Energy audit under way at Mater Dei Hospital
The Foundation for Medical Services and the University are carrying out an energy audit at Mater Dei Hospital and considering renewable energy sources, Parliamentary Secretary Joseph Cassar said today.
He said another exercise, carried out in September last year, had suggested that solar heating and wind energy equipment could be installed on the hospital roofs and the car park.
The purpose of the new study is to identify areas where energy consumption can be reduced without impacting on patient care.
Dr Cassar pointed out, however, that the hospital is a sensitive place and what applies to homes or business establishments does not necessarily apply to it.
He also listed various energy saving measures incorporated in the new hospital during construction.
They include double insulated walls, double glazed windows which are always kept closed to maintain temperature, low volume flush toilets, reservoirs for rainwater, use of energy saving lamps throughout the hospital, sensors to switch off lights when rooms are vacant, chillers that produce their own cooling water thus reducing load on boilers, north-facing wards reducing the need for cooling, and recycling of water for irrigation purposes.
Dr Cassar made his comments when he inaugurated a Christmas Tree lit by photovoltaic panels. It features 1,000 LED bulbs.
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Marianna Galea Xuereb
Dec 17th 2008, 11:40
Must comment on the locally popularized misconception that anything that is “state of the art” is necessarily the best possible solution:
Personal experience has shown me that “state of the art” effectively means “the latest idea or invention still to be tried and tested for long term effectiveness and safety by the consumer alias human laboratory rat” and this applies to everything from technical products to medicines and medical treatments. Sorry to disappoint many readers but that is the way that Management, Marketing, Research and Development strategies are operated these days. Nobody tests new products/ideas incessantly to the point of guaranteeing absolute efficiency, effectiveness, health and safety beyond any shadow of doubt. Testing is merely rigorous enough to conform to relevant legislation and to beat the competitors’ products. Anyone in an organization (be it private, state owned or philanthropic) who tries to even question the ethics, integrity and morality of such a strategy risks losing his/her job if not also his/her reputation, health and life. “Market now, carry out epidemiological studies later, let consume/citizen pay for products AND the organization’s mistakes” is the order of the day despite all the modern hype about corporate and governmental social responsibility.
S Camilleri
Dec 11th 2008, 08:37
They must have received the electricity bill!! It is becoming more and more evident that the government did not look any further into the future than the ribbon cutting ceremony!
Charmaine Chetcuti
Dec 11th 2008, 07:22
I agree with Mr SAnt...why didn't they think of this when Mater Dei was being built? Wind and Solar energy are not something which have been discovered overnight! I hope that it doesn't remain just a study but it is put in practice!
Criss Camilleri
Dec 11th 2008, 04:41
And not a SINGLE Solar System to be seen !
Simon borg
Dec 10th 2008, 22:48
therefore, I wonder, what was the song and dance on the place being state of the art? everything seems to be coming home to roost. a govt that gets constantly oblivious and keep treating nationalists stupid
Victor Muscat
Dec 10th 2008, 21:18
@ Marianna Galea Xuereb
I was a patient recently at Mater Dei. There four or five air extractors in my room.
In think that the water from the air conditioners could be channeled to the reservoir. At home from a very small air conditioner i get 2 to 3 gallons on a very hot night.
Marianna Galea Xuereb
Dec 10th 2008, 20:22
Apart from waste of energy, one of my main concerns about Mater Dei is the fact that because of the permanently closed ward windows, the smaller rooms and the lower ceilings there just aren’t enough fresh air changes per unit time to maintain a truly healthy environment. One could consider installing extractor fans I suppose but this would imply more energy consumption to operate the fans as well as to maintain the desired ambient temperature.
Whenever I have reason to visit Mater Dei, it feels much stuffier than Saint Luke’s ever did. Doesn’t anyone regularly monitor the air quality inside Mater Dei? I am not advocating opening windows during a blistering heat wave, during a dust storm or during particularly cold weather, just to open windows when it is appropriate to do so, please. However, it seems to me that many windows at Mater Dei were just not designed to be opened.
Edward Camilleri
Dec 10th 2008, 19:38
When one visits Mater Dei in summer one could not help but wonder why the aircondition temperatures in some wards must be kept so low, i.e. very cold. Even nurses who are active all the time complain, let alone the inactive patients. This is a huge waste of energy.
Duncan Sant
Dec 10th 2008, 19:28
About time... why wasn't this done during the 15yrs spent building Mater Dei?