Hospitals to cut carbon emissions

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is embarking upon three major energy-saving projects across its main hospital sites to slash carbon emissions.

The trust, one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a local population of 720,000, has been working with sustainability consultant, ETL, on an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) to procure and appoint an energy supplier and negotiate the best possible deal. The Trust is already a strong performer on sustainability – reducing its carbon footprint by 13 per cent between 2009 and 2015 – against a national average of 10 per cent.

As part of its long-term Sustainable Development Management Plan (SDMP), the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is working with Veolia to introduce a new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) centre at Lincoln County Hospital, funded by Salix Finance. This will provide more efficient heating and hot water facilities for its patients and staff at lower cost. The new centre is expected to be operational by mid-2020.

It will also be installing energy-efficient LED lighting across its main hospital sites – Lincoln County, Grantham Hospital, and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston. The LEDs, funded through the NHSI Energy Efficiency Fund, are expected to last longer than conventional lighting, saving up to 70 per cent in money and energy and creating a better environment for patients and staff. 

Finally, the trust intends to utilise Salix Finance to convert the main energy supply at Pilgrim Hospital to gas from heavy fuel oil. This will ensure there is a reliable, lower carbon supply of energy to the site, which is currently working on plans to increase services at the site.

Together, the three projects are expected to save the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust more than £1.2 million a year.

Claire Hall, associate director for Strategic Business Planning, in the Estates and Facilities team, said: “Sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon reduction are at the heart of our management policy. We have already made great strides in reducing our carbon footprint.

“By upgrading and investing in sustainable technologies, it’s our ambition to reduce this by 28 per cent by 2021.”