Evaluating cost savings through equipment shutdown: A practical step toward sustainable surgery

The National Health Service has committed to being net zero by 2040, and one of the most energy-intensive areas of a hospital are operating theaters. Generally, to reduce the carbon footprint of an area, departments have to buy new equipment; however, turning off equipment at the end of the day is a completely free way to help reach this goal. We aimed (1) to understand which pieces of equipment are more energy intensive; (2) to calculate the difference in energy and cost of equipment in use and on standby; (3) to determine the environmental and financial cost of equipment not being turned off at the end of the day; and (4) to determine the environmental and financial cost of equipment not being turned off over the weekend.

Using a power monitor, we calculated the power usage of different pieces of equipment in colorectal theaters. We plugged the monitors into equipment during typical operating lists and recorded "in-use" and "standby" energy consumption. Out-of-hours and weekends also were monitored.

Turning off equipment at the end of the day and at weekends could save the trust £147,053 per year in the theater complex alone. When considering cost savings extrapolated to the entire hospital, just by switching off computers across the hospital there is an additional cost saving of £487,760.

Switching off plugs would contribute greatly to energy wastage saved and is simple. In newer builds, these could be turned off centrally. Turning off equipment is a necessity; going forward, it will help with net-zero targets, as well as financial savings for the trust with no risk to patient safety. With a calculated estimated saving of approximately £175 million to the National Health Service nationwide, it should be implemented in all theaters with immediate effect.