Heat pumps in healthcare are the catalysis for a net-zero NHS

Paul Burnett, MD and Co-Founder at Asset+, a Johnson Controls Company, explores how UK healthcare can benefit from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and the efficiency, sustainability, and financial gains of moving to heat pumps in healthcare

Much of the blame for the UK’s carbon emissions is often put on transport, industry, and residential buildings. Although these are some of the biggest culprits for catapulting us towards climate change, the healthcare sector can be overlooked as one of the nation’s biggest emitters.

The British Medical Association reports that the NHS produces 4-5% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, with NHS England responsible for 40% of public sector emissions.¹ Reducing the healthcare sector’s carbon footprint will play a critical role in the country’s move towards a greener future, and the NHS’ ambition to become the world’s first net-zero national health service.

However, with hospital trusts dealing with strikes, inflation, and overstretched services, it can be difficult to push energy efficiency to the top of the agenda. The NHS must take advantage of government grants, move from gas boilers to heat pumps in healthcare, and work with trusted efficiency partners to achieve their net-zero goals.

About the Public sector Decarbonisation Scheme

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) is a government grant programme to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures for public sector bodies.

With an ambitious goal of reducing public sector building emissions by 75% by 2037 compared to 2017 figures, the next phase of PSDS grants is set to open for applications this autumn.

Although there has been some success for healthcare bodies in the first phases of the scheme, with NHS Trusts such as Mid Yorkshire Hospitals, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and North Bristol winning funding, the main recipients of grants so far sit within education, councils, and government bodies.

As organisations need to apply to the scheme with a proposed decarbonisation project to win funding, success hinges on the knowledge of internal staff or partnerships with external experts.

Heat pumps in healthcare: An efficient solution

Part L of Building Regulations state that non-domestic buildings should be moving to low-carbon heat sources – and heat pumps are the most efficient solution.

The upcoming ban on gas boilers may not necessarily be enough for healthcare organisations to make the move to heat pumps.

However, government incentives and education on this technology’s efficiency, sustainability, and financial benefits will be more likely to drive widespread adoption.

Heat pumps don’t burn fuel to create heat like a traditional gas boiler. They can be used as a primary source of generation, with their energy coming from renewable sources.

Now able to work at higher temperatures, heat pumps are a great option for healthcare settings where there is a high demand for hot water at peak times.

Due to the nature of heat pumps transferring heat rather than generating it, they can prove up to four times more efficient than traditional boilers, boasting an efficiency of 300-400%².

Why use heat pumps? What are the benefits?

Heat pumps offer a wide range of efficiency, sustainability, and financial benefits to healthcare sites. Working smarter by building an optimised and integrated energy infrastructure will boost efficiency and reduce dependence on unsustainable energy sources.

When external temperatures vary so much, ‘wasted’ energy can be reused by integrating both heat pumps and chiller systems. When there is a simultaneous demand for heating or hot water and cooling, the heat rejected from the cooling process can be extracted and reused for the heating process. This results in efficiency gains and additional energy savings.

For maximum efficiency, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) come into play with model predictive control. Using the building’s data, AI and ML can assess the energy conversion rate for each element of the building and recommend new opportunities for optimisation.

As for sustainability, heat pumps in healthcare will help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and decarbonise heating.

According to the Carbon Trust,³ heat pumps have the potential to deliver CO2 savings of up to 70% compared to conventional electric heating, and up to 65% compared to an A-rated gas boiler.

Heat pumps offer long-term cost and maintenance savings compared with traditional boilers, and make it easier to monitor, track and reduce energy for continued savings.

Trusted energy efficiency partners

Introducing heat pumps in healthcare will allow services to improve efficiencies, drive down costs, and remain on track for carbon neutrality. However, many trusts simply don’t know where to start or how to manage the new complexities of heat pumps.

Working with energy efficiency partners that audit current operations, consult on how sites can decarbonise, and advise on how to capitalise on new energy and cost savings will be vital. By choosing a reputable partner, trusts can implement systems across a whole suite of different buildings with varying needs and set a new standard through people, technology, and processes.

Choosing which heat pump model is right for a building is not a straightforward decision. The overall economic case, operator needs, health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements and external factors must be considered.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing which heat pump is right for a site, and hospitals need to work with a partner that can deliver the most efficient solution based on these factors.

The best partners will design and install heat pumps based on the business and building needs, providing the highest value in terms of cost and efficiency.

For instance, when Hounslow Council partnered with Johnson Controls to decarbonise schools and public buildings as part of the PSDS, carbon emissions and energy costs both dropped by 50%⁵.

A key part of the project was the switch from gas boilers to air-source heat pumps, and to date, the council has saved over 17 million kWh of energy across its corporate and school sites, equating to over 3,000 tonnes of carbon.

When NHS Trusts access government funding and find the right energy efficiency partner, the efficiency, sustainability, and financial benefits are endless. A move from gas boilers to heat pumps will create a more sustainable healthcare sector and will be the catalyst for a net-zero NHS.

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