Nearly 4 billion to decarbonize the health network

(Quebec) LED lighting, heat recovery in hospitals and electrification of ambulances: decarbonizing the imposing health network by 2040 would cost the State 3.8 billion, provided that the Legault government commits to it right now, a new study concludes.

In a report which will be made public this Tuesday, the Association for Public Health of Quebec (ASPQ) offers the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) a “turnkey” roadmap towards achieving the zero emissions objective.

The game plan, signed Dunsky Énergie+Climat – a firm that is already working with the Quebec government towards carbon neutrality – establishes recommendations for the most energy-intensive sectors of the network: buildings (hospitals, CHSLDs) and transport.

It was the ASPQ which mandated Dunsky last May, thanks to the financial support of the Trottier Family Foundation, which finances projects of an environmental nature, in particular. The association believes that decarbonizing the health system would meet “the climate objectives” of Quebec while having effects on the health of the population in general.

The health network alone represents 3.6% of Quebec’s emissions, or 2.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) coming mainly from buildings, transport and indirect emissions, writes Dunsky in the report consulted by The Press.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of emissions are still generated by fossil fuels used for heating.

Hospitals are the largest emitters due to their higher “energy intensity” than other buildings in the network. They “stand out” for a high activity rate and above all “a high ventilation rate to comply with health standards”, we write.

“Major changes”

“We recognize that there are significant challenges in making the health sector zero emissions and several avenues to achieve this, more particularly for buildings,” underlines the firm, which recalls that the network has 1,534 buildings.

“The transition to zero-emission healthcare establishments by 2040 requires major changes in terms of energy sources consumed and […] in heating and ventilation systems: an increase in electricity consumption is to be expected,” we write.

According to the firm, the State would have to spend 3.8 billion by 2040, including 1.6 billion within five years, to achieve zero emissions.

Heat recovery from buildings and the substitution of fossil fuels are the transition measures that will require the most investment, according to Dunsky.

“The roadmap offers an order of magnitude of investments and the pace of efforts required across the province by 2040,” we can read in the Dunsky Energy+Climat report.

It is also explained that this scenario “does not aim to impose a single vision for the decarbonization of the sector, but rather to offer a robust reference base on which to rely to propose structuring initiatives and actions”.

The plan presented on Tuesday could also lead to savings of around 787 million, including 571 million thanks to the decarbonization of buildings and 216 million with the electrification of the vehicle fleet.

Challenges and opportunities

However, healthcare establishments, despite the challenges highlighted, “present unique profiles and opportunities in terms of heat recovery”, specifies the report. This is “a flagship measure” to achieve decarbonization of the health sector.

The decarbonization roadmap developed by the firm also aims to reduce total energy consumption by 25% before resorting to renewable energies.

To achieve this, we propose the installation of LED bulbs in all establishments for a 6% reduction in total energy consumption by 2040.

After LED lighting, heat recovery has the potential to reduce total energy consumption by 15%. The firm notes that most establishments do not have systems allowing such recovery, so “significant modifications, or complete replacements of mechanical systems are necessary.”

Finally, it is recommended that “the remaining uses of natural gas after heat recovery” be converted to renewable energies to recover 4% of total consumption.

In his report, Dunsky underlines that the Legault government has already begun its transition towards the complete electrification of light vehicles by 2030, while “40% of light vehicles in the health network are already electric”.

To “complete the decarbonization of the vehicle fleet”, it will be necessary to electrify “road vehicles” such as ambulances and vans. The electrification of ambulances “remains a challenge”, writes the firm, indicating that the “issues differ from one region to another”. The firm estimates that investments of 480,000 million will be necessary by 2040 to electrify ambulances.