Correct sizing decisions key to success

However, as Mark Atkinson, the company’s operations manager, explains, it is only through specifying and designing the plant accurately that the correct load, and therefore the desired savings, can be realised. 

With cost and operational efficiency at the heart of any decision-making process, it is important to consider the viability of a significant energy generation change or solution. Before implementing a CHP solution for a hospital it is important to understand the factors, including maintenance, that make this type of solution suitable, and gain the maximum energy security, carbon, and energy cost benefits. 

Installing a combined heat and power plant is often regarded as the instant answer when it comes to reducing energy costs and improving carbon savings – particularly for hospitals that have ageing energy plant. This is because CHP plants make more efficient use of the primary fuel source than separate conventional measures. It means that, with the right balance of technical and financial conditions, a CHP can deliver significant environmental benefits and cost savings in the region of 20-30%. In addition, when the plant is accredited under the CHP Quality Assurance Programme, there are other financial incentives that can reduce tax liabilities.