Member Article

ENER-G partners with East Cheshire NHS Trust to launch major energy-saving project

Salford-based green power group ENER-G has started work on a major energy-saving scheme for East Cheshire NHS Trust.

The project will shrink the trust’s carbon footprint by around 30%, the equivalent to more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon each year. By significantly reducing the amount of electricity the trust buys from the National Grid, it will also save the trust £2.5 million over the next 15 years.

The centrepiece of the scheme will be a combined heat and power (CHP) generator system, designed and manufactured at ENER-G’s global production centre in Salford.

The CHP generator will use gas to create a large proportion of the hospital’s electricity - and use the heat produced in the process to warm the hospital through its central heating system. Creating electricity on-site in this way is more energy-efficient because it means the heat created as a by-product of the power generation process is retained and used to heat the building, whereas it normally goes to waste in a conventional power station.

Along with the installation of the CHP generator, ENER-G will carry out a raft of energy efficiency improvements across both Macclesfield and Congleton War Memorial hospitals. This will include the replacement of 3,250 light fittings with high-efficiency LED lighting.

The energy improvements are projected to deliver carbon dioxide emissions savings of 2,049 tonnes per year - equivalent to the environmental benefit of removing 683 cars from the road or planting 1,680 acres of forest. .There will be no initial capital outlay by the trust. Instead, the technology will pay for itself over a 15-year contract period via energy, environmental and operational savings, guaranteed by ENER-G, who will design, build and operate the project.

Robert Few, Head of Estates Operations with East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: “By generating our own energy supply on-site at Macclesfield District General Hospital, we will dramatically reduce our dependence on higher-cost power sourced from the grid, while boosting our environmental performance. The modern new energy infrastructure will be paid for via the cost savings we make, with any surplus savings retained by the trust.”

Alan Barlow, Managing Director of ENER-G Combined Power Ltd, said: “We are delighted to work with East Cheshire NHS Trust to help them reduce their carbon footprint and save money on energy. As specialists in CHP, we are developing a bespoke system for Macclesfield District General Hospital that will achieve more than double the efficiency of their existing energy supplies. We are experienced in delivering complex energy management projects in the healthcare sector, having partnered with more than 50 hospitals.”

Further information www.energ.co.uk/chp

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by ENER-G Combined Power Ltd .