Specialist energy teams from Veolia have now extended the services they provide to United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England. With the aim of lowering costs and cutting carbon emissions across three key hospitals serving a population of around 736,700 people, the services will be delivered under an energy performance contract (EPC). By implementing a wide-ranging programme, the contract will annually reduce carbon emissions by 7712 tonnes, provide £1.4 million of financial efficiencies per year, build long term energy resilience, and make lasting enhancements to the patient care environment.
Backed by a £4 million investment the EPC will now upgrade energy provision at Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, and Grantham and District Hospital. Measures will include installing nearly 13,000 LED light fittings, a new combined heat and power plant, boiler enhancements, conversion of the steam system to a low temperature hot water network, new electrical infrastructure upgrades and control systems for the facilities that cover 74,174m2. The new plant will be operated and maintained by Veolia’s engineering teams for 15 years, with investment payback achieved in just over three years.
The new works will build on the reductions achieved by Veolia at Lincoln Hospital where around 64,000 tonnes of CO2 has been saved since 2004, and included the successful ‘90k in 90 days’ initiative, a three-month challenge to engage staff to make regular, small, money-saving changes. This resulted in the Trust cutting its overall carbon footprint by 13 per cent between 2009 and 2015 against a national average of 10 per cent.
Commenting on this latest energy contract, Gavin Graveson, Executive Vice-President, Veolia UK & Ireland said, “We look forward to continuing our work with the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and helping them achieve their carbon reduction targets. The new measures will now extend their efficiency and sustainability, and make a real difference to the patient care facilities. At over £1million a year the savings will also make a big difference to the Trusts budget”
Claire Hall, associate director – Strategic Business Planning, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, 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.”
With a track record of over 80 years in delivering energy management to healthcare, Veolia currently provides the energy services for over 100 hospitals and around 43,000 UK hospital beds. These support the energy requirements for around 8.1 million inpatients each year and increases sustainability of the healthcare sector by annually saving over 120,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.