Delivering the UK’s first renewably-heated hospital
A landmark project for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust involving a combination of works including building fabric, heat generation and electricity generation components.
As well as helping meet NHS England’s net zero targets for direct emissions by 2040, patients and staff at the tired 1970s building suffered summer overheating, winter cold spots and drafts.
CEF experts drew on their unparalleled NHS experience to develop the original concept and write a bid securing £28million of funding from the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund. CEF also ran the partner procurement framework process, evaluated contractor bids and oversaw construction after appointing Veolia as main contractor.
Fabric works involved installing over-cladding and double-glazing from outside for minimal disruption, plus roof insulation on top of the existing roof of the entire 54,000m2 building.
The project’s holistic approach considered how the hospital’s facilities and energy delivery systems interact from the outset, using the 1mW solar car port scheme to generate renewable electricity to offset the energy costs of running the heat pumps.
Additionally, since the fabric upgrades reduced flow and return temperatures, the operational efficiency and economics of the new multi-stage heat pump system could be maximised.
With all Phase 1 works complete the main contractor will now operate and maintain the systems for the next 15 years on behalf of the Trust, as part of the guaranteed performance contract put in place by CEF.