Reduced energy usage

We will reduce our energy use through initiatives that include both large scale projects to improve the energy efficiency of our building and facilities, such as the adoption of renewable energy sources, alongside more routine improvements, like turning off PCs and other equipment.

We first embarked on our carbon reduction journey back in 2009-10 and have already invested £10.4 million in 35 energy efficiency projects since then, to help reduce carbon emissions by 19,135 tonnes per annum. As of 2023, we have already achieved 24.7 per cent reductions since the 2007-8 baseline.

Decarbonisation grant

In 2021, we secured a £26.9 million grant to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of our hospital sites, as part of the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). 

The funds have been used to achieve more than 15 per cent emissions reductions at Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals. This included an air source heat pump at Charing Cross Hospital, which reduces the consumption of natural gas, by extracting heat from the air to provide heating and hot water across the site.

Both hospitals have also benefitted from a range of improved energy efficiency measures, including lighting, pumping, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, alongside better energy controls. The funds have addressed some of the long-standing backlog maintenance matters, replacing old boilers and steam systems with modern, energy efficient equipment. Solar panels have also been installed on both sites to provide a sustainable green source of electricity and reduce reliance on grid electricity.

Find out more about the decarbonisation grant and reducing energy use at the Trust.

Air source heat pumps at Charing Cross Hospital

In 2021, Charing Cross hospital was fitted with a new air source heat pump to reduce carbon emissions, by extracting heat from the air to provide heating and hot water across the site, reducing the consumption of natural gas. The refit will be enabled through a £26.9 million grant awarded to the Trust, as part of the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which also includes a range of other energy efficiency initiatives. 

Thanks to the efforts of our estates colleagues, we have, in 2024, recently secured a £41.8 million grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to fund hospital retrofits and upgrades that reduce our dependency on fossil fuels for heating and powering purposes. This £41.8 million comes on top of two previous PSDS grants, taking the total amount of grant funding that we have secured from the PSDS to £91.6 million since early 2021.

This latest grant will be used to install another heat pump at Charing Cross Hospital and will see ground source heat pumps and solar PV installed at Hammersmith Hospital. All in, including the Trust’s contribution, we will have invested £100.2 million on heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures at these two sites. Once all the projects are completed it is estimated to reduce our environmental impact by 16,750 tCO2e each year.

The PSDS provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.

PC Powerdown

Beginning in 2023, we rolled out our PC Power down system. The system automatically powers down certain non clinical computers that are not being used after 18:00, and allows for them to be automatically turned on to complete out-of-hours security updates.

The PC power down system has reduced the Trust’s scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 672 tCO2e, up from 590 tCO2e in 2022/23. In 2023/24, the solution also generated £620,000 cost savings through reducing wasted electricity, up from £440,000 in 2022/23.

Further reading and inspiration

• NHS Property Services: how we can drive a greener NHS together
• Operation TLC: A hospital behaviour change programme at Barts Health NHS Trust
• Manchester University NHS Trust employees record 25,000 sustainable actions