New clean energy upgrades to help cut bills at University Hospitals Plymouth
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust will benefit from new funding to install clean energy upgrades, helping to reduce energy bills.
Last week the government announced that eighty-two NHS trusts, eight military sites and one prison will receive a share of £74 million to adopt clean energy technologies and improve their energy efficiency, helping to bring down bills and create savings that can be reinvested into frontline services.
UHP has been allocated £703,000 to install 2,824 LED light fittings across seven buildings on the estate, including nine wards at Derriford Hospital. By replacing inefficient fluorescent lighting, the project will help to reduce energy consumption by 540 MWh annually, which equates to a cost saving of £130,000 per year.
The project is due to commence at UHP in the spring and is expected to complete towards the end of the year. It builds upon the £1.2 million funding already provided in the past 12 months, which is enabling the installation of an additional 2,200 LED lights and 1,400 solar panels approximately across our estate.
“This successful clean energy funding award demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering the ambitions of our Green Plan and achieving our net zero carbon targets through the installation of clean energy technologies across our estate,” explains John Stephens, Director of Infrastructure and Site Services at UHP. “As well as reducing our carbon footprint, the new lighting will enhance the care environment, helping us to provide a better experience for our patients.”
Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said:
“More money will go straight to frontline services as hospitals, prisons and military sites benefit from cheaper bills and cutting-edge green technology.
“This is our clean power mission in action - cutting bills, investing in public services and providing energy security for our country.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“With lower bills for hospitals, better value for money, and a cleaner, more efficient NHS, everybody wins.
“Every penny of these savings will be redirected straight back into frontline care and delivering an NHS patients, staff and the whole country can be proud of again.
“This investment will help us build an NHS fit for the future.”
More than £9 million will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE) for batteries and solar panels, building on the publicly owned energy company’s £255 million investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites last year.
