ASDSDA
cooling demand outpacing existing infrastructure
Contingency Plan for Critical Medical Facilities
PROJECT DATE: 2022
Hospitals Plan Ahead to Avoid Disruption
The news about the weather this year is full of dire predictions and warnings of unprecedented heat, epic droughts, and increased global temperatures, especially in the Southern half of the North American continent. For Texas, this means more summers like the one we are having now in 2022 and even hotter ones.
If you have lived in Texas for years, you know how hot it can get and how long the heat may last. Summer of 2011, anyone? And according to the National Weather Service, 2022 is heating up to be in the top ten of hottest years in Texas https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2022/08/01/july-2022-set-records-in-dallas-fort-worth-expect-the-heat-wave-to-continue/
Corresponding with these historical high temperatures are longer air conditioning run times and their higher utility costs. While we can turn up the setpoint, or modify the run times for our home’s AC, many facilities do not have this option. For various reasons, their HVAC must continue to run on the same schedule and with the same temperature and humidity control, regardless of the outside air temperature and the increased energy consumption.
One example of such a facility is a hospital. Strains on hospitals have not relented, with new variations of Covid-19 continuing to send patients to care centers, facilities that are already struggling to cope with delayed care for heart disease and cancer patients https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-are-strained-even-before-omicron-hits-11639946782 The added worry of extreme ambient temperatures compounds their stress of caring for their patients.
Some hospitals are taking pre-cautionary measures where they can, and several local hospitals have anticipated HVAC/cooling demand outpacing their existing infrastructure during high-temperature months. They are reaching out to rental companies like RES to provide temporary or even backup equipment to avoid potential loss of cooling in their hospitals.
Refrigeration and Environmental Systems Responds to Needs
In August, RES delivered two Dunham Bush air-cooled chillers to two different hospitals. The first one was delivered to a medium-sized complex in Dallas county. Its 335-ton air-cooled variable speed screw chiller resides on a trailer on the loading dock, plumbed in with a jockey pump and wired to the customer’s motor control center. It is serving as a backup to the hospital’s existing chiller plant. The chiller was delivered, installed, started, and left in standby mode for the hospital.
Long lead times on parts such as condenser fan motors and control boards for the existing plant forced the hospital to create a contingency plan if a part failed. With this backup chiller, RES is holding the line on chilled water for this critical facility. We are proud to be able to support a local hospital with something so important as cool, conditioned air for people in the community who are at the highest risk and suffering the most – physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is an honor to be asked to contribute to their mission of helping others who need it the most.
Perhaps you are in a critical facility like a hospital and being without HVAC is a situation you could not survive. Or you only need a little boost of cold clear water to get you through a sticky situation like a plant shutdown. We invite you to contact us.
Let’s find out if we can get through the heat together by keeping our cool. We have more new equipment arriving soon. 2023 is not likely to be any cooler than 2022 – more than likely even hotter. Perhaps we can take some time this Winter to create a 2023 Summer plan for you. I am reminded of the rule of 5 P’s: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. It appears the high temperatures will be with us for some time. Someone is counting on you to be ready for them.
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