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Ten NHS Trusts [1] across England, Wales and Scotland are set to cut their annual carbon footprint by 15 per cent or 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by joining phase one of the Carbon Trust’s new NHS Carbon Management programme – launched today (Tuesday 31 October 2006). The saving is equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 7,000 average UK homes.
The Carbon Trust NHS Carbon Management programme will also help the selected Trusts reduce their combined annual energy bill by over £7 million per year.
Commenting on the launch, Dr Garry Felgate, Director of Delivery and External Relations at the Carbon Trust, said:
“Cutting carbon emissions as part of the fight against climate change should be a key priority for publicly funded bodies like NHS Trusts. The Department of Health has already emphasised the need for action on carbon dioxide emissions within the sector by setting a mandatory target for the NHS as a whole to reduce its carbon emissions by 0.15 million tonnes by 2010 – so the time to act is now.
“The low carbon option is also the low cost option. Effective carbon management represents a huge opportunity for the NHS to reduce its energy bill. Our new NHS Carbon Management programme is designed to help the health sector overcome the obstacles that get in the way of better energy management - such as lack of resources and finance. We’re hugely excited about today’s launch and look forward to working with our first ten NHS Trusts to help find the right low carbon, low cost solution for them.”
The Carbon Trust’s NHS Carbon Management programme is designed specifically for NHS Trusts - providing staff with support and guidance to integrate good carbon management into their organisation’s infrastructure and day to day operations at all levels. The initiative requires significant commitment from NHS Trusts that wish to apply – and is most suitable for mid to large hospitals. The Carbon Trust’s initial assessment, advice and support - including analysis and training - is free of charge, but the organisation’s project leader is required to devote at least two days a week to the programme’s implementation during its ten month duration. Initial capital investment may also be needed to replace existing infrastructure with more energy efficient models.
One NHS Trust that has already benefited working with the Carbon Trust is Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust. With an annual energy bill of approximately £6 million and annual emissions of more than 48,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the NHS Trust has worked with the Carbon Trust to identify how to cut its carbon emissions by ten per cent and save £0.5 million in energy costs and 3,540 tonnes of carbon dioxide over two years. The energy-saving recommendations include installing heating controls, reviewing the hospitals’ ventilation system and delivering a staff-awareness programme to promote good ‘carbon habits’. This last initiative has already delivered savings of approximately 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide to date.
Terry Croydon, Energy Manager, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, commented:
“Rising energy prices and our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment prompted us to take a closer look at our energy usage and carbon footprint last year. The Carbon Trust gave us the right, user-friendly combination of expertise and support to start driving down our energy use whilst improving our carbon credentials."
Steve Morris, Finance Director, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, added:
“Keeping an eye on energy spend is critical in an organisation the size of ours, particularly at a time when energy prices are in constant flux. Ongoing good energy management is a vital part of improving the efficiency of our organisation, for the benefit of patients and staff.”
The current NHS Carbon Management programme will run until the end of March 2007. Any NHS Trust in the UK that would like to be considered for phase two of the programme should contact Tom Cumberlege, NHS Programme Manager at the Carbon Trust, by emailing tom.cumberlege@carbontrust.co.uk.
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