WATER CONTROLS
can’t tell when outlets were last used, or, for the same reason, over-flushing. ‘Smart’ duty flush options address this. Products can record their own usage, and can be programmed to only flush when required. This is more intuitive than simply automating the flush regime, as it is informed by previous usage. It means that water isn’t wasted, but that the right safety controls are still in place to maintain high infection control standards.
Valuable data stored
The data derived from digital products helps too. By interrogating the information that products automatically store, estates teams can understand usage patterns and find ways to make further savings. This data-led approach could be key to a flexible, adaptable, and robust water management strategy, and I strongly believe that this is a climate- friendly initiative as well.
Deploying technology in healthcare and indeed other large public buildings that actively conserves key resources such as water is one thing, but cultivating the right human behaviours in terms of climate- consciousness is key too. Ensuring that staff understand the impacts and benefits that ‘green-conscious’ estates can offer is central to that – and that means quantifying savings, and ensuring that everyone understands the potential consequences of inefficiency. This is an approach we at Rada take ourselves when we talk to healthcare providers about digital options for water controls. We’ve created a tool that can help estates teams consider the current consumption rates of existing installations. This calculator also quantifies the volume of water, electricity, and
Rada’s Intelligent Care thermostatic basin tap with non-touch-flow.
emissions saved via switching to controlled-flow products in our range. We consider this to be one of the most effective resources in our toolbox – because showing a building’s occupants that they can save the equivalent of, for example, four Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water, truly encourages a behavioural shift. It helps show the real difference that building products such as water controls can make if the right decisions are made.
Leading by example
Making the progress needed for resilient, more sustainable, and ultimately, net-zero estates isn’t any one person’s or organisation’s problem. As a manufacturer of building products for healthcare, it would be neglectful of me to not mention the need for a green, clean
supply chain too. In Delivering A Net Zero National Health Service, NHS England makes clear that success will depend on decarbonising its supply chain. The roadmap includes two net-zero targets – 2040 for net-zero emissions that NHS has direct control over, and 2045 for achieving net-zero in the indirect aspects of its responsibilities.
The 2045 ‘NHS Carbon Footprint Plus’ target relies on action from within the service’s supply chain, because that’s where 60 per cent of those emissions come from. As a part of that supply chain, we’ve been working on this. Our net-zero target year is 2035, and we’ve already made some big strides forward. From 100 per cent renewable energy powering 100 percent of our operations, to eliminating landfill waste, we’re working on a greener future for ourselves too.
January 2021 Health Estate Journal 61
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
