STEAM TECHNOLOGY
The need for eco-conscious solutions was further underlined in April this year, when the Government tightened these targets with a new law obliging organisations to slash emissions by 78 per cent by 2035. Consequently, it is clear that like cannot be changed out for like when Estates managers select new systems for healthcare facilities. Opting for more efficient solutions will be crucial if the healthcare sector is to remain on course with the country’s ambitious decarbonisation efforts.
Thankfully, attitudes towards adopting ‘green’ technology are shifting alongside the legislative landscape, and an appetite for change can be seen. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by Aggreko of over 200 public and private sector organisations who rely on steam for daily processes, titled ‘Steaming Ahead with Sustainability and Productivity,’ found that 68 per cent of respondents were in favour of investing in sustainable equipment alternatives post-pandemic. Rising energy bills and levels of demand are cited as popular reasons behind this enthusiasm for more eco-conscious equipment, with stakeholders from a wide array of industries having been questioned.
Energy and investment Isolating only respondents from the healthcare sector within this survey, the same trends can be seen. Specifically, 61 per cent of respondents said they were more likely to invest in ‘greener’ technologies post-pandemic to alleviate pressures on equipment under strain, and to reduce energy bills. Energy costs had been identified as a concern in previous Aggreko research, with a majority of respondents to a 2019 survey saying they expected their organisation’s energy bills to rise over the next five years. It is not unreasonable to assume that these costs will remain high as the full extent of the pandemic’s economic impact becomes clearer over time.
A further eye-catching finding can be found when analysing the reasons behind why 15 per cent of healthcare respondents said they would be less likely to invest in more sustainable solutions. Of these stakeholders, 75 per cent said that the lack of ‘capex’ budget available was the reason behind their thinking.
Financial barriers
This therefore provides us with a clear conclusion – that though healthcare stakeholders may be aware of more sustainable solutions, there are financial barriers hindering wider uptake. Indeed, the sentiment raised in these findings can already be seen in the healthcare sector at large.
Specifically, Estates and Facilities managers are increasingly gravitating
Aggreko says that the steam system’s status as a major part of a hospital’s operations ‘has never been more apparent’ than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
October 2021 Health Estate Journal 57
towards sustainable low temperature hot water (LTHW) systems as the clear choice to permanently replace older steam boiler technology. However, the volatility of the current climate is deterring decision- makers from allocating budget on permanent purchases. It is not unreasonable to assume that this will be a long-term issue due to the pandemic’s transformative effect, which places newer LTHW solutions out of reach for many facilities with reduced capex budgets. Given that the UK healthcare sector has historically struggled with financial and legislative pressures to upgrade ageing equipment, as well as rising energy costs, immediate, effective solutions must be found. Not taking action now could further exacerbate issues that are already major in scope and scale.
Benefits of a sustainable approach Despite this situation, the clear enthusiasm for moving towards greener technology is a heartening sign, particularly with the UK’s net zero targets in mind. Yet with the pandemic creating new challenges to adopting sustainable technologies, while worsening those that existed beforehand, the nation will struggle to hit emissions reductions targets if these solutions are not made more accessible. Additionally, not being able to adopt newer systems means hospitals and healthcare facilities may be stuck with older equipment that continues to decline in performance. By contrast, as the Carbon Trust points out, UK organisations could save over £400 m annually by taking simple, low-cost actions to improve the efficiency of their hot water boilers. These bodies could also realise immediate energy savings of 10 per cent through better maintenance
and low-cost improvements like installing insulation and retrofitting controls. This further demonstrates that increased sustainability need not come at the cost of compromised efficiency. Instead, it is possible to improve both concurrently.
Lack of downtime
However, barriers continue to exist, and may not be limited to the technology itself. Instead, the demands of the sector as a whole may present issues. Unlike many other sectors that may have had to scale down operations due to pandemic- based disruption, healthcare is a clear outlier, in that utility demand dramatically increased. Required output from steam boilers also spiked accordingly, and, given the unprecedently large backlog of elective procedures created as hospitals and healthcare facilities tackled the pandemic, systems may be operating at maximum capacity for longer. Because of this, Estates and Facilities managers may find themselves in a ‘Catch-22’ situation, needing to replace existing boilers, but unable to afford or find the downtime necessary to carry out necessary works. Despite the technology required to mitigate demand being readily available, it is precisely because of this demand that they are not able to integrate it.
Interim solutions
Taking this into account, it is clear that innovative short-term solutions will be required to manage current demand levels, while newer LTHW solutions are sourced, purchased, and properly integrated, in healthcare facilities. So, while Aggreko’s research into steam technology saw 94% of survey respondents report that they have some form of contingency in place, issues
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