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An Energy-Saving Guide For Care And Nursing Homes

CHRIS RICHARDS | 13 OCTOBER 2021

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Care homes and nursing homes are incredibly important facilities, helping to keep elderly and vulnerable people safe and comfortable. This means they have to operate 24 hours a day and consequently they tend to have very high energy consumption levels.

Because care homes and nursing homes frequently house elderly people, the buildings must be kept warm. Not only that but the staff have to use the washing facilities heavily as well to keep the residents clean and comfortable.

Unfortunately, this results in very high energy usage, a lot of which is wasted, meaning money is being wasted too. Fortunately, this energy-saving guide for care and nursing homes will demonstrate how your facility can save energy and reduce its bills with simple energy efficiency measures.

From switching business suppliers to how to reduce energy consumption, you'll find it all in this guide. Don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom for even more information on how to create more energy savings in care homes.

Read on to find out more about energy usage in nursing homes and why it matters!

Care And Nursing Home Energy Usage

If you walk into a nursing home, the first thing you'll probably notice is how warm it is. This is because elderly people typically feel the cold more so the building needs to be kept toasty warm. It's also likely that many of the lights will be on, as well as TV's playing in various rooms.

Water is also used a lot in care homes too, because of the large volumes of washing that needs doing, especially in larger facilities. Nursing homes are also 24-hour facilities so it's not surprising that their energy bills can be so high.

But is it possible to improve energy consumption without sacrificing the care of the residents? Fortunately, nursing and care homes across the UK can improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions. Keep reading to find out why energy consumption matters and how to reduce it.

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Energy Efficiency: Why Does It Matter?

But why does energy consumption matter? The UK healthcare industry spends more than £400 million on heating, water, and electricity every year and sadly, much of this energy gets wasted. This means care and nursing homes are needlessly spending excessive amounts on energy bills.

This is money that could be used to improve the facilities for the well-being of the vulnerable, ill, and elderly residents. Not only that but this wasted energy is also damaging to the environment.

With climate change becoming more and more serious, everyone should be taking steps to improve energy efficiency and help protect the earth.

Taking steps to reduce energy waste means care homes could reduce their overhead costs and put that saved money towards improving their services. This, in turn, can aid in reducing their carbon footprint and become kinder to the environment. Read on to the next section to discover energy-saving tips.

How Do I Save Money On Care and Nursing Home Energy?

Improve Energy Efficiency

The first step to decreasing energy costs is implementing some simple energy efficiency measures. This, combined with an appropriate energy contract, can help lower care home energy bills substantially.

Here are some key areas that can be targeted to boost the energy efficiency of care homes and nursing homes.

Heating system

Heating costs usually make up a large part of a nursing home's energy bills. This is because the ideal temperature of the building will be higher than regular households, as elderly people are much more sensitive to the cold.

Although care homes and nursing homes will inevitably need to use their heating more, there are ways to heat the building efficiently so that the bills are kept as low as possible.

One way of doing this is to use central heating rather than electric heaters. A modern central heating system will be far more efficient and affordable, as electric heaters can be very expensive to run.

Also, reducing the thermostat temperature to the lowest comfortable setting will help to save energy over time. As well as that, ensuring the heating appliances are effectively maintained can help with energy efficiency.

Scheduling an annual heating system and boiler service for the facility will reduce the need for disruptive and potentially expensive repairs too.

Insulation

Insulation is an important part of maintaining the temperature inside care homes. To retain heat in the building, consider investing in cavity, wall, floor and/or roof insulation. This will decrease how much you rely on the heating, lowering your energy bill.

Investing in double glazing is also a great way of keeping the heat in and maintaining the correct temperature. It's also recommended that you keep windows and doors closed as much as possible to stop warm air from escaping and cold air from getting in.

Lastly, make sure that any current insulation that's installed is maintained regularly and professionally.

Electricity usage

Investing in LED lightbulbs is another great way of improving the energy efficiency of your care home and decreasing your overheads.

