A £5 million energy efficiency programme, just “switched on” at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust’s Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, is expected to save £688,000 a year, reducing carbon emissions and boosting resources for patient care.
Located near the hospital entrance, the centre has been installed by Ener-g Combined Power, replacing “ageing” coalfired boilers. Its facilities include a gas fired “trigeneration” system that creates electricity, steam or hot water for winter heating and chilled water for the hospital’s air conditioning systems during summer months.
Improving the chilled water system has allowed cool air to reach parts of the hospital not previously serviced, increasing both patient and staff comfort.
The £5 million programme, financed by Ener-g Combined Power, was structured around a public/private partnership contract, and included provision of a £403,000 Carbon Trust grant under the Government’s Community Energy Programme. Ener-g Combined Power will provide a guaranteed level of system performance over a 15-year period.
The Energy Centre accommodates a 1,165 kilowatt CHP unit featuring an MTU gas engine which can produce steam and is connected to the hospital’s main heating system. It is also linked to a 300 kilowatt absorption chiller to produce chilled water from waste heat. The hospital’s existing electrically powered chillers will thus run much less frequently during the summer.
