Innovation Exchange challenge: solutions to optimise energy and resource efficiency within hospitals
The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside Hull University Teaching hospitals in looking at technologies to fulfil their ambitions of going net zero carbon by 2030.
The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside Hull University Teaching hospitals in looking at technologies to fulfil their ambitions of going net zero carbon by 2030. This ambition would also look to make the hospital sites as energy independent as possible, so as to safeguard the patients’ health and comfort, and cause as little disruption as possible in the event that energy is not easily available in the national grid. The Board is looking for innovative partners to work alongside the sites in Hull to bring about the net zero ambitions and fulfil their strategy of being energy secure. This is a very broad challenge to find additional ideas to improve efficiencies and reduce resource losses such as heat, electricity, waste etc.
The Trust currently consumes approximately 30GW of electricity and 110GW of gas per annum. The Trust water consumption is 314 million litres of water a year. That is equivalent to 37,000 litres of water for each member of staff. The Trust generates over 2,000 tonnes of waste per year, split evenly between clinical and domestic waste.
Current sustainability approaches include:
- Ensure the provision of water-efficient appliances within new buildings
- Maintenance of existing buildings
- Work with contractors to reduce waste
- Educate staff on energy use, waste and recycling
- Explore on-site treatment of waste and water
- Borehole water supply
- Zero waste to landfill by 2025
- Plans for improved insulation
- Increased number of automatic meters
- On site renewable energy generation
- Upgrade of the BMS to trend vision and improved plant control
- Control Phase Cycle plant trailed at HRI
Some specific examples that have been implemented include:
- Replacement of 22,000 light fittings reducing electrical use by around 3,000,000kWh and saving in maintenance costs.
- Installation of 4 pipe heating and cooling system to supply five large block with heating and cooling. Optimising the system and retaining gas fired boiler plant as N+1 of leading to 1,000,000 reduction of gas consumption in 11 months.
For this challenge the Trust are open to explore ideas that might offer some benefit with a focus on energy, sustainability or lowering resource use with a sensible payback on investment as well as the offer of a demonstration and trial site to assist demonstrating new innovations.
We appreciate this challenge is very broad and would welcome ideas from any industry or sector. As per all challenges for HUTH, innovations must not impact on patient health or safety and cause minimal disruption to hospital operation in deployment or trial.
No and low costs solutions are requested. The Trust is keen to support new technologies and serve as a demonstrator site to enable proof of concept and evidence to be collected for future development and marketing purposes. The Trust would be willing to consider solutions that have potential pay backs of sub two years.
To find out more, and to see technical details and functional requirements, visit the Innovation Exchange site at the link below.