Nation S Largest All Electric Hospital Opens Dec 10 In Orange

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 18, 2025, 3:29 AM

nation s largest all electric hospital opens dec 10 in orange

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. A new hospital at UC Irvine opens Wednesday and it will be all-electric — only the second such medical center, and the largest, in the country so far. People live through some of the toughest moments of their lives in hospitals, so they need to be as comfortable as possible. Hospitals traditionally connect with natural gas lines several times bigger than those connected to residential homes, to ensure that rooms are always warm or cool enough and have sufficient hot water. But burning that natural gas is one of the main ways that buildings cause climate change.

The way we build and operate buildings is responsible for more than one-third of global greenhouse gases. UCI Health–Irvine will include 144 beds and will be entirely electric. Orange, Calif. — When the first patients arrived at UCI Health — Irvine during its Dec. 10 opening, they stepped into a new standard for American healthcare: a seven-story, 144-bed acute care hospital that is both part of the county's only academic health system and the nation’s first all-electric acute... It is also the growing system's sixth hospital.

Tucked along the edge of the 300-acre San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, it brings together advanced medicine, flexible surgical and intensive care spaces, a chef-inspired, culturally attuned menu, and a tranquil setting framed by native... “UCI Health — Irvine embodies what it means to be a modern public research university,” says UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “We are extending world-class, research-driven care into the community in a way that is compassionate, forward-looking and deeply rooted in this place we call home.” UCI Health is Orange County’s only academic health system, powered by UC Irvine’s world-class public research university. Working across disciplines, our physicians and teams turn discovery into impact for 5.6 million people, giving patients access to clinical trials, advanced therapies and multidisciplinary expertise available solely at an academic medical center. The four schools in the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences — medicine, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and population and public health — along with its centers and institutes of health,...

Teach. Heal. UCI Health will open its new seven-story, 144-bed, all-electric acute care hospital — UCI Health Irvine — on Dec. 10, according to the Los Angeles Times. The facility will be the academic health system’s sixth hospital and complete its medical campus on Jamboree Road, according to a November news release. It follows the 2024 openings of the Joe C.

Wen & Family Advanced Care Center and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building. Hospital leaders said the hospital was designed with quality, sustainability and patient experience in mind. Patient rooms average 250 square feet and feature 75-inch smart TVs, access to natural light, nature-inspired artwork, and outdoor terraces and gardens. The hospital also includes one of the first all-electric kitchens serving a U.S. hospital and uses sustainable furnishings free of harmful chemicals. UCI Health Irvine will offer the following services:

According to New University, the hospital supports the University of California system’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2045. UCI Health — Irvine offers a new kind of hospital, a new kind of patient experience When the first patients arrived at UCI Health — Irvine during its Dec. 10 opening, they stepped into a new standard for American healthcare: a seven-story, 144-bed acute care hospital that is both part of the region’s only academic health system and the nation’s first all-electric acute... Tucked along the edge of the 300-acre San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, it brings together cutting-edge medicine; flexible surgical and intensive care spaces; a chef-inspired, culturally attuned menu; and a tranquil setting framed by native... “UCI Health — Irvine embodies what it means to be a modern public research university,” says UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman.

“We are extending world-class, research-driven care into the community in a way that is compassionate, forward-looking and deeply rooted in this place we call home.” Orange County’s only academic health system UC Irvine has opened a 144‑bed hospital in Orange County that operates entirely on electricity, replacing onsite natural gas with rooftop heat pumps, electric kitchen equipment and large electric water heaters. The facility retains diesel generators (four 3‑MW units with 70,000 gallons of fuel) for backup power due to reliability and regulatory requirements. Project leaders are pursuing LEED Platinum and used lower‑carbon concrete; experts praise the achievement but suggest solar‑plus‑storage and heat‑pump water heaters could further reduce emissions. 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... 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: 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... IRVINE, Calif. — Dec. 10 marked the official opening of UCI Irvine’s new medical campus: a seven-story, 144-bed general acute care hospital — including a 20-room, 24-hour emergency department — operated entirely on electricity. Located on an 11.6-acre site, the project also comprises the 345,000-square-foot hospital and 220,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center as well as parking structures and a central plant.

“UCI Health — Irvine embodies what it means to be a modern public research university,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “We are extending world-class, research-driven care into the community in a way that is compassionate, forward-looking and deeply rooted in this place we call home.” The $782.7 million project was completed by the progressive design–build team of CO Architects and builder Hensel Phelps. On the main level, the emergency department — open 24 hours — sits adjacent to the arrival plaza and parking area, enabling rapid access to care. Nearby are advanced imaging facilities, including CT scanners capable of capturing detailed images in seconds and AI-enabled MRI suites designed to speed diagnosis for time-sensitive conditions such as stroke or trauma. The physical layout was designed to minimize unnecessary movement for nurses, physicians and technicians.

Short, direct pathways link the emergency department, imaging services, operating rooms and inpatient units — supporting safer and faster care and enhancing the daily workflow for staff. The ambulatory surgery center will house outpatient surgery and procedure rooms, diagnostic and imaging services, oncology treatment and infusion facilities, clinical exam areas, a pharmacy and other support services. A new medical center in Orange County made environmental history. LOS ANGELES - University of California, Irvine Health made environmental history Wednesday with the opening of the country's largest all-electric hospital. The new UCI Health facility is a seven-story hospital located in Irvine. It boasts 144 beds and will serve residents of coastal and south Orange County.

As a full-service hospital, it offers a wide range of specialties, including cancer, cardiology, and neurology. In addition, the hospital features a surgical floor the size of three football fields, advanced imaging, lab and pharmacy services, and a 24-hour emergency department with 20 treatment rooms. University of California Irvine Health (UCI Health; Irvine, Calif.) has opened UCI Health – Irvine, the first all-electric hospital in the U.S., according to a news release. UCI Health – Irvine comprises a 7-story, 350,000-square-foot building with 144 beds, 24-hour emergency department (ED) with 20 treatment rooms, a bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy program, and imaging, lab, and pharmacy services. Specialty services include cancer, cardiology, digestive health, neurology, orthopedics, and spine care. Amenities for patients and visitors feature a second-floor dining room and patio, meditation garden, and outdoor patios.

The hospital is on track to be certified U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum—the sixth U.S. hospital to do so, according to UCI Health. Additionally, the project features one of the first all-electric acute care hospital kitchens and gardens and shaded parking structures topped by solar panels, which are designed to reduce solar heat gain by 85 percent. The opening of the hospital completes a $1.3 billion medical campus that also includes the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building.

Nation S Largest All Electric Hospital Opens Dec 10 In Orange

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