Veolia, an international resource management company, has recently signed an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) to optimise and facilitate carbon reductions and energy usage at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.
The EPC is poised to help the hospital save up to £1 million annually and slash 49,620 tonnes worth of its carbon dioxide emissions.
The deal spanning twenty years will enable the company to execute several improvements at the Rotherham Hospital to reinforce its resilience and foster the legally-binding net-zero targets of the UK.
Details of the Agreement
Veolia has agreed to the 20-year Energy Performance Contract (EPC), helping Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust to generate savings of over a million pounds per year through the implementation of a broad range of improvements to the Rotherham Hospital.
The EPC is backed by the Carbon and Energy Fund Procurement framework along with essential investment and payback terms to enhance the energy provision and reduce carbon emissions of up to 49,620 tonnes to garner a long-term energy resilience for the hospital.
The project covers the design and delivery, installation, authorisation and operation of the CHP or Combined Heat and Power plant that will supersede seven boilers that have been in existence for 40 years. It will also allow the upgrade to some 7,000 efficient LED lightbulbs.
Veolia UK and Ireland Executive VP Gavin Graveson stated the EPC has proven to contribute a major development on the Carbon Reduction Strategy for England (CRS), supporting the NHS’s ambition of driving the transition towards a carbon-negative society.
Graveson further said the project would help promote sustainability for the NHS so they can shift focus on funding for patient care. He expressed the firm’s forward-facing goal of assisting the Trust to meet the model for Sustainable Development Unit of the NHS by the Department of Health.
Maintaining the Hospital’s Energy Sustainability
The Trust’s modern facilities for patient care need to be maintained, with 430,000 patients being treated each year, which means that the hospital’s energy supply should be cost-efficient and secure. Meeting this energy demand and reducing carbon footprint are challenges that the project will cover.
The EPC takes care of the design and delivery, installation and contracting of the project, as well as the subsequent operation of the CHP, replacement of seven 40-year-old boilers and chiller plant installation for a more efficient air conditioning.
Additionally, proper lighting can positively impact patient outcomes on treatment. The contract allows Veolia to upgrade the lighting system of the hospital to low-energy LED technology via the fitting of 7,000 new LED lightbulbs.
Other energy-saving measures under the project include reinforcing pipe and valve insulation, and the installation of an energy storage system via batteries.
Veolia will also be providing maintenance services for these measures for twenty years.
About Rotherham and Veolia
The Rotherham NHS Trust is an organisation that innovates the UK’s health services and continues to push for reforms that yield outstanding results.
The high-performing Trust is the University of Sheffield’s Associate Teaching Hospital that has a dynamic research programme implemented through domestic and international consortia and research networks.
Rotherham’s Urgent and Emergency Care Centre serves about 105,000 attendances per year, with 250,000 outpatients, 40,000 inpatients, and 30,000 day-only cases at the Trust every year. The Trust is progressive and is trusted to bring excellence and efficiency in the health sector.
Since 1938, Veolia has supported energy management in hospitals and facilities in the UK and other locations. Today, the firm covers around 43,000 hospital beds in the country and delivers the energy requirements of about 8.1 million inpatients per year. The firm’s work saves more than 120,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the sustainability of the UK’s healthcare industry.
Veolia provides leading environmental solutions, including energy, water, and waste management services, to preserve scarce raw supplies and build a circular economy. The firm targets carbon reduction through preventing pollution, protecting biodiversity, preserving natural resources, eliciting environmental awareness, and tackling climate change.
