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Today sixteen new NHS Trusts across England, Wales and Scotland are set to cut their annual carbon footprint by an average of 15 per cent or 64,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by joining phase two of the Carbon Trust’s innovative NHS Carbon Management programme.
Today’s announcement follows a successful pilot of the Carbon Trust NHS Carbon Management programme involving ten Trusts , launched last year to identify the most effective way to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs as part of the fight against climate change.
Phase two of the Carbon Trust NHS Carbon Management programme will help the selected 16 Trusts reduce their combined annual energy bill by approximately £8 million per year.
Commenting on the launch, Tom Cumberlege, NHS Public Sector Product Manager at the Carbon Trust, said:
“It’s imperative that publicly funded bodies like the NHS lead by example when it comes to reducing carbon emissions necessary to tackle climate change. Many NHS Trusts are already taking steps to cut their carbon footprint but need extra support or strategic advice to maximise their efforts. Crucially, our 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. Following a very successful pilot, during which we’ve shown ten Trusts how to cut their carbon footprint by 15 per cent on average, we’re hugely excited to welcome 16 new Trusts on board today 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.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is one hospital trust that has already benefited from working with the Carbon Trust. With an annual energy bill of approximately £10 million and annual emissions of more than 67,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the Carbon Trust, along with a team of independent energy and environmental consultants, helped Guy’s and St Thomas’ to identify measures which would reduce emissions by as much as a fifth. The measures could help save the hospital £2.95 million per year in energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 16,000 tonnes.
Energy-saving recommendations include fitting boiler controls and implementing an energy awareness programme amongst staff to upgrading the hospital’s heating and ventilation systems and installing a combined heat and power plant.
Steve McGuire, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, commented:
“We’ve always tried to keep a close eye on the environmental impact of our operations but our campaign, assisted by the Carbon Trust NHS Carbon Management programme, has really helped us to draw lots of smaller initiatives together under one strategic umbrella to present a plan to the Board. The advice we’ve received has been a useful combination of simple steps we can implement now as well as long term measures which together will help us to achieve tangible cost and carbon savings. Hopefully the work we have done will help others as good practice is shared via the Carbon Trust.”
The current NHS Carbon Management programme will run until 31 March 2008. Any NHS Trust in the UK that would like to be considered for phase three 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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