Hospitals cut emissions with new insulation

Hull Royal Infirmary

City hospitals are being upgraded to make them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is putting the finishing touches to the major upgrade, fitting special roof insulation to buildings at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

The work is part of the trust’s Zero Thirty campaign and its plan to reduce emissions by 1,000 tonnes this autumn.

As well as the insulation of existing buildings, the trust is also working with Yorkshire company Enhabit to design a specification for external wall insulation and windows to ensure all new buildings have improved airtightness and are as energy efficient as possible.

Marc Beaumont, head of sustainability at the trust, said: “One of the difficulties the NHS faces is making our existing building stock as efficient as possible. Here in Hull, we have buildings dating back to the 1960s, so it is a massive challenge.

“Knocking them all down and starting again isn’t possible and would result in more emissions so we have to find ways of bringing these buildings up to our current standards.

“As well as coming up with workable and practical solutions to insulate our existing buildings to make them more energy efficient, we’re ensuring everything we build upholds our ethos to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Funding for the project has been possible after the trust received a £12.6m grant from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Examples of some of the buildings being retrofitted with better roof insulation include Breast Care, the Centenary building, and Nightingales, the staff restaurant at Castle Hill. The Tulley Building and the Therapies Centre at Hull Royal Infirmary have also been improved.

Better insulation is expected to save the trust around 15 per cent in energy usage, preventing heat escaping from the roof into the atmosphere and improving the comfort of buildings. It is part of the work already under way to cut building emissions in half by 2028.

As well as better insulation and improved airtightness in its buildings, the trust is also fitting a management system to operate lighting and heating in its buildings, reducing energy usage across the trust.