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Hospitals & healthcare


The making of a carbon neutral hospital


In 2023, after embarking on a multi-year transformative journey, Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital achieved a national first: becoming the UK’s first carbon neutral community hospital. The project was initially envisioned as a plan to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the impact on global warming. But, as the project started to grow a larger vision was formed to achieve something greater. Steve McGregor, group managing director, DMA Group, looks back at the project


C


ommissioned by the Rye Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital charity, the project started in 2021. The driving mission was to do


better for the environment and improve the facility for the local community and its staff. Through the installation of renewable power supplies, developing renewable systems and the elimination of fossil fuels, the community hospital has reduced its carbon footprint by a confirmed 100 per cent. A project of this scale had many moving parts


and areas to be refitted, refurbished and renewed. A holistic approach was required to improve and reduce the hospitals energy performance, while also making changes to improve the quality of life for those using the facility. An example of this can be found in the approach to the heating and ventilation of the community hospital. With heating of the facility, there was a full clean and refurbishment of the existing systems, and a replacement of all radiator valves to help better optimise the heating system’s efficiencies. Also replaced were the existing gas boilers that


were swapped with new electric flow boilers and calorifiers. The hospital’s gas fired kitchen equipment were also removed and replaced. In terms of ventilation, new air conditioning units were installed in the communications and medicine rooms to reduce the risk of equipment failure and the overheating of medicines. Also, new air conditioning systems in the nurses’ station for quality of life and comfortability improvements were implemented. This approach really humanised the project past


a decarbonisation plan, but with the backing of real tangible purpose and improvements for the community and its staff.


Further to the heating and ventilation


improvements, other changes included the installation of internal and external LED lighting, reducing and optimising demand ahead of the installation of new solar roof panels and storage batteries that generate more than 70,000-kilowatt hours electricity per annum. To minimise any disruption to the delivery of the community hospital’s vital services, a smart new building management system was implemented meaning that the hospital’s inhouse facilities management team can now monitor energy usage in real-time.


This means that any potential equipment, power, or building and water temperature issues can be attended to in a timely manner and foreseen thanks to this newly refreshed technology. It is expected that by the end of this year, the


overall energy consumption of the community hospital will be reduced by an estimated 240,000-kilowatt hours. That’s a drop of 40 per cent for the facility. The outcome of this is an impressive reduction of approximately 260 tonnes of carbon per annum, that being equivalent to planting around 4,300 trees.


When speaking with Barry Nealon, the Chair at


Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital, the speed in which the project was completed, and to such a high standard, was beyond expectations. While they are setting off on this mission, they never imagined being the first in the UK. They’ve received fantastic feedback from the community and staff, and it has launched the delivery of care into a new green age. Bringing DMA Group into the project helped facilitate the project’s goal in curbing emissions and limiting its green impact, thanks to the pedigree of legacy experience within the business. It’s an incredibly proud achievement reaching this national first. The community and environment will reap the benefits of this transformation for many years to come, and hopefully inspire others to see what can be done.


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