As part of the £4m energy performance contract with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), Veolia has upgraded lighting at Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, and Grantham and District Hospital.
The new systems will enhance the patient care environment, cut carbon, deliver a 91% energy saving, and generate operating savings of around £400,000 per year to the hospitals, which serve a population of around 736,000 people.
The upgrade has covered the installation of 10,106 LED light fittings, including standard and emergency luminaires across the main hospital sites.
The systems are linked to smart controls and sensors that monitor ambient light and presence, control output to the correct level, dim and switch when there is sufficient daylight, and illuminate only when the area is occupied.
These combine an improved quality of lighting throughout each building with annual energy savings of 4,522,344kWh per year, and CO2 savings of over 2,400 tonnes.
Backing the lighting upgrades are a range of carbon reducing measures including a new combined heat and power plant, boiler enhancements, conversion of the steam system to a low-temperature hot water network, and new electrical infrastructure upgrades and control systems for the facilities, which cover 74,174sq m.
The new plant will be operated and maintained by Veolia’s engineering teams for 15 years, with investment payback achieved in just over three years.
Claire Hall, associate director of strategic business planning at the trust, said: “Sustainability, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction, are a key priority for the trust.
“We have already made great strides in reducing our carbon footprint and, by upgrading and investing in sustainable technologies, it’s our ambition to reduce this by 28% by the end of 2021.”
The new contract will build on the reductions achieved by Veolia at Lincoln Hospital where around 64,000 tonnes of CO2 has been saved since 2004.