Wythenshawe Hospital and Withington Community Hospital, part of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), are set to benefit from a £10.9m investment in new energy infrastructure.
The programme of work will see state-of-the-art energy technology installed at the two hospitals, delivering a combined annual saving of at least half of the energy bill, which will go towards funding the infrastructure investment.
Delivered by Centrica Business Solutions, the project will also reduce annual carbon emissions by 25% – the equivalent to taking more than 780 cars off the road.
The 14-month project, due for completion in March 2020, will replace life-expired infrastructure currently used by the trust at the two sites.
At Wythenshawe Hospital work will include the creation of a new energy centre which will house a combined heat and power (CHP) unit, delivering almost all the power needed to run the hospital, as well as four new high-efficiency boilers.
The site will also benefit from an upgraded energy distribution system that will serve 12 primary plant rooms providing heat to the hospital.
At Withington Community Hospital a CHP unit will also be utilised, with more than 9,200 energy-efficient LED lights and control systems installed across the two sites.
Alan Barlow, UK and Ireland director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “This investment will deliver a much-needed replacement of the ageing and outdated energy systems at two key hospitals in Greater Manchester, helping to unlock energy savings and meet carbon reduction targets.
Our research shows that if this approach was replicated across just half of the NHS estate, the combined saving would be more than £130m
“Our research shows that if this approach was replicated across just half of the NHS estate, the combined saving would be more than £130m. Not only would it deliver huge cost savings, but it would also improve energy resilience, which is essential for patients and staff.”
The project will be delivered under a 15-year Energy Performance Contract (EPC) between the trust and Centrica Business Solutions that will include operations and maintenance support, with backing from Carbon and Energy Fund and Macquarie.
David Furnival, group director of estates at facilities at the trust, said: “For MFT to deliver excellent patient-focused healthcare services, both now and for the future, we need to be sustainable in the use of our resources.
“Sustainable healthcare will help our budgets stretch further and the investment this programme will deliver, alongside the reduction in our carbon emissions, is invaluable.”