BSEE


According to research from energy consultancy Energy Management LLP, NHS Trusts spend an average of half a billion pounds each year on gas and electric. Powering paent care is a costly exercise, however there are soluons that can deliver power generaon in a cost eecve way. One example is combined heat and power (CHP). Here Jason Harryman, UK Sales and Business Development Manager at energy and transportaon expert Finning UK & Ireland, the exclusive distributor of Cat® equipment in the UK and Ireland, explains the benefits of using CHP in hospitals.


means hospitals typically have very high baseloads. The outbreak of COVID-19 has put added pressure on healthcare facilities, due to larger numbers of patients in intensive care. One major use of energy is heat, which is at the heart of every hospital — it is used for sterilising tools, heating water and for keeping wards warm. Conventional electricity generation is typically only around 40 per cent efficient and the heat generated by the equipment is wasted. This can lead to high energy costs as hospitals must consume more energy to compensate for what is lost. One way to reduce energy costs in hospitals is combined heat and power. As well as generating electricity, CHP systems use waste heat to generate steam and hot water for medical hygiene purposes. This means that hospitals can achieve energy efficiency gains and cost reductions in one. While the efficiency of traditional power generation is around 40 per cent fuel effective, CHP means hospitals can increase efficiency to


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eeping medical equipment like ventilators running, as well as providing light and heating for large facilities,


over 75 per cent. For example, Finning supplied Rotherham Hospital with a Cat® G3516B gas generator that had an electrical output of 1.1 M We, alongside heat recovery modules and an external radiator cooling system. The CHP solution produced heat as a by-product and fed it back into the hospital’s heating system. After only 30 days, the hospital achieved an efficiency rate of 90.2 per cent.


Two for the price of one It is easy for hospitals to end up


paying for energy twice — for electricity to power the hospital and for gas to heat it. Using a CHP system means they will only need to pay for the gas to power the system. Meanwhile, it will produce electricity and heat simultaneously at effectively half the price of coal and gas-fired plants.


CHP systems can run in periods of low thermal demand so that hospitals can benefits from cheaper power. According to a report by NHS England and Public Health England, it was suggested that CHP could save the NHS £26.4 million per year by 2020.


Cleaner energy As more hospitals commit to


reducing their carbon footprints,


CHP can help management teams meet sustainability goals. Because CHP captures the heat that would otherwise be lost from power generation, less fuel is required to produce the same amount of energy. Less fuel means less carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide is produced from the combustion process — hospitals can reduce emissions by at least 20 per cent by using CHP.


With hospitals spending an average of half-a-billion pounds a year on gas and electric, CHP provides a way for management teams to recovering costs while achieving cleaner and more efficient energy.


To find out how you can get more out of your electric power generation, visit


www.finning.com/en_GB/industries/ electric-power-generation/chp.html


ENERGY MANAGEMENT Bringing affordable energy to hospitals


A connected home: The power of smart technology


Over the last few years, we’ve all done our bit to limit our impact on the environment, changing our everyday behaviour to try to reduce global warming. However, we are all limited by our understanding of the real challenges that lie ahead. While individuals have a role to play in tackling the threat, they can’t do it alone. Smart data driven technology will be essenal, and digital retrofits of homes need to become the norm to ensure success.


their homes have on the planet. Consumers believe that industry causes 50% of all Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, while homes only emit 7-8%. However, reality provides a stark warning: buildings alone account for a staggering 35% of global final energy use and nearly 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions. What’s more, by 2050 electricity use in homes is set to more than double, outstripping industry as well as commercial and transport use combined.


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Despite our efforts, it’s clear that household and consumer activity has largely been ignored when it comes to tackling climate change. One thing is certain: to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, our individual homes must become net zero.


Introducing a Fitbit for the home


It’s no small wonder that ‘energy efficiency’ resonates better with consumers than ‘sustainability’ or ‘climate change’. Two-thirds of consumers feel home energy efficiency is important, whereas only


recent survey by Schneider Electric highlighted how consumers


underestimate the potential effect


half feel carbon emissions are a threat and that reducing their own carbon footprint is important. Sustainability and climate change appear lower in consumer priorities across the US, France, Germany and Sweden.


The good intentions are there, however. Over half (55%) of Brits say that it’s important for their home to reach net zero emissions within their lifetime, and that figure rises as high as 60% for those aged 35-54. Homeowners now need to adopt sustainable features to address climate change challenges, and aim to generate as much clean, renewable electricity as they consume. Most householders don’t seem to know how to go about this, however, without sacrificing their lifestyles – which many don’t see as an option or a possibility. We know that the most effective ‘diet’ – whether we are talking about food or energy – is not the one that limits our consumption. It’s the one where we understand how much energy we are using, and if there is a better way of making a long-lasting change without ‘relapsing’ into bad habits. The role of technology in our homes should be to contextualise and analyse our energy efficiency efforts to come up with a target goal that is achievable and healthy for us. We need an equivalent of a Fitbit for our homes to keep us on track.


Monitoring your energy habits at home


Smart home technology is already popular. The majority (69%) of US households now own at least one smart home device, according to the Consumer Technology Association. Household penetration in the UK is expected to hit 63% by 2025. What’s more, half of multiple device owners are interested in purchasing a hub. According to Schneider Electric research, the top benefits of smart home technology are perceived as home safety and security, reducing energy consumption, and lowering energy costs.


In general, consumers are driven to purchase smart home devices because of ease of use and installation, as well as the benefits they provide in cost and energy savings. Yet what we are seeing is that despite most consumers owning a piece of smart technology, it isn’t revolutionising the way we live and how we save energy. In fact, it may potentially even be adding to our environmental footprint. What consumers need is technology that enables unprecedented visibility over energy habits at home, and which provides objectives that consumers can easily understand and adjust their energy usage to meet. The importance of integrated solutions,


By Nico van der Merwe, VP of Home and Distribuon at Schneider Electric


which connect and analyse data from a wide variety of smart products in the home, can’t be overstated. Once our homes have become truly intelligent, a realistic path to net zero will be revealed. Some things remain just outside of our control. Nearly two-thirds of energy consumption by buildings is supplied by fossil fuels for direct use or for upstream power generation. There’s not much one individual can do to change that, but it’s important to remember that they can have an impact at a more local level.


With evidence that people now want to prioritise energy-efficient improvements in their homes, the outlook is looking more positive. Technology that offers easy-to- understand insights to guide us towards making decisions will be key to the next stage of sustainable development at home.


28 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2021 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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