UCI Opens First Major All-Electric Hospital in California

Hospitals never sleep, and their energy appetite is massive, but one new medical center just proved they can run on clean power alone.

The University of California Irvine opened a 144-bed healthcare campus in December that operates entirely on electricity. No gas lines power the operating rooms, commercial kitchens, or any other part of the sprawling facility.

"Healthcare is just about as big of an energy hog as you can get," says Fabian Kremkus, a design principal at CO Architects, the firm behind the project. Between room-sized MRI machines, medicine refrigerators, and industrial kitchens, hospitals consume staggering amounts of energy around the clock.

The timing wasn't easy. When design work began in 2020 during the pandemic, the technology to pull off an all-electric hospital barely existed.

The original blueprints included gas-powered heating and cooling plants because commercially available electric alternatives weren't ready yet. But as construction progressed over the next few years, manufacturers released new equipment like all-electric air-source heat pumps, air chillers, and cooking appliances.

The design team saw an opportunity. Rather than stick with the fossil fuel backup plan, they decided to go all in on electricity.

The Ripple Effect

UCI Health's success matters beyond its own walls. At over 500,000 square feet, CO Architects believes it's the largest all-electric hospital in the world, proving that even energy-intensive buildings can transition to clean power.

The University of California system set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality in all its buildings by 2025. This hospital shows that target isn't just achievable for offices and classrooms, but for the most demanding facilities healthcare can build.

The pandemic influenced more than just the timing. UCI Health's design emphasizes flexibility to handle future surges of contagious patients, combining lessons from COVID with climate action.

As more electric equipment hits the market, other hospitals now have a roadmap to follow. What seemed impossible in 2020 became reality by 2024, and the technology keeps improving.

Healthcare's carbon footprint just got a whole lot lighter.