Harrogate District Hospital has been granted £14m in funding to carry out work aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the site by a quarter of its annual output.
As part of the funding, the hospital will look to install an air source heat pump, which extracts heat from the air which can then be used to provide heating and hot water across the site, to reduce the consumption of natural gas.
There will also be money spent on addressing long-standing backlog maintenance issues relating to the hospital building, such as repairing and replacing leaky flat roofs and old windows.
Photovoltaic solar panels will also be installed as part of the roofing replacement works.
These will provide the hospital with a sustainable green source for electricity and reduce the reliance of grid electricity.
The works will be carried out by the hospital’s estates and facilities subsidiary company, Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) in partnership with industry experts.
Alongside the environmental benefits the works will bring for the NHS hospital, local businesses are also anticipated to be involved in the construction phase of the project, helping to boost the local economy.
Jonathan Coulter, Chief Executive of Harrogate Integrated Facilities, said: “I know I speak for all Harrogate Integrated Facilities colleagues when I say how delighted we are to have received a grant of this size. It is brilliant news for us, everyone who works here and patients who access services here.
“We have a firm ambition to reduce the carbon footprint of Harrogate District Hospital by as much as possible, and as quickly as possible. The works that have been outlined above will set us significantly ahead of the required trajectory.”
Mark Chamberlain, Chairman of Harrogate Integrated Facilities, added: “This eight-figure grant is a really significant investment into Harrogate District Hospital. I’m so pleased we’ve been successful with our bid because it means we can deliver more savings in a faster timescale.”
HIF, on behalf of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust which runs Harrogate District Hospital, has in place a 25-year energy performance contract delivering guaranteed energy savings of approximately £680,000 per year.
The new £14m grant was awarded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) via its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Public sector bodies have to submit bids to the scheme. The scheme offers grant funding which aligns with BEIS’ new mission and priorities: fighting coronavirus, backing business, unleashing innovation and tackling climate change.
The scheme also encourages green investment, supporting the Government’s net zero and clean growth goals.
