With multiple buildings across their campuses, senior living communities often operate much more like a small town versus a singular facility. And they play a unique double role: they’re not just a home for elders but a major employer. Since they provide housing and care 24 hours a day, increased energy efficiency for assisted living facilities can result in substantial year-end profit.

Achieving optimal energy efficiency, however, is no easy feat for these facilities—large or small. Even attempting to reduce energy consumption in a building or wing can prove challenging. There are many areas that need monitoring for safety and comfort, including living quarters, social and recreational rooms, commercial kitchens, rehab facilities, indoor pools and/or gyms, and emergency departments. There’s much to consider—so much so that partnering with an energy saving company is usually the smartest bet. Why? Because good energy management companies can come in, conduct an audit, and make changes throughout the entire facility. Changes like installing a high efficiency HVAC system or energy saving LED lights throughout your campus—that will reduce your operating costs immediately at no risk to you, with no effort from you. More importantly, these system-wide changes can result in thousands of dollars in energy savings annually.

More Comfortable Living, More Profitable Results

Quality of life (QOL) is a critical in any senior living facility. Dimly lit rooms and halls and overly hot or drafty spaces significantly reduce QOL, making any facility less attractive to both potential residents as well as high quality personnel.

For obvious reasons, heat and AC can’t be left on all the time, especially when rooms are frequently unused a good portion of the day. Energy management companies like Budderfly can implement changes that create a more comfortable living environment and ensure maximum savings, no matter how little or often spaces are utilized. Here’s how: after conducting an audit, Budderfly experts upgrade your facility system-wide, including LED lighting retrofits, faucet pressure controllers, a high efficiency HVAC system, programmable lighting fixtures, thermostats and water heaters, and more. After installing the upgrades, occupancy sensors will assist in maximizing efficiency in main areas as well as offices and back-of-house operations, adjusting to the correct temperature and lighting during and after use.

When your overall goal is to reduce energy consumption in a building, identifying and upgrading is just the start. Your building will likely require repairs to its envelope to seal windows, roofs, and masonry. But to attain true energy efficiency for assisted living facilities, constant monitoring is required to gain the most significant results. Budderfly monitors all your systems, from lighting to heating and water usage to food refrigeration and preparation, and then makes any necessary adjustments to make sure it's always running efficiently. Usage data is trackable at all times and AI learning allows your energy systems to adjust as needed—all on their own.

Increased Peace of Mind for Your Residents & Staff

Proper lighting and a high efficiency HVAC system don’t just make for a more pleasant environment, they make for a safer one. Well-lit areas inside and out allow for more confident movement for seniors who may be hindered by eyesight and/or mobility issues. Likewise, well-lit offices and parking zones make for a safer work environment for your employees, making your facility more attractive to high-quality staff.

Indoors, your HVAC system must provide healthy air along with comfortable heating and cooling. Along with humidity controls, these systems are a part a healing environment for residents and any failure—especially during times of extreme weather—can result in a health emergency. With COPD, asthma, and other respiratory disorders affecting 1 in 7 seniors, this population has a greater dependency on indoor air quality. The experts at Budderfly will ensure the air quality at your facility is always optimal with additional HEPA filters for allergens and UV bombardment installations, which act as an antiviral and antibacterial to aerosols found in the air.

The Time Is Now

Consider this: according to the U.S. Census Population Projection, by 2030, the baby boomer generation will all be over 65. This means one in every five residents will be at retirement age—many of whom will have one or more chronic conditions that will require some level of assistance. They’ll also have a certain level of expectation when it comes to comfort. With this impending boom headed within the next decade, now is the time to start implementing smart energy efficiency for assisted living facilities to enjoy future success, profit, and sustainability.

Budderfly is the one solution to help get you there—our proprietary cooling products can attain savings of over 20% alone. We don’t just reduce energy consumption in a building or two. We identify, repair, and upgrade your entire energy system as well as deploy state-of-the-art monitoring systems in hundreds of points of usage around your entire campus. The well-made components provided by Budderfly remain in place for years without the need for replacement, saving even more in costly repairs and maintenance.

As the demand for elder care begins to intensify, saving on energy costs and sustainability will only become more important. Take the guesswork out of your facility’s potential and let Budderfly help your senior living community live a long, healthy, and prosperous life starting right now.