Hospital will become carbon neutral by 2040

A hospital said £20m spent on energy saving schemes would help it become carbon neutral by 2040.

Northampton General Hospital received the money from the Government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in March 2022 for a series of projects at its site.

The most recent work has been to replace the old steam system, install 3,500 LED lights and add more efficient motors that power its heating.

"All of the work we have done has enabled us to make progress towards our goals and made the hospital an environmentally friendly part of its local community," said Paul Shead, director of facilities and estates at the hospital.

Energy solution developer, Vital Energi, also teamed up with the hospital to replace its steam infrastructure, reducing the carbon footprint by about 3,445 tonnes a year.

Vital Energi account director, Steve Black, said the biggest challenge it faced was "de-steaming an acute hospital site whilst not impacting on patient services during our works".

"The trust will have a platform upon which it can build to make achieving net zero carbon a reality, rather than a just a target," he said.

Work started in April 2022 with installations completed by the end of March 2024 and all of the final snagging and commissioning completed early this year.

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