Royal Shrewsbury Hospital breaks ground on major decarbonisation project
Under the framework of The Carbon and Energy Fund, a £16.2m decarbonisation scheme at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) has begun work to reduce the site’s carbon footprint by over 3,000 tonnes a year.
On behalf of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which includes Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, CEF secured funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive and Chair of the Trust’s Climate Group, said:
“This is fantastic and exciting news for the Trust, and we’re delighted to have secured this funding. The Trust is committed to continuous investment in both our hospitals, particularly in areas which support greener solutions.
“This aligns with our vision of sustainable health services and more modern facilities that will improve the experience of our patients and colleagues.”
Director of Programmes at Salix Ian Rodger said: “The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is having a huge impact across the country, and we are delighted to be working with the teams at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
“The funding will not only deliver a more energy efficient hospital and support the Trust’s carbon reduction plans, but it will help create a more comfortable environment for patients, staff and visitors.
“Our teams will work closely with the Trust as continues its journey to a net zero future.”
We will continue to manage this project through its construction and lifetime. Vital Energi have been procured by CEF to develop the scheme on behalf of the Tust.
Vital Energi will install a1.6MW air and water source heat pump system, providing low carbon heating, hot water and chilled water to buildings across the hospital site. This will enable the Trust to remove the old steam boilers and associated gas-fired equipment and fully “de-steam” the hospital estate.
The £16.2m grant will also fund a range of energy conservation measures such as 675kWp solar panels, which will be installed on the available roof spaces, the upgrade and optimisation of the building energy management systems, upgrades of roof and pipework insultation, and the replacement of air handling unit fans units with low-energy fan systems, which will reduce the site’s energy consumption, and improve the patient and staff experience.
As part of the project, Vital Energi will be developing a Digital Twin of the heating and cooling systems which form part of the decarbonisation works. This Digital Twin will be used to gather insights of the existing system and will enable Vital Energi to optimise the design while ironing out any inefficiencies, thereby maximising the performance of the heat pump system, as well as the reliability.
John Runniff, Account Development Director for Vital Energi, said: “Vital Energi are delighted that our proposed solution was selected by the Trust and we are excited to be delivering this innovative carbon reduction project at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The complex and robust solution supports the Trust’s long term sustainability and carbon reduction plans, placing them firmly on the path to a net zero future.”
