NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has announced two new energy contracts via Inspired Energy that will see British Gas provide 100% renewable electricity and Corona provide natural gas to its properties across the England by April 2020.
NHSPS is responsible for around 11% of the NHS estate, totalling more than 34 million sqft, with over 3,500 properties and 5,000 employees,
By moving to 100% renewable electricity, NHSPS will offset over 40,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, as part of its efforts to tackle climate change while promoting sustainable practices with all its buildings.
The use of renewable electricity won’t increase costs to either NHSPS tenants or NHSPS itself. With the implementation of a new procurement strategy, as part of the new contracts, NHSPS claims it will be able to deliver some of the best prices in the market, while managing risk and maintaining budget certainty.
The move follows the launch of the ‘For a greener NHS’ campaign and forms part of NHSPS helping to transform the NHS estate so that it can provide sustainably run buildings that help to deliver excellent patient care.
The NHS is currently responsible for around 4-5% of the UK’s carbon footprint. In September 2019, Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said the NHS would be accelerating its efforts to tackle climate change with a series of co-ordinated measures to reduce its carbon output – saying that the health service should also embolden staff to lead discussions with the public about wider measures needed to address climate change.
As well as switching to 100% renewable electricity by April 2020, NHSPS is also committing £1.5m in 2019/20 towards an LED upgrade programme, among other measures.
Commenting on the deal, Martin Steele, chief operating officer at NHS Property Services, said, “Switching to 100% renewable electricity for all our buildings is a landmark moment in efforts to transform our NHS portfolio into a sustainable estate. We take our responsibility towards reducing the environmental impact of our buildings very seriously. This move will also help us to improve the wellbeing of our people and patients whilst reducing NHS operating and maintenance costs.”