Introduction
Hospitals operate under conditions where failure is not an option. Unlike most buildings, healthcare facilities must function continuously through heatwaves, cold spells, and periods of system stress. Temperature control, ventilation, digital infrastructure, and medical equipment all rely on uninterrupted energy supply. As climate variability intensifies and energy systems face mounting pressure, the fragility of hospital operations becomes increasingly visible.
The concept of hospital energy resilience highlights the need to plan for both extremes: rising heat that drives cooling demand and the strict temperature requirements of cold chains that protect medicines, vaccines, and blood products. Energy planning in healthcare is no longer a background technical issue. It is a core determinant of patient safety, service continuity, and public health protection.
When energy systems are strained, how prepared are hospitals to protect both patients and critical medical supplies?
Heat Stress and Rising Energy Demand
Heatwaves significantly increase energy demand in healthcare settings. Cooling systems must work harder to maintain safe indoor temperatures for patients, staff, and sensitive equipment. Older hospital buildings with limited insulation or outdated systems are particularly vulnerable, often requiring more energy to achieve the same level of thermal control.
Excessive heat also affects clinical outcomes. Elevated indoor temperatures can worsen cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, increase dehydration risk, and place additional strain on healthcare workers. Maintaining thermal stability is therefore not only an operational requirement, but a clinical necessity. Rising temperatures linked to climate change are already increasing health risks and energy demand in healthcare environments [1].
During heat extremes, hospitals often face peak electricity demand at the same time as surrounding communities. Without sufficient planning, this overlap raises the risk of outages or forced load reductions precisely when reliability is most critical.
Cold Chains Under Constant Pressure
At the opposite end of the temperature spectrum, hospitals depend on cold chains to preserve vaccines, biological samples, blood products, and temperature-sensitive medicines. These systems require precise and continuous cooling with minimal tolerance for fluctuation.
Even short power interruptions can compromise stored materials, leading to product loss, treatment delays, and increased operational costs. Cold chain failures also carry wider public health implications, particularly when essential vaccines or lifesaving medicines are affected. World Health Organization guidance identifies reliable energy supply as a critical condition for safe cold chain management [2].
Energy instability places constant pressure on these systems. Backup generators, battery storage, and monitoring technologies reduce risk, but only when integrated into a broader and well-planned energy resilience strategy.
Hospital Energy Resilience in Practice
Hospital energy resilience depends on more than emergency power solutions. It involves designing systems capable of adapting to variable demand, environmental stress, and long-term change. Efficient building envelopes, diversified energy sources, and intelligent energy management systems all contribute to reducing vulnerability.
Evidence from healthcare facilities shows that integrated energy planning improves reliability, reduces operational risk, and supports continuity of care during climate-related disruptions [3]. Facilities that anticipate stress points are better equipped to maintain services without relying on crisis-driven responses that exhaust staff and resources.
A One Health Approach
A One Health approach frames hospital energy planning within a broader system linking human health, environmental conditions, and infrastructure. Energy production influences air quality and climate patterns, which in turn affect disease burden and healthcare demand. Hospitals exist within this feedback loop, both affected by and contributing to environmental pressures.
Strengthening energy resilience in healthcare facilities reduces emissions, supports environmental stability, and protects essential services during periods of heightened demand. At the same time, reliable hospital operations safeguard population health when environmental stressors intensify. Coordinated planning across health, energy, and environmental sectors is central to this approach [4].
Conclusion
Hospitals cannot choose between managing heat or protecting cold chains. They must do both, continuously and reliably. Hospital energy resilience is therefore not optional. It is a prerequisite for safe care, effective treatment, and public health protection.
As energy systems face increasing strain, planning becomes the difference between adaptation and vulnerability. By investing in resilient design, intelligent energy management, and integrated planning, healthcare facilities can protect patients, preserve critical supplies, and maintain care continuity under growing pressure. In a changing climate, resilience is no longer a safeguard. It is a responsibility.
References
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2024) Climate change, heat and health. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-heat-and-health
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2008) Module 1: Cold chain, vaccines and safe-injection equipment management (Training for mid-level managers). Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/module-1.-cold-chain-vaccines-and-safe-injection-equipment-management
- Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) (2025) Climate resilience and powering healthcare in the Global South. Vienna: Sustainable Energy for All. Available at: https://www.seforall.org/publications/climate-resilience-and-powering-healthcare-in-the-global-south
- World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency & Sustainable Energy for All (2023) Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.seforall.org/publications/energizing-health-accelerating-electricity-access-in-health-care-facilities
