BUILDING ENGINEERING SERVICES Clockwise from near
right: a lack of insulation is apparent here; a good example of hot water system temperature management and
monitoring; an actuator that was not terminated or commissioned.
Vincent McMonagle and 6RG
Vincent McMonagle of 6RG is a tested MEP Clerk of Works with over three decades of experience overseeing complex mechanical, electrical, and public health systems across healthcare, education, and commercial estates. He said: “All at 6RG advocate precise system fingerprinting as a foundation for plant and equipment decision- making. By capturing accurate operational baselines before defaulting to replacement strategies, the 6RG team’s work demonstrates how existing infrastructure can often deliver improved performance through targeted adjustments without the need for capital expenditure.” ‘Passionate about
practical engineering’, 6RG ‘bridges the gap between technical insight and strategic asset management, encouraging stakeholders to look beyond age or appearance and focus on evidence-based outcomes’. Its work promotes sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and operational resilience, ‘offering a measured perspective in a sector where quick fixes can overshadow longer-term value’.
n Incorrect or drifted setpoints. n Unnecessary operation outside core hours (e.g., unoccupied offices, waiting areas, etc.).
n Poor flow or balance due to valve degradation or fouling.
n Simultaneous heating and cooling, especially in older estate blocks
n Outdated BMS control sequences.
This stage identifies clear, actionable items aligned with Specifications and SFG20 maintenance requirements.
n Step 4: Remediate and maintain a steady state Following the fingerprint analysis (step 1,2,3), targeted remediation should be planned within existing PPM or cyclical works. Actions may include: n Replacing faulty actuators or recalibrating sensors. n Rebalancing systems to achieve even distribution. n Resetting BMS control logic to reflect building use. n Re-insulating plantroom pipework or updating AHU control strategies.
After implementing improvements, maintain the building in a stable operational state, with active monitoring and BMS trend reviews to detect drift or regression.
n Step 5: Re-measure and assess improvement After 12 months, re-assess gas and electricity consumption by volume, and compare with the initial baseline. If usage has dropped, and comfort standards (temperature, air quality) have been maintained or improved, the intervention can be declared successful – both operationally and environmentally. If no improvement is seen, the data still serves a vital
role. It provides an evidence base for: n Capital investment cases (e.g., replacing legacy boilers with heat pumps).
n Building fabric upgrades (windows, insulation). n Deploying advanced energy analytics or controls.
Poorly performing HVAC and domestic hot water systems are a major source of avoidable carbon emissions in NHS buildings. Common faults like unbalanced circuits or stuck valves can quietly waste thousands of kWh per year.
78 Health Estate Journal September 2025
Several UK-based organisations, including the Carbon Trust, CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers), and BEIS (the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy), have published studies and guides that broadly support the types of savings mentioned. 1) Carbon Trust – HVAC Energy Efficiency Guides: Pump energy savings of 10–20% are often cited in guides focused on low-cost energy efficiency measures. Improved hydronic balancing and variable speed drives (VSDs) for pumps are key. 2) CIBSE Technical Memoranda (e.g. TM39, TM61, TM65): CIBSE recognises that eliminating simultaneous heating and cooling (often via better control strategies or recommissioning) can yield 15–30% gas or heat savings. 3) BEIS research and Public Sector Decarbonisation: BEIS-funded pilots under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and Energy Technology List include case studies showing 5-10% energy reductions from building management system (BMS) improvements alone.
Given that NHS buildings still rely heavily on gas heating, these changes can make a significant contribution to Net Zero delivery.
Conclusions: evidence-based action for NHS estates Improving comfort and lowering running costs in NHS buildings doesn’t require guesswork or expensive innovation. It starts with structured measurement, using existing systems and the knowledge of on-site engineers. At estate/campus scale it is really helpful to have a baseline energy use intensity (kWh per m2
of usable floor
space) and, if possible, by space use (e.g. ward, clinic, theatre, labs, workshops, retail, offices, imaging MRI, CT, sterilisation, etc). This means that area sub-meters are very usefully assessing performance across buildings by activity type to determine which areas of the building might be problematic, and so prioritise remedials. By fingerprinting MEP systems, comparing actual performance to design standards, and acting on the findings, NHS Trusts can achieve tangible, auditable improvements in both patient comfort and carbon emissions.
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