ENERGY
The regulatory / standards landscape: HTM, BS, and NHS requirements We have been providing standby generator solutions to the healthcare sector for over forty years. Our team is clear that the starting point for design, installation, and operation in healthcare is HTM-06, with some of the key expectations including: n Standby generators must be able to pick up load within a defined timescale after mains failure, with UPS or other secondary power sources covering the very short interval.
n Single or multiple generating sets can be configured in various configurations, augmented by a fuel system, control system, exhaust system, appropriate levels of attenuation, and – above all – must be reliable, supported with rigorous maintenance regimes.
n Generators must be capable of handling the required load, achieve prescribed first level load step acceptance and large surge loads such as motor starts, HVAC, etc. while maintaining voltage/frequency within prescribed limits.
Generator exhaust gas flue system.
Scope 2 emissions, as the Trust is directly responsible for consuming the electricity and heat generated on site, usually from natural gas. This, however, needs to be set against the alternative of importing electricity from the national grid.
Grid supplied electricity in the UK is produced from a
Generators installed in a hospital plant room.
diverse mix of gas, nuclear, and renewables, but once transmission and distribution losses of around 7–8 per cent are factored in, its effective carbon intensity at the point of use rises. Under ISO 14064, those upstream generation and distribution losses are reported as Scope 3 emissions for the consuming trust. By generating power locally and using waste heat, a fully integrated CHP system can achieve overall efficiencies of over 80 per cent, significantly higher than the 35–45 per cent net efficiency typically realised by grid electricity delivered to site. The result is that, while Scope 2 emissions may appear higher for the trust operating a CHP, the system wide emissions footprint (Scopes 1–3 combined) is often materially lower than relying solely on grid imports. This distinction is crucial for healthcare estates teams: carbon accounting must not only focus on how emissions are categorised, but also on the true whole system efficiency that underpins resilience and sustainability.
n Many manufacturers and specifiers often find that some HTM requirements do not align exactly with how commercial diesel generating sets are designed or tested.
The regulatory environment is tightening: environmental legislation, emissions standards (Medium Combustion Plant Directive MCPD), and carbon reporting, plus the NHS has its own Net Zero commitments, and public expectations are becoming increasingly influential. These things themselves do not render diesel standby generation obsolete, but they do influence how it is considered internally, how it is specified, deployed, and operated.
Why standby diesel generation remains crucial The journey to Net Zero is forcing a fundamental rethink of how energy is generated, distributed, and consumed. As we move closer to a Net Zero future, government policy remains focused on: n Reducing fossil fuel use across the economy. n Scaling up renewable energy sources such as wind, solar (PV), and nuclear – diversifying our energy mix.
n Electrification of transport, domestic, and industrial heating.
n Electrification of energy hungry processes such as steel and concrete production.
All of these will add massively to electrical demand while altering the way in which that additional energy is both produced and distributed. Speaking in 2024 about the growing power demand, National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew spoke about: n The potential for a six-fold increase in data centre energy consumption in the coming decade, which poses a real threat to network stability.
n That the grid was becoming “constrained” and “bold action” was required to create a network able to cope with “dramatically” growing demand.
n That “future growth in foundational technologies like AI and quantum computing will mean larger scale, energy-intensive computing infrastructure”.
He also noted that much of the UK’s high voltage ‘super grid’ is over 70 years old, and that to reach Net Zero by 2050, the operator must: n Upgrade infrastructure to meet higher consumer demand.
56 Health Estate Journal September 2026
WB Power Services Ltd – a Rehlko Company
WB Power Services Ltd – a Rehlko Company
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