The contract, which extends to 2040, includes a multi-million pound construction project during 2023 that will deliver wide-ranging energy upgrades and target annual carbon savings of 4,129 tonnes. Delivered through Veolia’s ‘Building a Zero Carbon Future’ programme, with funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the scheme is – Veolia says – ‘one of the first to take a whole building approach’. This, it explains, ‘utilises a holistic approach that accounts for how facilities and the energy delivery systems interact with each other, while maintaining an indoor environment that enhances patient care’.
A secure energy supply is essential to maintain a modern patient care environment for the 457-bedded hospital, which treats over 470,000 patients per year. To meet this energy demand and achieve carbon and energy cost savings, Veolia will manage projects covering the design, delivery, and installation, of a range of energy upgrades. It says these will guarantee the hospital meets the NHS carbon reduction targets for 2030, and is supported by a ‘24/7’ operations and maintenance contract.
The energy plant upgrades include de-steaming the site, solar arrays giving a total of 1.1 MWp renewable electricity, improved ventilation systems, and a dual stage heat pump system to supply 3.2 MWth of low carbon heat with N+1 redundancy that gives system availability in the event of component failure. To ensure that this heat is efficiently used, the project covers fitting of 17,300 m2 of insulated roofing, replacing older single-glazed windows with 4,540 m2 of high-efficiency double glazing, and 12,972 m2 of insulating cladding.
John Abraham, Chief Operating Officer, Veolia UK & Ireland – Industrial, Water & Energy, said: “Using the whole holistic building approach is part of our ‘Building a Zero Carbon Future’ programme, and is key to advancing healthcare energy efficiency, cutting carbon emissions, and providing cost savings that can be redirected to patient care. By targeting annual carbon savings of 4,129 tonnes, we are actively supporting the NHS decarbonisation programme, and delivering lower cost energy for the healthcare sector. We look forward to working with the teams at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and helping it achieve its environmental goals.”
Veolia has worked with East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust since 2009. It currently provides energy and facilities management to over 100 hospitals in the UK.