Sensors, plants and waste heat: Adelaide hospital's bid to be most energy-efficient

When it finally opens in September, the complex will have the latest energy efficiency technology - but will it be worth the $2.3bn spent?

When it comes to the power consumption of hospitals, the diagnosis isn't pretty: they rate as the second most energy-intensive of all commercial buildings, behind only food service providers.

As the places where our babies are delivered, our sick are treated and our dying nursed, energy efficiency understandably slips down the priority list behind ensuring hospitals are properly funded, staffed and offer the best standards of care possible.