VITAL ENERGI CREATE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR BRIDLINGTON HOSPITAL

Vital Energi are working with York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a multi technology energy project which will see Bridlington Hospital on course to become one of the most sustainable NHS sites in the UK.

Vital Energi have installed air source heat pumps and solar PV systems to significantly reduce Bridlington Hospital’s carbon emissions. The energy efficiency of the hospital will be improved through the installation of energy conservation measures, including thermal insulation, and modifying air handling units to reduce energy consumption. The energy project also includes the optimisation of the heating and hot water systems across the hospital estate which will both reduce energy usage and improve the performance of the new heat pumps.

Currently, the hospital’s heating and hot water is generated by 20-year-old gas fired boilers and a gas fired CHP system. The project will see the CHP being de-commissioned and one of the boilers removed to make way for the installation of a 600kW air source heat pump system which will be capable of supplying 100% of the heating and hot water demand of the hospital. When coupled with the new 750kWp solar PV system, the heat pumps will provide zero carbon heat generation at the hospital.

The solar PV system, which combines over 1,600 panels both ground and roof mounted, will be capable of supplying 100% of the electricity demand of the heat pumps, meaning at times 100% of the heat demand of the hospital will be met via a 100% renewable source. The solar PV will also provide a proportion of the hospital’s electricity requirements too. The hospital’s energy related carbon emissions will be reduced by over 50% compared to current operations, and as the national grid continues to decarbonise electricity generation, these savings will increase further.

The project received £4.7m 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), formally part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to replace old gas (oil and coal) powered heating and hot water systems with low carbon systems whilst reducing the heat requirement through energy efficiency measures such as increased insulation. The funding was secured through the combined efforts of the Trust and Vital Energi teams working together to submit a complex application within an extremely challenging timeframe.

DESNZ, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and Vital Energi are delivering the project through the Carbon and Energy Fund Framework, which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations. www.vitalenergi.co.uk