LEDs, or Light-Emitting Diodes, use up to 90% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. They also last longer so you won't need to spend money constantly replacing them. Once you've installed LED lighting, switching your business electricity tariff will help you reduce energy waste even more.

You could also decrease your electricity bills by installing motion sensors in your facility. Elderly residents often forget to turn the lights off when they leave a room, but motion sensors solve this problem by detecting when the room is empty and automatically switching the lights off.

The lights will also turn on automatically when a patient enters the room, making it easier for them to move around.

Reduce your electricity bills even more by equipping your nursing home with energy-efficient appliances. Choose products that have higher energy label ratings as these will lower your costs the most.

Water

Roughly 12% of a nursing home's energy consumption is from heating water. To lower your water bills, invest in efficient tap aerators and showerheads to reduce water usage. You should also make sure that any dripping or leaking taps are repaired as quickly as possible.

It may not seem like much, but dripping taps can cause significant water waste every year. Also, if it's physically possible, encouraging patients to take showers rather than baths will help to save water. We recommend that you also insulate the hot water tank and the pipes to retain the hot water for longer.

Lastly, an efficient and modern boiler can help lower your water costs. Likewise, changing to a combi-boiler means that you'll have hot water on demand, instead of it needing to be stored.

Switch Energy Suppliers

A great value for money business energy contract is another good way of reducing the energy bills in your care home. Lots of nursing and care homes are overpaying exponentially for their energy usage. If you're paying excessive rates you could be in this group of business customers.

If you haven't switched your business gas and electricity supplier recently, you could be missing out on some great savings.

Here at Business Energy UK, we'll help you find the perfect energy tariff for your care home facility. We'll offer you advice and assist you in comparing the best energy deals available so you can choose the most suitable tariff for your facilities needs.

As we mentioned earlier, the savings you make from switching energy companies could go towards improving your facilities for your residents. State-of-the-art equipment, more carers, and more services to name a few.

Compare Energy Deals With Business Energy UK

Comparing energy suppliers with Business Energy UK is a quick and convenient way of saving on your facilities energy costs. Take advantage of our free comparison service today and see how much we can help your facility save!

It's incredibly easy to use, all you need is some basic information about your facility and details about its typical energy usage which you'll find on your most recent energy bill.

We'll compare prices from all the big business energy companies, called the Big Six, and a broad range of smaller, independent energy brands. We'll customise the search results to suit your facility's needs, so you're only offered relevant contracts.

Rest assured, our service is completely impartial, so you'll only be offered the tariffs that give you the very best value for money.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are lots of steps you can take to make your facility more eco-friendly without compromising the care of the residents. Although care homes need to be kept warm, rooms that are too hot and stuffy can create uncomfortable environments for patients and staff.

The heating only needs to be activated if the rooms go below the minimum required temperature. Correctly positioned and properly maintained thermostats will ensure this happens.

The thermostats must be positioned correctly as sunlight, draughts, and the proximity to heat sources such as radiators can all prevent them from working efficiently.

Other energy efficiency measures you can take include:

  • closing curtains and doors where possible
  • installing LEDs to reduce lighting costs
  • using smart key cards to turn lights on and off
  • purchasing efficient appliances with high energy ratings

Switching your business energy provider is the quickest and easiest way to save money on your facility's energy bills. It's recommended that you compare energy tariffs every 6-12 months so you get the best deal on your bills.

Applying the tips and advice in this guide to your care home will also bring your costs down significantly.

It's no secret that climate change is becoming a problem, and if you want to become "greener" and more eco-friendly, here are 5 features of an environmentally friendly home:

  • double glazing
  • radiant heating
  • low-energy lighting such as LEDs
  • Foam insulation
  • Doors that are efficient at retaining heat

Even if your facility doesn't have all 5 of these features, there are plenty of steps you can take to reduce your energy usage, including switching to a new business energy provider.