Energy management: a reemerging concern for the department manager

The cost of energy in the average health care institution, at one time rarely more than I percent of the total budget, has amounted to 3 percent to 5 percent or more of the budget since the mid-1970s. As society gradually adjusted to these higher energy costs, the urgency for energy conservation faded, and true energy management, briefly a high priority, fell by the wayside. It is now evident that higher energy costs are here to stay, and energy supplies are becoming more limited, in some areas alarmingly so, at the same time other financial concerns are making themselves felt. Therefore, energy management is resurfacing as an active management concern. Much of energy management at the department level is a matter of awareness and attitude, and an energy-conscious manager can influence the staff toward energy consciousness.