Hospitals are entering one of the most demanding periods in their history. Aging infrastructure, surging energy costs, tightening sustainability regulations, and increasingly constrained electrical grids are converging into a perfect storm. And unlike most sectors, hospitals must operate continuously—every hour of every day—with zero tolerance for disruption.

For healthcare leaders, the question is no longer whether to modernize, but how to upgrade critical infrastructure quickly, intelligently, and with minimal operational risk.

A new global study from Schneider Electric and JLL—Healing Healthcare Infrastructure: How Retrofits Impact Energy, Carbon & Cost—offers one of the most comprehensive analyses ever conducted on this topic. By modeling nine retrofit measures across seven global regions, the research reveals four decisive insights:

• Digital retrofits consistently outperform physical upgrades
• A core set of six Energy Conservation and Control Measures (ECCMs) delivers repeatable impact worldwide
• Location and grid context significantly influence ROI and carbon outcomes
• Benefits extend well beyond energy—strengthening resilience, reliability and patient experience

To unpack these findings, I sat down with Efrie Escott, Schneider Electric’s decarbonization technology leader, to understand their implications for hospitals today.

Q: Why are building upgrades so important for hospitals right now?

A: Hospitals are among the most energy‑intensive buildings in the world, yet many operate on systems never designed for today’s demands. Much of the global hospital stock predates modern electrified medical equipment, digital technologies, and today’s complex energy challenges.

Energy costs are rising faster than budgets. Infrastructure is aging faster than it’s being renewed. Sustainability reporting requirements are tightening worldwide. And through all of this, hospitals must maintain absolute reliability.

Healthcare leaders are making difficult choices: how to modernize quickly and affordably without introducing risk.

Q: This study is unusually comprehensive—nine ECCMs across seven regions. What motivated such a wide‑ranging approach?

A: Most energy studies focus narrowly—one building type, one climate, one solution. But hospitals behave very differently depending on where they are.

• A hospital in Singapore faces extreme cooling loads and a carbon‑intensive grid.
• A hospital in Norway operates in a cold climate with a very clean grid.
• A hospital in New York manages mixed temperatures and aging infrastructure.

So, we modeled nine ECCMs—digital, fabric, and service‑based—across climates from tropical to cold. We assessed energy impact, carbon payback, and ROI.

Q: What stood out most in the study’s findings?

A: The biggest takeaway is clear: digital retrofits outperformed physical upgrades in every region.

Measures such as building management system (BMS) optimization, occupancy‑based controls, submetering, and Power SCADA delivered up to 18% energy savings, with carbon payback periods of under 1 year—significantly faster than building‑envelope measures.

That said, the optimal path varies. Climate and grid carbon intensity heavily influence performance. But one universal pattern emerged: a consistent package of six digital ECCMs delivered strong results everywhere.

For hospitals facing complexity and uncertainty, having a starting point is invaluable.

Q: Do building upgrades have an impact on patient care?

A: Absolutely. The benefits extend far beyond sustainability or operational savings—they directly affect the quality of care.

• Improved comfort through precise control of temperature, airflow, and lighting
• Greater power reliability that prevents equipment failures in ICUs and operating theatres
• Better indoor air quality through smart ventilation, humidity management, and filtration

These improvements don’t show up on an energy bill—but they appear in patient satisfaction, clinical performance, and operational resilience.

Q: How can healthcare facility professionals use these insights to guide their modernization strategy?

Start by defining the outcomes your modernization strategy must deliver—whether that’s improving patient experience, boosting resilience, reducing carbon, or lowering operating costs. Clear goals anchor every investment decision.

Next, build a phased roadmap that can adapt over time. Because healthcare environments evolve rapidly, digital solutions need to be:

• Agile: Able to adjust as priorities shift
• Open and interoperable: Avoiding lock‑in and enabling future growth
• Scalable: Ready to support new care models and technologies

Once goals are set, the priority is visibility. You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Submetering, monitoring, and connected systems provide the real‑time intelligence needed to make confident decisions and sequence investments effectively.

And while every hospital has its own constraints, the research is clear: modernization doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With strong data and the right digital foundations, healthcare organizations can move from planning to execution with far greater certainty.

To support that journey, we’ve developed practical tools to help teams assess their facilities and identify the highest‑impact opportunities.

Next steps

• Model your own facilities: Connect with our team to identify high‑impact modernization opportunities across your estate.
• Explore the research Executive Summary: Download Healing Healthcare Infrastructure: How Retrofits Impact Energy, Carbon & Cost for insights and region‑specific performance results.