Hospital keeps cool and cuts its costs

The cost of ‘going green’ can, however, be high, and many hospitals shy away from more costly energy-efficient solutions, instead selecting cheaper options to suit the short term. One Hampshire healthcare facility, however, bucked the trend when selecting new chilled water plant, thanks to the advice and expertise of chartered consulting engineers, Henderson Green. Examining whether other hospitals should follow suit, managing director, Russ Pitman, explains ‘why considering the bigger picture perspective does pay off’.

According to the Carbon Trust, the UK’s healthcare sector faces an annual energy bill of more than £400 million – a figure which will only increase with the rising cost of fossil fuels. Hospitals are having to re-evaluate their approach to energy usage in order to see savings, minimise climate change, and meet mandatory government targets. Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, operated by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is no exception, and last year it employed sound business sense when it brought on board Henderson Green to provide expert advice on the replacement of its chilled water plant. The former chillers had served airconditioning plant to both the hospital’s pathology department, and nine operating theatres, for almost two decades before they failed, and temporary chillers were installed. However the temporary plant, being a ‘short-term fix’, was less than ideal. Not only were the chillers struggling to meet the hospital’s demands, but the compressors were noisy, and had to be specially acoustically treated, while the external condensers were mounted on a purpose-built platform above the roof, which made both access and maintenance difficult.

Addressing future needs