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Hospitals are places of healing, but did you ever consider that a hospital building itself could help heal a community?
By eliminating the use of natural gas for heating and cooling at Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s 2 new, all-electric hospitals under construction in San Jose and downtown Sacramento, air pollution will be reduced by about 8 million pounds a year.
The 2 facilities are the first all-electric hospitals to be built in all of Kaiser Permanente nationwide.
As a result, surrounding communities in Northern California will see fewer ill effects of air pollution after both are completed in 2029.
“The hospitals will entirely eliminate natural gas combustion, and natural gas is a fossil fuel that contributes to climate change,” said Rob Best, an associate principal at the consulting firm Arup, which helped design both facilities. “Climate change and the harm it causes is an undeniable reality caused by an increase of gasses in the atmosphere. Not burning those fossil fuels is a direct way to decrease those harms.”
The new San Jose hospital will replace a 50-year-old facility on the same site, while the Sacramento Railyards Medical Center will replace a 60-year-old hospital on Morse Avenue, about 7 miles away from the new location.
San Jose Senior Vice President and Area Manager Eric Henry said Kaiser Permanente is always looking for innovative ways to care for people.
“Serving our communities not only means caring for patients, but also protecting the environment,” said Henry. “Opening the first all-electric Kaiser Permanente hospital helps improve the places we live, work, and raise our families.”
Ditto for Sacramento and South Sacramento Senior Vice President and Area Manager Jay Robinson.
“Through environmental stewardship, we’re shrinking our carbon footprint, optimizing operations, and providing healthier environments,” he said.
Using only electricity for energy needs is a truly innovative development. The 2 hospitals will be the second and third all-electric hospitals in California. The first was a hospital at UC Irvine.
Additionally, both hospitals — 300 patient rooms and 650,000 square feet in San Jose and 310 patient rooms and 662,050 square feet in Sacramento — will save more than 14 million gallons of water a year with more efficient heating and cooling systems.
The San Jose hospital will open with more than 100 electrical vehicle charging stations, while the Sacramento hospital will have 84 with room to expand. The charging stations will encourage people to embrace greener commuting options. Both hospitals also will employ energy-saving medical equipment and LED lighting with intelligent controls, said Seth Baruch, Kaiser Permanente national director of Energy and Utilities.
While the hospitals will use some electricity from the California grid that is created by burning natural gas, most electricity will be sourced from environmentally friendly renewables, such as solar, wind, and geothermal steam, noted Best.
“The Kaiser Permanente team has done an incredible job purchasing a portfolio of entirely renewable energy sources,” said Best. “That’s how we get to a very low emissions hospital and save money. If you lock in those contracts, the increase in retail electricity savings is long term.”
Baruch said going all electric will have a positive impact on the Earth.
“By reducing our gas emissions, we are lowering our carbon footprint,” said Baruch. “When you do that, you can see a direct link to improvements in health.”
