Work is continuing to make Bridlington Hospital one of the most-sustainable healthcare facilities in the UK.
Vital Energi is working with York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a multi-technology energy project which has seen air source heat pumps and solar PV systems installed to significantly reduce carbon emissions at the site. The energy efficiency of the hospital will be improved further through the installation of energy conservation measures, including thermal insulation, and modifying air handling units.
The project also includes the optimisation of the heating and hot water systems across the estate, which will both reduce energy usage and improve the performance of the new heat pumps. Currently, the hospital’s heating and hot water is generated by 20-year-old gas-fired boilers and a gas-fired CHP system. The improvements will see the CHP being decommissioned and one of the boilers removed to make way for the installation of a 600kW air source heat pump system capable of supplying 100% of the heating and hot water demand. When coupled with the new 750kWp solar PV system, the heat pumps will provide zero carbon heat generation at the hospital. And the solar PV system, which combines over 1,600 panels both ground and roof mounted, will be capable of supplying 100% of the electricity demand of the heat pumps, meaning at times 100% of the heat demand of the hospital will be met via a 100% renewable source.
The solar PV will also provide a proportion of the hospital’s electricity requirements. Through these measures, the hospital’s energy-related carbon emissions will be reduced by over 50% compared to current operations and, as the national grid continues to decarbonise electricity generation, these savings will increase further. Steve Black, Vital Energi’s account director, said: “We set out to design and deliver a solution which would enable the trust to fully transition from gas-fired heat generation to a more-sustainable system, which we had to do while ensuring the project did not increase the trust’s annual energy and operational costs. “We have achieved this and are delighted that we have given the trust a system which means it is no longer reliant on burning fossil fuel and which is capable of being 100% carbon zero.”
The project received a £4.7m grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The fund aims to replace old gas-powered heating and hot water systems with low-carbon systems while reducing the heat requirement through energy efficiency measures such as increased insulation.
