By Healthcare Facilities Today

The Pennine Acute Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Trust has been awarded a grant of 2.4 million pounds from the UK’s Energy Fund to replace Fairfield General Hospital’s ageing coal-fired steam boiler plant with a new modern gas hot water system, according to an article on the Rochdale Online website. 

Earlier this year, the government allocated a 50 million-pound capital fund for 2013-14 to fund new and innovative projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the NHS, the article said. 

Electricity is usually generated at centralized power stations with an efficiency in the region of 40%. Further losses are incurred in the transmission systems of around 5%, giving a resultant efficiency of 35%. By using a combined heat and power unit (CHP) system, the Trust can expect to achieve an efficiency of up to 85% which will have the most significant impact on operational costs and reduction in carbon emissions, the article said.

The environmental challenge placed on NHS Trusts by the Government’s Carbon Reduction Strategy means that the Trust must reduce its carbon emissions by 10% by 2015. This scheme alone will reduce the emissions from the Fairfield site by 53%. This will release savings in the order of 600,000 pounds per year for reinvestment in patient services, according to the article. 

The NHS spends approximately 600 million pounds a year on energy, the article said.

Read the article.