Using ENERGY STAR portfolio manager as a tool for hospitals

Abstract

Across the globe, people are becoming concerned with the state of the environment and their own environmental impact. In the United States, many industries have yet to undergo significant changes towards greener operations. One such industry, the healthcare industry, has a disproportionately large environmental impact considering their size. In this project, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager will be investigated for its ability to fully monitor the diverse universe of healthcare facilities and to address the goals, needs, and desires of their core healthcare stakeholders. Through using Carilion Clinic, a non-profit healthcare organization based out of Roanoke, Virginia, as a single case study, the attributes and abilities of Portfolio Manager will be investigated and evaluated. Carilion Clinic operates 7 major hospitals in Western Virginia; in this report, 3 of their largest hospitals will be set up in Portfolio Manager. By working closely with Carilion, their core regional stakeholders will be identified and their goals for Portfolio Manager articulated. Based on the experiences with using Portfolio Manager for these 3 hospitals, the software package was found to be able to account for most of the specifications inherent to Carilion's facilities. Additionally, Portfolio Manager served as a capable tool that fulfilled the majority of the stakeholder goals. In implementing the Portfolio Manager software package, it was realized that the program, as currently configured, does have limitations and may benefit from the use of a supplemental software package. For Carilion, GoRPM has been shown to complement Portfolio Manager and together they provide an encompassing solution to online facilities management.