Greener hospital to fend off energy costs

SOARING energy bills are set to impact a number of businesses across the borough – but Barnsley Hospital is hoping to mitigate the rise in a number of ways.

Some NHS trusts will have to find almost £2m extra a month this winter because their bills will be almost three times higher than last year’s.

Greater than expected inflation and rising costs for gas and electricity is ‘wiping out large parts of the NHS budget’ according to the NHS Confederation.

Rory Deighton, senior acute lead at the NHS Confederation, said: “This isn’t an abstract problem, as the gap in funding from rising inflation will either have to be made up by fewer staff being employed, longer waiting times for care, or other areas of patient care being cut back.”

It’s hoped Barnsley Hospital will be able to combat the rising costs through a variety of means.

Rob McCubbin, operations director for Barnsley Facilitiy Services, told the Chronicle: “We are mitigating rising energy bills with various measures such as our recent LED lighting project.

“This involved replacing fluorescent light fittings across the hospital with LEDs which automatically switch off. This is just one example of the ways we are always looking to reduce energy consumption as well as our impact on the environment.”

The trust recently received multi-million pound funding to swap out old gas boilers for new air source heat pumps in an effort to increase the site’s green energy credentials.

The hospital will benefit from the government’s public sector decarbonisation fund through which billions have been handed out as part of a campaign to not only reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions in public buildings, but save taxpayers an estimated £650m by 2037.

Barnsley Hospital have received £3.729m from the fund – the fourth-highest sum in Yorkshire and the Humber – from the third phase of the scheme.

The first two phases saw a combined £1.075bn issued, with the latest round of grant funding totalling £1.425bn.

As well as air source heat pumps – which, rather than generate heat directly, transfer warmth from the air outside into a refrigerant gas that provides heating or hot water – Barnsley Hospital will also see new highly-insulated roofs and energy management systems.

Bosses also launched an ambitious new ‘green plan’ which sets out proposals for becoming carbon net zero by 2040, which has seen new recycling bins installed, as well as new reusable surgical masks, gowns and caps, and paperless prescribing become the preferred option.

The average Barnsley household will now spend up to £2,500 on energy bills every year following new Prime Minister Liz Truss’ capping announcement yesterday.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures show the average household in the town used around 2,677 kWh of electricity and more than 12,400 kWh of gas in 2020.

At current prices, it means residents will be paying on average £1,880 per year on their bills.

Price caps however are much higher for businesses, and hospitals across the country are set to face massive bill hikes.

They will be capped for six months before a review.