Carbon and energy reduction
Hospital had, for many years, relied on steam plant that was 34 years’ old, and had ‘seen better days’. It also used a CHP system that provided electricity and additional heat. Maintaining the boilers was expensive, and the hospital was keen to put its facilities on a stronger footing and to ‘revolutionise’ its heating and hot water systems by replacing them with more energy-efficient technologies. “The Trust has struggled for a number of years with a life-expired steam plant that had swallowed up resources,” explained David Shire, head of Estates and Facilities at Yeovil District Hospital. “There are hidden costs associated with steam plant – such as leaks that can’t be repaired, and flooded ductwork, so we jumped at the chance to replace the steam system with a LTHW system.”
Greater resilience the goal As well as seeking energy savings, the hospital was keen to have greater resilience. The work at the hospital (HEJ – March 2014) entailed replacing the ageing steam boilers with dual fuel boilers that provided N1 resilience, installing a new BMS system, re-plumbing the existing CHP to maximise heat capture, and installing an additional CHP system that could support the increased electrical demands from new clinical equipment, as well as the air-conditioning in the hospital’s newly refurbished areas. The hospital has also replaced some of its lighting with approximately 1,000 LED light fittings, contributing to the overall savings achieved. “The longest part of the process was agreeing the contract,” David Shire explained, “but once that was complete, Cynergin worked quickly to progress the project to its completion.” Cynergin guaranteed £5.8 million in savings over a 15-year contract, equating to an annual saving of £390,000 in gas, electricity. and other utilities. The Trust is also saving 26,000 tonnes of CO2
, the
equivalent of 1,700 tonnes of carbon per year. “Replacing the hospital’s steam- based heating and hot water system was a huge logistical exercise, but is proving its worth. We have had no problems with the heating, and no breaks in supply,” David Shire explained.” The Trust is seeing the benefits of its new primary heating and hot water system, and is essentially receiving the savings for free, since the guaranteed savings more or less equal the capital cost, including the capital outlay.
While working with an EPC provider has many benefits – not least the guaranteed savings – Cynergin has also released the Trust’s maintenance team from looking after the steam distribution and heating systems, giving team members more time to focus on other areas.
Looking back, and when asked for any advice for hospital Trusts looking to start
Yeovil District Hospital had, for many years, relied on steam plant that was 34 years’ old, and had ‘seen better days’. Maintaining the existing boilers (pictured) was expensive.
their own energy projects, David Shire stressed that planning was key: “Explore your options, and the type of contracts offered, but be prepared to test the market and obtain good references.”
Warrington & Halton Hospital Faced with an annual energy bill of £2 m, £11 m in backlog maintenance, and with a commitment to reduce its carbon emissions, Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust successfully entered the NHS Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF) scheme procurement process in 2013-14 to install CHP, and is now working its way through a £4.65 m Energy Performance Contract (EPC) over a 15-year period with Cynergin. Situated to the north of the town,
Warrington Hospital is a 500-bed hospital with over 3,000 staff, a designated trauma unit, and an Accident & Emergency Department that sees over 100,000 patients each year. Halton General Hospital, 10 miles away in Runcorn, has 50 inpatient beds, and an additional 24 beds in an intermediate care ward. It employs over 1,000 staff, and delivers a wide range of care for medical and surgical conditions. Halton also has a minor injuries unit, provides chemotherapy services, and houses the Delamere Macmillan Unit, as well as a standalone orthopaedic facility. Over the past few years the two hospitals have benefitted from over £30 m of investment. Warrington now not only boasts a new £1 m specialist dementia care unit, a £7 m intensive care facility, and a re-designed labour ward, but has also seen £2 m invested in its A&E facilities.
Major investment at two sites Halton General Hospital, meanwhile, has benefitted from a £500,000 investment in the new endoscopy unit, a £1 m refurbishment of the Macmillan Delamere
Unit, and a new CANtreat cancer centre and a urgent care centre. Having met the Foundation Trust’s criteria. and successfully secured the tender, Cynergin introduced a number of energy-saving initiatives, carbon reduction measures, and upgrades of other facilities across the two sites, which will generate considerable savings over the next 15 years. The centrepiece involved centralising each site’s heating systems with energy- efficient, dual fuel low temperature hot water (LTHW) boilers and associated distribution systems. At the Warrington site the medium temperature hot water (MTHW) boilers had been recently replaced, so these were used within the project and maintained by Cynergin. A CHP system to supply 850 kW of electricity and hot water was installed in the plant room to meet seasonal demand from spring through to autumn, with the peak winter demand met by the MTHW boilers. New building energy management Systems (BEMS) were also supplied, and a large number of light fittings in clinical and non-clinical areas replaced with more economical, and higher efficiency, light fittings. Various water-saving measures were also introduced. Halton General in Runcorn saw a similar upgrade programme, with the projects run concurrently to minimise disruption. The end result is that the installation of low/zero carbon technologies is generating not only financial, but also energy and carbon savings. Working with Cynergin has delivered a number of benefits for the Trust, including: Guaranteed energy savings by Cynergin £2.4 million in backlog maintenance undertaken.
3,610 tonnes of CO2 saved per annum –
a 36% reduction, which exceeded the Trust’s own 30% target.
More resilient heating systems. Reduced dependency on the National Grid.
About Salix
Salix Finance is a not-for-profit, publicly funded company dedicated to delivering interest-free loans for energy efficiency projects in the public sector. Government-funded Salix has funded over 14,400 projects with 1,460 public sector bodies, valued at £462.9 m. Projects funded will save the public sector over £116 m on energy bills annually, and £1.7 bn over the projects’ lifetime. Salix has been helping the NHS to benefit from reduced energy costs, and since 2007 has worked with 54 NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts across England, funding projects valued in total at over £44 m.
Health Estate Journal 59September 2016 ✚
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