Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says a comprehensive decarbonisation and energy efficiency scheme recently completed at Horton General Hospital in Banbury will save a projected 1,200 tonnes of carbon annually.
Insulation upgrades and energy-efficient heating and ventilation system improvements, as well as heat pumps and solar panels, have been installed as part of a £6.5 m Trust project to reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint and deliver financial savings. Of this, £5.7 m was funded through Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, with the remaining £800,000 Trust funded.
Jeenash Mistry, head of Estates and Facilities at OUH, said: “The completion of the decarbonisation project at the Horton General Hospital represents a huge achievement by all those involved to get the job finished on time and with minimum disruption to patient care. The majority of the work was done ‘behind the scenes’ in the boiler rooms and electric sub-stations – areas that most staff, patients, and visitors never see – but they are already feeling the difference, with more efficient heating and improved controls. The project has significantly updated the Horton’s energy and heating infrastructure, and we are looking forward to seeing the data on financial and carbon savings.”
Justin Morris, Client Support officer at Salix, said: “Oxford University Hospitals has been proactive about reaching its Net Zero aims through a well-thought-out range of holistic carbon reducing measures at Horton General Hospital. The Trust team was able to tackle the complexities of the project and deliver it in a one-year timeframe. It’s been a pleasure working with the team over the year, and witnessing the success of the collaboration.”
A similar, but larger, ongoing project at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, should save some 4,000 tonnes of carbon annually.
Pictured is new hot water pipework running under Horton General Hospital
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) is one of the UK’s largest acute teaching NHS Trusts. It works in close partnership with the University of Oxford, and is a leading centre for cancer, neurosciences, diabetes, genetics, and many other fields.
