Cork University Hospital
Hospital-wide shower retrofit with independently reported water and energy savings.
Cork University Hospital is one of Ireland's largest acute hospitals, with more than 800 beds and around 460 showers across the estate.
In 2017, a programme was put in place to replace the hospital's existing shower heads with Medi-Shower. The work was carried out in stages, with the HSE reporting that the final remaining showers were due to be changed during 2023.
The challenge
Healthcare showers sit within a wider water-management environment, while also needing to provide a practical and reliable experience for patients and staff.
At Cork University Hospital, the existing shower heads also had relatively high flow rates. This created an opportunity to reduce both water use and the energy required to provide hot water.
The approach
Medi-Shower units were introduced progressively across the hospital. The system combines a smooth internal water path with a detachable, colour-coded spray component that can be incorporated into a planned service programme.
The HSE case study reports that the Medi-Shower units operated at substantially lower flow rates than the older showers at CUH.
The reported results
HSE Capital & Estates described the new shower heads and associated service contract as "hugely successful" from an infection-control perspective.
Using around 460 showers and stated assumptions for shower frequency, duration, water charges, energy costs and incoming water temperature, the HSE model calculated:
- 26,900 m³ lower annual water use
- €81,000 estimated annual water-cost saving
- €83,000 estimated annual hot-water energy saving
- €164,000 total estimated annual cost saving
- 222 tonnes CO2e estimated annual carbon saving
These figures are the results of the HSE's CUH model and the assumptions stated in that case study. They should not be treated as universal performance figures for other sites.
A wider view of shower specification
The Cork University Hospital project shows how shower specification can contribute to more than one estates objective. Outlet management, water use, energy demand and the practical requirements of a healthcare environment can all form part of the decision when showers are reviewed across a large estate.
Source
HSE Capital & Estates, Climate Action and Sustainability Office - Case Study: Cork University Hospital - Water and Energy Savings through Shower Retrofit.
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