All NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts are invited to bid for a share of the £46m energy funding announced last week by NHS Improvement to accelerate the adoption of light emitting diode (LED) lighting in hospitals.
The NHS spends over £540 million annually on energy. Interventions, such as smart LED lighting, offer the opportunity not only to reduce this spend but also to improve the environment for patients and staff, and to reduce related carbon emissions. In many cases, investment in infrastructure will also reduce backlog maintenance risk for Trusts. With investment in energy-efficiency projects, NHS Improvement believes this could drop by as much as 10% over the next 36 months as it would enable capital investment to flow into spend-to-save programmes.
Other specific interventions include on-site power generation - such as combined heat and power (CHP) - energy optimisation in operating theatres, building management system controls, and heating and ventilation control upgrades.
NHS Improvement has considered the range of energy conservation measures available and identified energy-efficient LED lighting as the most effective solution to deliver savings within the required timescales. Its benefits include a 5-20% reduction in electricity use and potential carbon savings of up to 45%. In addition, Trusts can expect to see reduced ongoing maintenance costs and improved patient and staff experience from a better quality of lighting.
The return on investment in LED lighting projects is already proven. For example, an investment of £96,000 at King's College Hospital has been returned in 4.8 years and lifetime savings of £262,000 are projected. In spite of this, Trusts that may be keen to implement projects report that requests for financial support to do so are often not prioritised in local capital allocation processes.
Trusts seeking to reduce energy expenditure and carbon impact are urged to take full advantage of this opportunity. Allocation will be prioritised for those demonstrating the greatest potential and need. Applications will be assessed by the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund Programme Delivery Board. For assessment criteria, conditions and how to apply please click here. There is also a webinar scheduled for October 29 to provide more information about the application process.
The deadline for applications for this funding is November 30, 2018.
For more on energy-efficiency see the first of our reports from HEFMA's recent Roundtable, in association with Centrica, to be published in the November/December issue of HEFMA Pulse Magazine.
