6 Ways Hospitals Can Save Water

Hospitals and healthcare facilities often use a lot of water and come under a lot of pressure to develop procedures and systems to help reduce water consumption. According to the department of health, the need for hospitals to focus on water management is growing more pressing. Benchmarking water consumption across healthcare facilities will reduce overall stress on water supplies, including saving money long-term. Today we will be discussing six ways hospitals can save water in a cost-effective way that does not impact the users.

1. Heating and Cooling

One of the most successful ways medical facilities can save water is to modify the heating and cooling systems used for regulating water temperature. For example, many refrigeration systems use once-through water cooling systems that extinguish the water used. By incorporating closed or recirculated systems hospitals could conserve more water and save money in the process.

2.Water Coolers

Opting to have water coolers in hospitals and water facilities will help aid water management and reduce the amount spent on cooking, supplying water to patients, staff, and maintaining equipment. Installing mains fed water coolers or bottled water coolers can provide staff and patients with freshwater and help with managing water in the building. Having a water cooler can also help achieve other sustainability goals such as reducing your hospital's carbon footprint.

3.Retrofit Toilet Flush Valves

Hospitals do not need to replace toilets to conserve water. Instead having low flush valves can reduce the water needed per flush and is a much more sustainable solution compared to a standard flush. Hospitals can even turn one-flush toilets into dual-flush systems that have been proven to save gallons of water per month and save money.

4.Laundry Systems

Some hospitals recently started installing rinse water reuse systems to help reduce the implications of patients continuously using gowns, clothes, and beds. One hospital saved almost two million gallons of water annually by utilising this system.

5.Become More Contentious

Many medical find that the most effective ways to reduce water consumption are to set internal goals for staff and notify them of the reasons the hospital must save water. Administrators should urge staff to consider their daily activities, everything from showering patients to washing hands, and examine to how they can decrease water consumption further. Initiating an employee awareness program and attaching a reward for reducing water can be a very efficient, easy solution to saving water and money.

6.Conduct a Water Audit

A detailed water audit can be extremely insightful into the uses, usage, patterns and will help quantify water saving opportunities for the healthcare facilities. As part of a water audit, hospitals will be able to identify potential leaks that could be caused by poor infrastructure or old plumbing.

Conclusion

Water is the most important resource in our lives and is crucial to the daily functions of hospitals. If we are going to protect our planet and the incoming water crisis that looms over us, it will be vital for all organisations to consider their water usage. Hospitals can make a move to a more sustainable solution by putting these effective six ways to reduce water usage.

How Cooleraid Can Help

Cooleraid is the UK’s leading suppliers of water coolers, fountains, and bottle refilling stations. Our solutions have delivered refreshing water to hospital and healthcare facilities for years, providing industry leading advice and support right from our office in the UK. For more information relating to this article or any of our services, please contact our friendly teams today!