consumed in the United States. The amount of energy required to produce the food consumed in the United States has policy implications because it is a substantial fraction of total energy consumption and is responsible for a commensurate amount of greenhouse gas emissions. There are many opportunities for decreasing the energy intensity of food production at all steps of the food system. Education of the public and policy measures that promote energy efficiency in the food sector have the potential for decreasing food waste and the energy intensity of the food system.

scholarly journals Energy Use Efficiency Past-to-Future Evaluation: An International Comparison

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Nan Wang ◽  
Thi-Duong Nguyen ◽  
Min-Chun Yu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Status ◽  
Energy Efficiency Evaluation

Despite the many benefits that energy consumption brings to the economy, consuming energy also leads nations to expend more resources on environmental pollution. Therefore, energy efficiency has been proposed as a solution to improve national economic competitiveness and sustainability. However, the growth in energy demand is accelerating while policy efforts to boost energy efficiency are slowing. To solve this problem, the efficiency gains in countries where energy consumption efficiency is of the greatest concern such as China, India, the United States, and Europe, especially, emerging economies, is central. Additionally, governments must take greater policy actions. Therefore, this paper studied 25 countries from Asia, the Americas, and Europe to develop a method combining the grey method (GM) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) slack-based measure model (SMB) to measure and forecast the energy efficiency, so that detailed energy efficiency evaluation can be made from the past to the future; moreover, this method can be extended to more countries around the world. The results of this study reveal that European countries have a higher energy efficiency than countries in Americas (except the United States) and Asian countries. Our findings also show that an excess of total energy consumption is the main reason causing the energy inefficiency in most countries. This study contributes to policymaking and strategy makers by sharing the understanding of the status of energy efficiency and providing insights for the future.

Energy in the 1980s - The world energy outlook to the mid-1980s: the effect of an alternative supply path in the United States

1974 ◽  
Vol 276 (1261) ◽  
pp. 413-430 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
World Energy ◽  
World Energy Consumption ◽  
The U.S

A brief review and interpretation of regional and world-wide trends in total energy consumption and its composition since the end of World War II is given. A review of energy-consumption projections into the 1980s — world-wide and regional — focuses on the role of international trade in oil in achieving supply—demand balances. The prospective position of the U.S. as a major oil importer is emphasized. An analysis of the sensitivity of world supply prospects to alternative assumptions concerning the growth of indigenous sources of supply in the United States of America and Western Europe is presented. The post-war growth rate in world energy consumption averaged out to over 5% per annum. Marked shifts in regional shares and variations in regional growth rates have occurred, but regional differences in the level of per capita energy use, while narrowing, remain conspicuously wide. The sharp relative decline of coal during this period was accompanied by a dramatic relative increase in both oil and gas. The rapid growth of world energy consumption as a whole, the continued shift toward oil and the rising volume of U.S. oil imports all failed to be adequately anticipated in past energy projections. A standard projection to the mid-1980s shows: world-wide energy growth of between 5-J- and 6% ; an even faster growth rate for oil, resulting in about 115x10® barrels (18.3 x 10® m3)/day in 1985 (compared to 53 x 102 b (8.4 x 104 m3)/d in 1972); and the addition of the U.S. to the ranks of the major oil importers. The Middle East, along with areas of lesser reserve holdings, is in all likelihood physically capable of accommodating expected oil demand to the mid-1980s. But the acute degree of dependence that this would pose for major consuming regions prompts the question of how a greatly expanded indigenous producing capability in the U.S. could blunt the one-sidedness of the demand-supply picture. Recently completed research suggests that, within an appropriate policy setting, the U.S. could probably meet all but 20% of its oil and gas internally by 1985 - and do so at real prices no higher than the $6/barrel ($38/m3>) delivered price rapidly being approached by Persian Gulf crude. Such a development, along with whatever contribution can be made by Western Europe’s own petroleum-producing capability, can perhaps introduce a stabilizing element of major importance into world energy flows.

scholarly journals Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment? A Comparison of U.S. and European Energy Consumption

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rosnick ◽  
Mark Weisbrot
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
European Model ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

European employees work fewer hours per year, and use less energy per person, than their American counterparts. This article compares the European and U.S. models of labor productivity, supply, and energy consumption. It finds that if employees in the EU-15 worked as many hours as those in the United States, they would consume at least 15 percent more energy. This aspect of the debate over Europe's economic model reaches globally. Over the coming decades, developing countries will decide how to make use of their increasing productivity. If, by 2050, the world works as do Americans, total energy consumption could be 15 to 30 percent higher than it would be if following a more European model. Translated directly into higher carbon emissions, this could mean an additional 1 to 2 degrees Celsius in global warming.

Study on Economic Development of Inner Mongolia Based on Energy

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 2926-2930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Chen Song ◽  
Jin Ke Liu ◽  
Hai Dong Meng
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Arima Model ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Intensity Change ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Rapid Economic Growth ◽  
And Control

This paper applies ARIMA model to predict total energy consumption and GDP in 2011-2015, and then reach a conclusion that both are showing a sharp rise trend. Through the analysis on energy intensity in 2001-2015 and energy elasticity between China and Inner Mongolia in 2001-2009, we draw a conclusion that GDP mainly depends on energy consumption and the speed of it increases more than that of GDP in Inner Mongolia. Based on above empirical analysis, we give the corresponding conclusion and suggestion for economic development as follows: prevent the rapid economic growth from high energy consumption; develop the tertiary industry and control economy growth in high energy intensity; change the structure of investment and strengthen the awareness of energy saving and environmental protection.

Comparison of Direct and Indirect Energy Consumption in China and the United States

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongtao Liu ◽  
Karen R. Polenske ◽  
Joaquim Guilhoto ◽  
Youmin Xi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
The United States

scholarly journals Preparedness and response to an emerging health threat—Lessons learned from Candida auris outbreaks in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Diane Meyer ◽  
Elena K. Martin ◽  
Syra Madad ◽  
Priya Dhagat ◽  
Jennifer B. Nuzzo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Candida Auris ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Healthcare Facilities

Abstract Objective: Candida auris infections continue to occur across the United States and abroad, and healthcare facilities that care for vulnerable populations must improve their readiness to respond to this emerging organism. We aimed to identify and better understand challenges faced and lessons learned by those healthcare facilities who have experienced C. auris cases and outbreaks to better prepare those who have yet to experience or respond to this pathogen. Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews. Setting: Health departments, long-term care facilities, acute-care hospitals, and healthcare organizations in New York, Illinois, and California. Participants: Infectious disease physicians and nurses, clinical and environmental services, hospital leadership, hospital epidemiology, infection preventionists, emergency management, and laboratory scientists who had experiences either preparing for or responding to C. auris cases or outbreaks. Methods: In total, 25 interviews were conducted with 84 participants. Interviews were coded using NVivo qualitative coding software by 2 separate researchers. Emergent themes were then iteratively discussed among the research team. Results: Key themes included surveillance and laboratory capacity, inter- and intrafacility communication, infection prevention and control, environmental cleaning and disinfection, clinical management of cases, and media concerns and stigma. Conclusions: Many of the operational challenges noted in this research are not unique to C. auris, and the ways in which we address future outbreaks should be informed by previous experiences and lessons learned, including the recent outbreaks of C. auris in the United States.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document