Modern Building Services

14 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES FEBRUARY 2023 FEATURE VERTICAL FOCUS D riven by the need to respond to climate change, the challenges to our energy supplies, and the mission of the NHS to improve our health and wellbeing, hospitals are rising to those challenges. Innovations that make heating more efficient, more sustainable, and healthier are being adopted in hospitals across the country. In 2000 the NHS became the first health service in theworld to commit to reaching Net Zero Carbon emissions. Back then, setting that target was praised an important goal. In the last year, thewar in Ukraine has given countries and companies around theworld a powerful reason to change theway they use energy. Not just to becomemore sustainable but to bemore resilient. As the NHS accounts for about 4% of national greenhouse gas emissions, that target will make a meaningful contribution to decarbonizing the whole of the UK. Last summer the NHS went further, and became the first health service to have its Net Zero goal enshrined in law. By 2040, the NHS is committed to removing net emissions from the sources they control – with an interim goal of achieving 80% reduction in emissions by 2032. To achieve these objectives, the NHS has embarked on an ambitious programme that covers everything from improving building fabrics to replacing older lighting with LEDs. But the biggest contributor to achieving its Net Zero goals will need to come fromdecarbonizing heat. Emissions from hot water and space heating systems reportedly account for 80% of direct greenhouse gas emissions from the NHS. Not surprising, given the amount of heat necessary for everything in hospitals from keeping patients comfortable to sterilization of instruments. At the time they were installed, gas boilers certainly represented an improvement that was both healthier and more efficient than previous solutions. Hospital incinerators used to provide heat that could in some cases be reclaimed. But gas boilers, in addition to being a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, also create about 20% of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions in the UK. NOx pollution has been shown to have significant impacts that increase the incidence of respiratory conditions. The need for greater efficiency, lower emissions, and healthier air quality, while still getting the heat and hot water needed for hospital operations, is leading to the widespread adoption of electrified Thermal Management Systems; innovative heat pump technology that can provide heating and cooling simultaneously, or heating or cooling autonomously. Unlike a gas boiler, which burns fossil fuel to generate the reaction necessary to heat water to 100 degrees or more to provide heat and hot water, electric Thermal Management Systems offer a much better solution. The heat pump technology extracts latent heat or transfers latent energy from either the ground or the air in a clean, highly efficient process. Planned new hospitals are being designed with these modern heating systems built in from the start. Many existing facilities are retrofitting heat pumps to replace ageing boilers. Given the variety of hospitals around the country, one size does not fit all, and different solutions can help to fulfil their particular needs. One NHS hospital replaced an existing 2,500kW LPHW boiler with an 80°C heat pump system. They reduced CO2 emissions by 1,300 tons per year. Another hospital in amajor city replaced a 1,000kWsteamboiler with a 120°C heat pump system, reducing CO2 emissions each year by 550 tons. Ross Giles , UK Equipment Leader at Trane, discusses the profound change in the way that hospitals manage their requirements for heating and cooling. Decarbonizing hospitals is a challenge, but solutions and support are at hand