Hospitals & healthcare
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CHP offsets the ‘spark spread’
As public health budgets and environmental requirements continue to tighten, it’s more important than ever for hospitals to ensure that their buildings operate efficiently. Remeha’s Mark Gibbons, national sales manager CHP, looks at how combined heat and power technology can help improve building energy performance and deliver the all-important financial savings
hospital’s overall expenditure. But faced with spiralling energy costs, exacerbated by ever-tighter environmental legislation and financial pressures, hospitals are under increased pressure to rethink how they heat and power their buildings. It’s not just the larger hospitals that are energy-intensive. Smaller hospital buildings also have high year-round requirements for high-grade heat to provide sufficient hot water for cleaning and steam for sterilising, as well as space heating. This is matched by a high electricity demand – currently accounting for around 50% of total energy costs according to the Carbon Trust – that is projected to rise as use of specialist medical equipment grows. One highly efficient technology that can deliver sufficient heat and electricity to meet hospital building requirements while reducing energy usage and costs, without compromising on comfort, is Combined Heat and Power (CHP).
D 30% reduction in energy costs
A key incentive for hospitals to use CHP is financial, as the overall process is more energy efficient and requires less fuel, helping limited funds go further. Let’s consider the benefits. Firstly, the technology is highly efficient. By
generating lower-cost electricity and heat on-site in one simultaneous process, CHP units can typically reduce primary energy usage by up to 30% compared with conventional methods. This more efficient overall process requires less fuel, reducing energy costs.
However, arguably more significant energy savings come from the ability of CHP to generate electricity on site at lower gas prices. And the greater the ‘spark spread’ – or difference between gas and electricity costs – the greater the savings for hospitals. So with gas prices currently at around a quarter of the cost of electricity costs, and electricity prices predicted to rise faster than gas, the business case for CHP continues to strengthen.
Achieving CHP best practice
How, then, can hospitals ensure that the full potential rewards of CHP are reaped? Obvious as it may sound, if a CHP system isn’t running, the economic benefits simply won’t be achieved. To achieve maximum financial returns from CHP, the system needs to operate for as many hours of the year as possible. And while a hospital’s year-round requirements for high-grade heat and electricity tick the feasibility box, how the system is designed and maintained is also central to its success. Much emphasis is placed by suppliers on ensuring that the CHP is correctly sized. This is because oversizing the unit will reduce running hours and
20 May 2019
ay in, day out, hospital buildings never cease to function. Wards need to be warm, lights have to shine, and monitors and life-saving machines must operate. So unsurprisingly, energy costs can eat up a sizeable chunk of a
A Remeha R-Gen 20/44 CHP unit, working with four high-efficiency Remeha Gas 220 Ace condensing boilers, has been installed at Cygnet Hospital in Maidstone to provide lower carbon, lower cost heat and power
cost savings, as well as leading to maintenance and warranty issues. Unfortunately, as each building has its own thermal profile and baseload
conditions, there is no straightforward way to size a CHP. However, obtaining the gas and electrical profile of existing buildings is a good starting point. It’s also worth seeking the advice of good suppliers at the early stages of design as they can support with sizing and provide in-depth product and technical knowledge. Early consideration as to how the CHP system is maintained is equally important to maximise energy and cost saving benefits over its lifetime. For this reason, it’s advisable to implement a long-term service plan, usually from the supplier, from the outset. As an estimated 85% of reported CHP faults are able to be corrected and reset
remotely, remote monitoring and timely maintenance should be core components of a service programme. This also takes the onus away from the installer or end-user to monitor and report on problems that they may not fully understand, which can be a big plus. It also means that any fault will typically be remedied within hours, enabling the CHP to continue operating at its optimum performance for maximum results. CHP is a specialist piece of equipment that requires specialist care. Scheduled
services carried out by specialist CHP engineers – typically at around 6,000 CHP operating hours for a 20kWe unit – will include checking, and replacing where necessary, service parts. Engine oil, water quality and NOx emission levels will also be monitored and analysed, all of which enables the CHP to continue to produce lower cost electricity and heat to the building.
£60,000 lifetime savings
Will implementing a service plan detract from the financial rewards? On the contrary. In a well-designed, well-managed system, our Remeha R-Gen 20/44 CHP is capable of delivering £60,000 savings during its 10-year lifetime. And that’s inclusive of a service plan. In fact, it’s the combination of accurate sizing
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