Member Article

Scarborough Hospital Looks Forward to Low Carbon Future

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have chosen NHS Sustainability day to celebrate the opening of their new low-carbon energy centre at Scarborough Hospital.

The energy centre, which was delivered in partnership with Vital Energi will deliver in excess of £9.1m in guaranteed financial savings and almost 32,000 tonnes of carbon reduction over the course of a 15 year energy performance contract.

The upgrade at Scarborough includes improved boiler control and the installation of a combined heat and power (CHP) unit which will make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions, as well as significant savings to the hospital’s energy costs. Carbon emissions are projected to be cut by 2,130 tonnes a year, a reduction of around 38 per cent.

The unit will supply all of the hospital’s night time electricity, over 70% of its day time electricity and make a substantial contribution to the heating and hot water supply.

The energy centre will be officially opened by the Trust’s Chief Executive, Patrick Crowley. Patrick will be joined by Brian Golding, Director of Estates and Facilities, members of the Scarborough Hospital Estates team and representatives from Vital Energi, including Joint Managing Director, Ian Whitelock.

Patrick Crowley said: “On behalf of the Trust I am delighted to officially open the refurbished energy centre at Scarborough Hospital. By reducing energy costs, we can reinvest savings into front line services and patient care.”

Brian Golding, Director of Estates and Facilities, continued: “As an organisation, we are very much aware of sustainability issues and are committed to reducing our environmental impact. Our sustainable development group ensures that we are consistently addressing energy consumption across all our hospitals, looking at everything from light bulbs through to the design of new buildings.

“In 2014 we completed a major energy saving and carbon reduction project at York Hospital using a Carbon and Energy Fund Framework with Vital Energi, and last year we completed a major reduction project at Bridlington Hospital. Including the refurbishment here at Scarborough Hospital, the overall project will offer over £26.5M guaranteed saving for the Trust – money which will be reinvested into patient care. Across the three sites, carbon emissions are projected to be cut by 5,800 tonnes a year, a reduction of around 27.6 per cent.”

Ashley Malin, Project Development Director for Vital Energi explained, “York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first in the UK to embrace this type of energy infrastructure upgrade with guaranteed returns. Their commitment to reducing their emissions and producing value for money has seen them revolutionise the way they generate and use energy and NHS Sustainability Day is the perfect opportunity to congratulate them on their fantastic achievements.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gordon Coates .