NHS Trusts in England are being strongly encouraged by NHSI Improvement to apply for s share of £46 m in Public Dividend Funding to implement ‘energy-efficient’ LED lighting in their healthcare facilities, in the process not only improving the patient environment, but also potentially cutting their annual electricity usage by 5-20 per cent.
Announcing the money’s availability during an ‘NHSI Surgery’ held on 10 October during last month’s Healthcare Estates 2018 event, Fiona Daly, NHSI’s National Sustainability and EFM Workforce lead / Operational Productivity, announced that against a backdrop where the organisation is ‘committed to working with provides to help realise savings’, implementing energy-saving LED lighting schemes in healthcare facilities had been shown to offer ‘proven return-on-investment’ and both maintenance and carbon savings.
NHS Trusts across all provider sectors in England can apply, with allocation to be prioritised so that funds go ‘to those with the greatest potential and greatest need.’ Applications – the deadline is 12 noon on 30 November this year – must be submitted by email as an ‘expression of interest’ to nhsi.estatesandfacilities@nhs.net by the Trust’s director of Estates and Facilities using the application form and guidance available from the ‘Sustainability’ section of the Estates and Facilities Collaborative Hub and the NHSI website. NHSI says applications will be assessed by the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund Programme Delivery Board against the following criteria:
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Projected energy use savings (kWh).
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Projected revenue savings on energy spend.
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Projected revenue savings on maintenance costs.
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Projected carbon savings (gCO2)
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Percentage of lighting covered across the NHS Trust estate.
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Percentage of Trust capital contribution to the project.
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Return on investment period.
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Project deliverability, including timescales.
The planned timescale is as follows:
(bold) 2018:
30 November – Application deadline.
(bold) 2019:
11 January – Assessment / provisional award.
By 28 February – Procurement complete.
By 15 March 2019 – Funding confirmed.
1 April – Projects mobilised
For a Trust to be considered for funding:
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Its board must have approved the business case supporting implementation.
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Its executive team must confirm in writing that the Trust supports the
implementation, and that the funding provided will be spent on LED lighting.
The Trust will need to provide a clear outline of how it will manage the implementation and subsequent system optimisation as part of its expression of interest.
In addition to the potential to cut electricity use by between 5 and 20 per cent, NHSI says an effectively implemented LED lighting scheme can bring carbon savings of up to 45 per cent, simultaneously improving patient and staff experience ‘from a better quality of lighting’.
As ‘evidence’ of LED lighting’s benefits, NHSI said: “A £96,000 investment in LED lighting of £96,000at London’s King’s College Hospital has been returned in 4.8 years, with lifetime savings of £262,000 projected. Trusts tell us they are keen to implement LED lighting projects, but requests for financial support are not prioritised in local capital allocation processes.”
