Vital Energi has partnered with Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust on a £15.1m project to reduce the carbon emissions at Northampton General Hospital by 3,445 tonnes a year through the installation of the latest energy solutions.

To accelerate the trust’s transition to net zero by its 2040 target, Vital Energi has replaced the old steam infrastructure with a modern low-temperature-hot-water (LTHW) system across the whole of the hospital estate.

A 600kW heat pump feeds heat into the new LTHW system, which, in turn, provides low-carbon heat to all buildings.

The project also includes a 500kW solar PV array and upgrades to BMS systems to improve the thermal efficiency of the secondary heating and hot water systems across the hospital estate, as well as optimising the performance of the new heat pump system.

In addition, Vital View has been installed, which is a BMS performance monitoring system to help deliver continuous improvement and drive energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and help enhance future projects by gaining a detailed understanding of building operations and usage characteristics.

These solutions will have a significant impact on the overall energy performance and carbon emissions of the hospital.

NGH’s director of facilities and estates, Paul Shead, said: “A tremendous amount of work has been done over the last three years with our partners following our successful bid to the Government for decarbonisation works.

“Our old heating and hot water system was powered by gas, whereas the new system installed by Vital Energi integrates heat pumps powered by electricity and is state-of-the-art, very clean, and efficient.

Once the works are complete, the trust will have a platform upon which it can build to make achieving net zero carbon a reality, rather than a just a target

“By installing the pipework for the heating system alongside the current heating, and through a carefully-managed programme, there has been no impact on patient services during the installation period.

“Installing the new low-temperature-hot-water system, alongside all of the other work we have done, has enabled us to make some major progress towards our decarbonisation goals and has made the hospital a more-environmentally-friendly part of its local community.”

Steve Black, account director at Vital Energi, added: “The biggest challenge for this project has been to de-steam an acute hospital site while not impacting on patient services during the works.

“By collaborating closely with the trust, we have been able to successfully transition the site from an old steam system to a modern, efficient LTHW system without impacting on clinical services.

“Once the works are complete, the trust will have a platform upon which it can build to make achieving net zero carbon a reality, rather than a just a target.”

The project received grant funding 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).

Salix relationship manager, Hira Raashid, said: “As an enabler for these grant allocations, and as a liaison point for stakeholders, we are delighted to see the completed energy improvement outcomes at Northampton General Hospital after several years of work.”

The project has been delivered through the Carbon and Energy Fund Framework (CEF), which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations.