Lincolnshire NHS Trust taps ETL for sustainability consulting

Consulting firm ETL has been working with United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust on an Energy Performance Contract, as the institution looks to introduce carbon saving measures across its hospitals. The new energy-saving changes aided by ETL are forecast to save the Trust more than £1.2 million a year.

Healthcare providers are under increasing strain thanks to multiple challenges that have shifted public demand, and the ability to meet it. In the UK the underfunded NHS is struggling to meet the expectations of a growing, ageing and increasingly demanding population, a predicament not aided by the potential Corvid 19 pandemic. As institutions like the NHS are constantly pushed to do more with less, many are looking for places to save time, money and human resources, in order to prioritise frontline service provision.

Data from the Carbon Trust estimated that the health sector alone spends more than £400 million each year on energy. While hospitals are inescapably high consumption buildings, one way or another, a significant proportion of this is wasted, meaning that money is being wasted too. Indeed, the average hospital uses 2.5 times the amount of energy compared to other commercial buildings, and unlike in other building types, energy and water-related disruptions can be life-threatening events in healthcare facilities. As a result, demand for energy efficient building technologies in healthcare facilities is set to boom in the next nine years. 

In order to help improve its energy efficiency and slash its carbon emissions in the process, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust – one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a local population of 720,000 – is embarking upon a trio of major energy-saving projects across its main hospital sites. The Trust is already a strong performer on sustainability – having reduced its carbon footprint by 13% between 2009 and 2015 – against a national average of 10%. Building upon this early success, the Trust will work on three projects expected to save it more than £1.2 million a year.

First, this will see the Trust work with Veolia to introduce a new Combined Heat and Power centre at Lincoln County Hospital to provide more efficient heating and hot water facilities for its patients and staff at lower cost. It will also be installing energy-efficient LED lighting across its main hospital sites – Lincoln County, Grantham Hospital, and Pilgrim Hospital in Boston. Finally, the Trust intends to utilise Salix Finance to convert the main energy supply at Pilgrim Hospital to gas from heavy fuel oil, ensuring a reliable, lower carbon supply of energy to the site.

The organisation has been working with sustainability consultancy ETL on an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) to procure and appoint an energy supplier and negotiate the best possible deal for the Trust. Formed in 2014 by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, ETL provides infrastructure advisory services in healthcare, higher education, science and research sectors across Cost Management, Project and Programme Management, Property Consultancy, Healthcare Strategy and Planning and Sustainability.

Alexandra Hammond, Sustainability Director at ETL, said, “These large-scale, high impact projects will play a critical role if the NHS is to reach its ambition of being a net zero carbon health service. This was an in-depth piece of work that required detailed understanding of the contractual arrangements and the Trust’s approach to contract management.” 

ETL has been working with United Lincolnshire since 2015. According to a release from the firm, it played a central role in the selection process and eventual appointment of Veolia, supporting the business case for investment, internal trust engagement and agreement of a full managed service agreement.

Claire Hall, Associate Director – Strategic Business Planning, in the Estates and Facilities team, commented, “Sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon reduction are at the heart of our management policy. We have already made great strides in reducing our carbon footprint. By upgrading and investing in sustainable technologies, it’s our ambition to reduce this by 28% by 2021.”