MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE
Hidden risks in hospital electrical systems
Undiscovered electrical faults in hospitals can threaten patient safety and increase costs. Gareth Brunton, Managing director at Bender, says monitoring technology gives estates teams real-time insight to prevent failures and improve efficiency. This technology can help healthcare organisations move from reactive maintenance to proactive management.
The call comes in just after two in the morning. Theatre 3 lost power mid-procedure. The emergency generator played its part, but the patient still had to be moved. The investigation reveals a fault that has been developing for weeks, invisible to monthly manual checks. In the morning, the team will face questions about system reliability, patient safety and why a preventable electrical failure compromised a six-figure procedure. This scenario plays out across the NHS with alarming
regularity. Behind every emergency callout, every unplanned shutdown, every compromised procedure lies the same fundamental issue – healthcare estates are hampered by limited visibility to developing electrical faults. The scale of this hidden crisis becomes clear when we examine the numbers.
Shocking statistics With 11.2 billion kWh consumed in 2022/23 and costs hitting £12.4 bn, a 12 per cent year-on-year increase, the Building Engineering Services Association calculates £400 m could be saved through smarter energy management. Much of this waste stems from the very electrical faults that remain hidden in current monitoring approaches – inefficient systems, power quality issues, and equipment operating below optimal performance. Yet many facilities still depend on monthly manual checks and reactive maintenance, allowing faults to develop undetected until systems fail. Regulatory pressure is intensifying for those carrying compliance burdens, as well as those estate directors who are balancing Net Zero commitments against strained budgets, knowing that Green Plans required board approval back in July. SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) and ERIC (The Estates Return Information Collection) reporting must be evidenced, not just completed compliance tick-boxes. Therefore, the question has progressed from whether
proactive monitoring pays for itself to whether decision- makers can afford to sit on their hands any longer. Walk through any hospital today and you’ll encounter an underlying conflict. These institutions are at the forefront of medical technology, where split-second decisions save lives and precision is critical. Yet, beneath this perception of clinical excellence, the electrical infrastructure that powers everything from life-support equipment to theatre lighting requires ‘healthcare’ of its own. Traditional monitoring approaches leave critical
vulnerabilities exposed. Monthly manual checks and reactive maintenance schedules create dangerous knowledge gaps where developing faults can mask
0 Monthly Consumption Last 28 days (1 May 2024 – 29 May 2024)
50kWh
Last value: 7/5/2024 15:00:00 Monthly
serious issues until they become emergency callouts. Real faults often hide behind legacy systems, analogue checks or reactive inspections that provide only snapshot views of complex electrical networks. This is a high-stakes situation. When electrical systems
fail in healthcare environments, the consequences extend far beyond inconvenience. Equipment failures can compromise patient safety, disrupt critical procedures and trigger costly emergency repairs that strain already pressured budgets. This reactive firefighting maintenance model is a worrying reality and is further compounded by the regulatory situation facing healthcare trusts. SECR applies to large healthcare organisations and requires annual reporting of energy usage, emissions and efficiency actions. ERIC, a mandatory reporting system, collects energy consumption, cost, carbon emissions and estate efficiency data. Building Regulations Part L mandates sub-metering in non-domestic premises with floor areas greater than 500m², while automatic meter reading is required in premises exceeding 1,000m².
Firefighting vs. foresight Rather than waiting for systems to fail, proactive condition monitoring enables estates teams to identify developing issues before they become critical failures. This is now a reality following advances in monitoring
technology that can detect the early warning signs of electrical faults. Residual current monitoring and earth fault detection systems can identify developing problems that, from our experience, account for over 80% of all electrical
November 2025 Health Estate Journal 51 100
The Building Engineering Services Association calculates £400 m could be saved through smarter energy management.
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