CEF has partnered with Solihull Hospital to charge forward on their journey to net zero.
Operated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Solihull Hospital is an acute general hospital providing a range of outpatient and inpatient services
This work is in addition to previous energy saving solutions that have already been implemented. This includes modifications to the existing Building Management System to optimise performance and improve efficiency, with updated outstations and the introduction of time scheduling and set points; along with cavity wall insulation and the replacement of 2,500 lights with LEDs. These improvements, together with the new energy centre, will reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint by 1,812 tonnes per year, alongside delivering £62,000 in cost savings per year, based on the Trust’s current energy tariffs.
Phil Bryant, Head of Business Development Business to Government at Centrica Business Solutions, said: “Hospitals are facing increased pressures to balance their intensive energy demands with cost and carbon savings across their large estates.
“We’ve been a proud energy partner for Solihull Hospital for 20 years and together we’ve worked to make the hospital estate more energy efficient by providing and maintaining low-carbon solutions. The new energy centre marks the next step on the hospital’s decarbonisation journey, and we look forward to seeing the results.”
Solihull Hospital has extended its two decade long partnership with Centrica Business Solutions to help the continued decarbonisation of the estate with plans for a new energy centre, in addition to unlocking significant savings.
Due to be completed in spring 2026, the energy centre will see the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit replaced with an energy efficient 2MW cascade heat pump system to meet the hospital’s high heating demands.
Once operational, the state-of-the-art energy centre will deliver more than 75% of Solihull Hospital’s heating requirements and reduce its carbon emissions by 1,185 tonnes each year.
Martin Richardson, Executive Director at Solihull Hospital, said: “Our partnership with Centrica Business Solutions has really helped us set a standard for sustainable healthcare. We’ve been able to maximise our savings as well as make the hospital a more comfortable place for patients and staff.
“We have plans to continue to work alongside Centrica Business Solutions for years to come, with a goal of reaching net zero in the not-too-distant future.”
The energy reduction measures were funded through, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme; encompassing Salix as the delivery body with development and procurement via the Carbon Energy Fund (CEF). CEF supports NHS Trusts and public body organisations to improve energy infrastructure and reduce overall emissions.
