UHB awarded £35 million to reduce carbon footprint
Published on 22/06/2022
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) has been awarded £35.6 million, as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure Trust sites become more energy efficient.
Tim Jones, Chief Innovation Officer at UHB, said: “UHB is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, as part of wider NHS net zero ambitions and targets.
“This funding will help those ambitions become a reality, and help us make improvements and innovate across the Trust, and will benefit our patients, staff and the local population for generations to come.
The funding for UHB is for four projects, including:
- Adding heat pumps into the heat networks at Good Hope Hospital (GHH), the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) and Solihull Hospital
- Removing steam as a means of generating heat at GHH
- Completing the first phase of the removal of steam heat generation across the QEHB site
- Increasing the number of solar panels across the Trust sites
As one of the largest NHS Trusts in England, UHB has a significant carbon footprint, and it is hoped that the funded projects will reduce this by almost 5,000 tonnes.
The projects form part of UHB’s wider sustainability aims in the Trust’s Green Plan, 2022 – 2025. The Green Plan highlights UHB’s commitment to reduce emissions the Trust controls directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint) by 80% by 2032.
Business and Energy minister Lord Callanan said: "Installing low-carbon systems to heat our civic buildings will help to shield public sector organisations across the West Midlands from a costly reliance on fossil fuels, especially at a time of high global prices.
"From installing heat pumps in fire stations in Worcestershire to upgrading insulation in Birmingham’s hospitals, this funding will save West Midlands taxpayers money each year.
“We are making their public buildings cheaper to run, heat and cool."
The PSDS is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and has provided funding for public sector organisations across the country to implement decarbonisation measures and green projects.
The projects began in April 2022, and are expected to continue for up to two years.
