An Arran health centre is doing its bit to help the environment while supporting local jobs by installing a new biomass heat cabin that runs on locally-sourced timber.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran commissioned Fort William-based biomass heating specialist, HWEnergy, to install the new system at the War Memorial Hospital at Lamlash. Now it has been installed, it will cut the hospital’s annual heating bills by 40%, saving 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions while generating an annual income of around £25,000 for reinvestment into patient care.
Working with HWEnergy, local business, Arran Energy, will supply wood fuel from the island’s plentiful supply. By sourcing fuel from a native business based less than two miles away, the hospital is supporting the Arran timber trade as well as reducing the carbon miles travelled by its suppliers.
Alastair Kay, energy manager, said: “NHS Ayrshire and Arran is committed to reducing its energy and carbon footprint. The Arran biomass boiler will drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and will introduce a renewable fuel source to provide heat and hot water to the hospital. The project brings substantial cost savings and also an overall energy efficiency saving of 12%.”
Bruno Berardelli, managing director at HWEnergy, added: “For an island well stocked with its own supply of wood, using biomass locally makes complete sense. This is our third installation on Arran, having already completed biomass projects at Kinloch Hotel and Auchrannie Country Club in the past three years. It is very encouraging to see biomass taking off in quite a big way on Arran, as it means local businesses are benefitting from cost savings as well as RHI income, whilst supporting local enterprises.
“We are working with NHS Boards across Scotland, so we are very pleased to be working with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. By adopting more cost-effective and environmentally-sound heating systems, the organisation is set to realise massive savings and generate new income streams, which is great news for healthcare services.”
HWEnergy Biomass heat cabins are part of a portfolio which covers the entire biomass heat spectrum from initial project feasibility study through to installation and ongoing fuel supply and maintenance.
