Veolia has marked 85 years of providing energy management to the healthcare sector with major new projects to help decarbonise two acute hospitals for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England that treats over 2.8 million patients each year. Using a £22 million investment from the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) Phase 3a, and additional Trust funding, the Good Hope Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham will gain from an extensive range of energy upgrades that will further cut carbon emissions.
The works are being delivered through the Energy Performance Contract with Veolia that was awarded through the Carbon Energy Fund framework, which provides project management and technical support to the projects. Designed using the whole building approach, these will help the Trust achieve the NHS net-zero goal by saving 3,847 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Located in Edgbaston, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham will lower its carbon footprint by 2086 tonnes per year through conversion from the use of steam for heating, and replacing this with a hot water system backed by the integration of a 1MW multi-stage heat pump system. To ensure the efficiency of the new system 2,000m2 of roof insulation will be installed and the control systems optimised. Installation of a 314kWe solar array will further help to decarbonise the hospital's electricity supply, by adding renewable power, and electricity consumption will be reduced by fitting more than 2962 LED luminaires in the buildings.
Upgrades at the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield will mirror those being implemented at the Queen Elizabeth hospital with a similar conversion from steam to hot water heating. To achieve a total annual saving of 1760 tonnes of CO2 the hospital will use a 650kW multi-stage heat pump system, new efficient hot water boilers, installation of 9,500m2 roof insulation, and new building energy management systems. Electricity use will be cut by 1992 LED luminaires that will replace existing internal lighting. These measures will add to the efficiency of the existing combined heat and power based supply that has been delivering financial savings and efficient energy, secure generation since 2013.
Commenting on these latest decarbonisation projects for the NHS, Gavin Graveson, Veolia senior executive vice president Northern Europe Zone said: “As the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, these projects will help the Trust meet this target by cutting reliance on fossil fuels and will advance their progress to eliminate carbon emissions by 2045. Our whole building approach, and expertise gained over 85 years of delivering energy efficiency to healthcare, will deliver major benefits including savings on critical energy costs, reduced emissions, and enhanced patient facilities. By working in partnership we will enable the Trust to meet their sustainability goals and deliver a net-zero future for healthcare in the UK.”
Vicky Marshment, sustainability lead at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said;
“Working with Veolia on these projects will make a significant difference in reducing the Trust’s carbon footprint, as we move towards our net zero target. We are committed to our sustainability goals, whilst making sure we continue to provide the treatment, support and care our patients need.”