UC Irvine Unveils Nation’s Largest All‑Electric Hospital — 144 Beds, No Natural Gas

UC Irvine's new UCI Health–Irvine hospital opens this week in Orange County as an all‑electric facility, making it the largest all‑electric medical center in the United States and the second such hospital nationwide.

The 144‑bed complex replaces traditional onsite natural gas systems with electric alternatives across its operations. That shift is visible everywhere from the patient kitchens to the mechanical plant: fryers and infrared grills are electric, rooftop heat pumps handle heating and cooling, and large electric water heaters provide domestic hot water.

How the Building Runs Without Gas

Project staff highlight several systems that enable all‑electric operation. Multiple rooftop heat pumps and centrifugal chillers provide temperature control for patient rooms, while a row of 100‑gallon water heaters—spanning roughly 20 feet—serves the hospital’s hot‑water demand. As Joe Brothman, director of general services at UCI Health, put it:

“This is an immense electrical load we're looking at right here.”

Backup Power And Emissions Tradeoffs

Not everything at the facility is emissions‑free. Four 3‑megawatt diesel generators—fed by 70,000 gallons of underground diesel storage—provide backup power required for hospitals. Because the project plans were finalized about six years ago, solar‑plus‑battery backup was not included; federal and safety standards also require monthly testing of generators at 30% load for 30 minutes, a rule Brothman cited when explaining the design and testing regimen.

Brothman acknowledged the diesel emissions but emphasized reliability:

“It's not something that you want to mess around with.”

He contrasted the all‑electric central utility plant with traditional plants that involve combustion, noise and hazardous chemicals: “Here there’s no combustion. No carbon monoxide.”

Design Choices And Expert Views

Tony Dover, UCI Health’s Energy Management & Sustainability Officer, said the project team is pursuing LEED Platinum certification and used lower‑carbon concrete where possible to reduce embodied carbon. Alexi Miller of the New Buildings Institute called the hospital a milestone while suggesting two improvements: a solar‑plus‑storage backup system, which can “refuel itself” from sunlight, and heat‑pump hot water heaters instead of older resistance‑heated units. Miller noted that heat‑pump water heaters are typically three to four times more efficient than resistance heating and could have stretched the electric supply significantly for hot water needs.

What’s Next

UCI’s project is part of a broader trend: UCLA Health plans a 119‑bed all‑electric neuropsychiatric hospital in 2026, and Kaiser Permanente has an all‑electric hospital scheduled for San Jose in 2029. For now, UCI’s facility stands as a high‑profile demonstration of how large hospitals can operate without onsite fossil fuels while balancing reliability and safety requirements.

This story was originally reported by the Los Angeles Times.