CHFM - Certified Healthcare Facility Manager Energy Management and Sustainability Questions and Answers Flashcards

Which sustainability certification program is most widely used for evaluating the green performance of healthcare facility construction projects in the US?

Answer: LEED

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely adopted green building certification in the US, including for healthcare.

What is the primary goal of an energy audit conducted in a healthcare facility?

Answer: To identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and costs

An energy audit systematically identifies inefficiencies and improvement opportunities to lower a facility's energy use and operating costs.

Retro-commissioning (RCx) in a healthcare facility is defined as:

Answer: Optimizing existing building systems to meet current operational needs

Retro-commissioning improves performance of existing systems through investigation, analysis, and implementation of low-cost operational changes.

Which of the following best describes a 'green power' procurement strategy for a hospital?

Answer: Purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) or signing a power purchase agreement (PPA)

RECs and PPAs allow hospitals to support renewable energy generation and credibly claim clean energy use without necessarily generating it on-site.

Water use intensity (WUI) in healthcare facilities is typically measured in:

Answer: Gallons per square foot per year

WUI expressed as gallons per square foot per year allows benchmarking of water efficiency across facilities of different sizes.

A hospital installs occupancy sensors in administrative offices to control lighting. This is an example of:

Answer: Lighting controls for energy conservation

Occupancy sensors automatically turn off lights in unoccupied spaces, reducing lighting energy consumption through controls.