Hot Water Use in Hospitals

The need for effective infection control drives much of how hospitals use water, particularly heated water. In U.S. hospitals, hot water systems generally supply shower/bathing functions, process functions (such as dishwashing equipment), or handwashing. These systems typically consist of a heating source that heats the water to a temperature that will kill most Legionella bacteria, then cooled to a temperature that will avoid scalding humans, and then continuously circulated through the building and to fixtures, where it mixes with cold water to match a particular user’s preference—a fairly complicated design that consumes a relatively large amount of first cost and ongoing energy.