CARBON AND ENERGY REDUCTION
No two hospitals are exactly alike, and across the entirety of the UK healthcare sector’s property portfolio there is a huge range of buildings.
of new renewable power sources. That is an obstacle that though not ultimately insurmountable, stands to prevent Net Zero targets being achieved on schedule solely through electrification.
How parametric data tools can provide the answer If electrification alone cannot provide a route to decarbonisation, another way must be found and, because the challenge for healthcare estate managers is to find the best way to decarbonise a wide range of buildings, the solution must reflect this. In short, the healthcare sector must adopt a multi-faceted approach. For example, the comparatively straightforward process of installing more energy-efficient lighting and heating systems could make a real difference in hospital waiting rooms and GPs’ surgeries by reducing energy usage. Specialist wards for the immunocompromised, operating theatres, and laboratories, however, are likely to require more sophisticated methods. As a result, data will need to be at the heart of any approach to decarbonising existing building stock on healthcare sector estates. Fortunately, through the use of innovative digital building tools, data can be put to use for this very purpose. Parametric and comparative modelling, cloud technology, bespoke analysis, and data visualisation, can all be used in concert to generate thousands of varying scenarios for improving energy efficiency, in both
By improving the energy efficiency of its buildings, however, the NHS can reduce its expenditure on energy, making the initial expenditure on decarbonising existing buildings a worthwhile investment
individual buildings and across entire campuses. This will allow property managers to identify the most efficient strategies to decarbonise entire healthcare estates in the light of the resources available to them and their specific goals. These same tools can also be used to provide an ongoing analysis of the best route forward. This may prove to be of crucial importance. New and varied regulations are likely to be introduced, while the technologies available will also continue to improve. Accordingly, analysis cannot remain static if property managers are to be able to pivot to meet emerging challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.
Challenge and opportunity The healthcare sector is not in a position to ignore this problem. Changes are approaching that will demand a response – the reputational and economic costs may otherwise be unaffordable. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) have already introduced legal restrictions on the use of energy-inefficient buildings. With 2030 and 2050 looming increasingly large on the horizon, a growing number of more stringent regulatory requirements should be anticipated. Reputational costs also need to be considered. Stakeholders, who – most importantly for the healthcare sector – include employees, are increasingly expecting institutions and businesses across all sectors to take action on the climate. That said, decarbonising existing building stock across
healthcare estates is not just a challenge for the sector; it is also an opportunity. By embracing digital building tools and data, the healthcare sector has the chance to take meaningful steps to decarbonise existing building stock across healthcare estates and achieve Net Zero targets, while also reducing its expenditure on energy. The NHS has a limited budget, and currently a not insignificant percentage of that is being spent paying energy bills – particularly because the NHS has needed to set money aside to hedge against ongoing market volatility. By improving the energy efficiency of its buildings,
however, the NHS can reduce its expenditure on energy, making the initial expenditure on decarbonising existing buildings a worthwhile investment. After all, less money being spent on energy bills should translate to more money being spent on treating patients, without a need to increase the health service’s budget.
Emily Scoones
Emily Scoones is the head of Digital Innovation for Building Services for Ramboll UK, and a Chartered Structural Engineer. Passionate about using technology to aid better collaboration and decision making to develop better outcomes for projects, she has over eight years’ experience of utilising her engineering knowledge in combination with digital design skills to create solutions that ‘add value to projects, clients, and society’. She has worked on a mix of traditional engineering projects, and as part of the Ramboll Computational Design team looking at the use of novel digital tools as part of the design process. She ‘bridges the gaps between technical, commercial, and engineering, to drive innovative ideas and deliver value for clients and projects’.
November 2024 Health Estate Journal 55
Sungmin Cho / Pixabay
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