Firm wins £25m deal to cut City Hospital carbon footprint

Vital Energi has secured a £25m contract with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to reduce the Trust’s carbon footprint by 14,000 tonnes a year, and guarantee energy savings of approximately £1.8m a year for the Nottingham City Hospital.

The project received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The City Hospital currently relies on aged gas and coal fired boilers for heating and hot water, which Vital Energi will be replacing with more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, resulting in a reduction of 14,000 tonnes of carbon per year.

The old laundry building will be demolished so Vital can construct a new energy centre at the heart of the site, which will be equipped with combined heat and power units to provide heating and electricity throughout the hospital using new and improved energy infrastructure.

Vital Energi will also be installing renewable generation and energy conservation measures such as LED lighting, 300 kWe solar PV panels, and 342 kW air source heat pumps around the hospital, which will deliver energy and carbon reductions.

Ashley Malin, managing director of Vital Energi Solutions, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Trust to provide innovative technical solutions which can be fully integrated into the existing energy infrastructure at the City Hospital.

“The hospital is committed to reducing their carbon footprint which aligns with our ethos. Not only will our solutions pave the way for this and create a healthier environment, they will provide increased levels of staff and patient comfort too.”

Andrew Chatten, director of estates and facilities at the Trust, said: “We are committed to doing everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint, and to upgrade our ageing hospital estate, which costs a lot to maintain and makes it much harder for us to deliver the outstanding patient care to which we aspire. Having secured grant funding as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, we are now looking forward to working with Vital Energi to make City Hospital much more energy efficient.”

Sameen Khan, NHS programme manager for Salix Finance, added: “We are pleased we can support Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and be a partner in their landmark project. Their commitment to improving their patient care, facilities, reducing their carbon footprint and considering the impact they were having on the environment, has been emphasised from the onset of their funding application and relationship with Salix. We are proud to be a part of their journey towards a low-carbon future.”