UHNM awarded £5 million grant to reduce carbon emissions

University Hospitals of North Midlands has been awarded a £5.4 million grant to reduce carbon emissions that are used to heat buildings, supporting the commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

The Decarbonisation Scheme grant from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures for four buildings at Royal Stoke University Hospital, helping UHNM to meet the national targets of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2028 and net zero by 2040.

The grant will be used to replace four large industrial boilers in the hospital’s energy centre with local Air Source Heat Pumps and replace gas fuelled steam production with local electrical generated steam.

The work will also future proof the site by supporting connectivity to the locally planned District Heat Network (geothermal) in Stoke-on-Trent, further reducing gas combustion and associated direct carbon emissions.

Louise Stockdale, Head of Transformation and Sustainability at UHNM, said: “Successful award of a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant is a monumental achievement for UHNM. This investment will enable the delivery of schemes that will significantly decarbonise the heating of the estate; by approximately 1,243 tonnes of direct CO₂ equivalent emissions.

“The replacement of gas fuelled heating systems with air source heat pumps and local electrical generated steam means that UHNM is progressing towards its mandated target reducing carbon emissions from heating NHS buildings.”

She added: “Climate change poses a major threat to people’s health and the planet and this grant award demonstrates that UHNM takes its role as an ‘anchor’ institution seriously – reducing carbon emissions improves local air quality and health for the local community. The schemes also remove some significant operational risks on site and future proof the estate for other projects.”