Manchester hospital aims higher as savings reach £470.000

Having slashed its energy consumption by 26 per cent in under five years the University Hospital of South Manchester in Wythenshawe is striving to cut another fifth before 2018.

Mark Foden, energy and environment manager, says this second five-year plan will focus on reducing electricity consumption. “This is a very tough target and the low-hanging fruit have all gone. But new technology is coming along.”

The process of introducing new technology has started with the purchase of seven transformers from Wilson Power Solutions Ltd.

The first two began operation in March 2013 with the others to be installed in the coming years. “The first two have already saved us £31,000 and the payback on all seven should be within four to five years.”

Lighting is also a target in the second phase. “We started with T5s and now we are moving on to LEDs,” reports Foden. “We shall also target replacing inefficient chillers.”

More efficient lighting, heat exchangers and building controls are just some of the improvements made in the first phase. In addition, the specialist cystic fibrosis centre is heated and cooled by a ground source heat pump (GSHP). Plus biomass boilers have replaced two of the hospital’s gas boilers that heat the building.

A second, smaller 200kW biomass boiler, which has been operating in the Cardiac Centre for three years makes the centre self sufficient in heating.

The savings made now reach £470,000 which can be returned to patient care, reports Foden. “They are mitigating the rising costs of energy and all the time our budgets are being squeezed.”

Foden believes that the NHS could pick up some lessons from UHSM. “I don’t think there are too many hospitals moving on to a second phase. But there is no reason why a lot of what we have done couldn’t be transferred to other hospitals.”