A cure for the common cold

Graham Williamson, general manager of Commercial Heating at Ideal Commercial Heating, considers the key measures healthcare facility operators can take to save energy, and how heating companies can help.

The UK healthcare sector spends a staggering £450 million on energy each year, and the National Health Service (NHS) is responsible for emitting around 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum, more than some medium-sized countries. These two colossal figures alone place healthcare organisations – including doctors’ surgeries, health centres, and hospitals – squarely on the frontline in the fight against the threat of climate change. The best way to attack the problem is to implement effective energy-saving measures which will inevitably reduce harmful carbon emissions. However a cleaner environment is not the only benefit of tackling the healthcare sector’s voracious appetite for energy; it can also help the sector save vast sums of money. The Government reckons that the NHS could decrease its outgoings by at least £180 million a year by reducing carbon emissions. On a more parochial level, the Carbon Trust estimates that a typical doctor’s surgery could slice a fifth from its energy costs by taking action on fuel conservation. Heating and hot water make up the biggest proportion of the NHS fuel bill, accounting for almost two-thirds of a typical hospital’s total energy costs, and the Carbon Trust believes these could be reduced by up to a third by taking relatively simple measures. However, this begs an obvious question: How do you manage heating and hot water effectively in a surgery, health centre, or hospital?

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