Zenergi has supported Royal Brompton and Harefield Clinical Group for several years. As part of the partnership, one of Zenergi’s experienced energy engineers sits on the Clinical Group’s Sustainable Development Management Group (SDMG), attending quarterly meetings and providing energy and environmental consultancy.

Part of this role involves supporting the hospital’s estate team to implement carbon reduction projects, reporting on the Trust’s energy data and wider sustainability issues to the Greener NHS National programme, and providing the Environmental Matters section for the Clinical Group’s Annual Report.

Developing the Green Plan

Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are actively working towards the NHS’s ambitious net zero targets and, as its trusted partner for the identification of energy and carbon reduction opportunities, Zenergi developed the Green Plan for the Trust.

The Plan was prepared over a period of 18 months and follows on from two iterations of a Carbon Management Plan developed by Zenergi in 2008 and 2013.

The Green Plan is much more holistic in scope than its predecessors and not only covers emissions from buildings (fossil fuels, electricity) and transport, but it begins to capture other environmental impacts, including waste, procurement, patient and staff travel, medical gases and biodiversity.

The Plan also includes the Clinical Group’s commitment to the Greener NHS programme targets, with KPIs to demonstrate progress.

Carbon reduction initiatives

We have worked with the hospitals since 2006, providing a range of support, including annual Display Energy Certificates, Energy Audits and carbon reduction initiatives.

Work on the building management system and variable-speed drives for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system delivered annual emission savings of 80 tCO₂e, representing an annual cost saving of around £20,000. The NHS budget was further protected since the works were funded by a Salix grant, the application for which was facilitated by Zenergi.

Meanwhile, LED lighting upgrades covered by £175,000 from the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund, deliver an annual emission saving of 49 tCO₂e, representing an annual cost saving of approximately £18,000.

We have developed a Heat Decarbonisation Strategy to help the Clinical Group apply for funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). We also presented to its Green Group regarding good housekeeping and staff energy-saving behavioural awareness training.