Airedale General Hospital in West Yorkshire undertook an energy transformation programme to reduce its carbon footprint as part of the government-driven CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC).
The hospital updated its energy centre to include Viessmann low temperature gas boilers and a CHP unit. Installed by Vital Energi, the new system is led by a 90 kWel 840 kWth CHP unit, controlled by a management system, which ensures high run hours, achieving high efficiency and low maintenance, and delivering 80˚C as a minimum flow temperature.
Three Viessmann low temperature gas boilers – a 3 MW Vitomax, a 2.5 MW Vitomax, and a 560 kW Vitoplex – are used as back-up. Three low temperature heat exchangers integrate the system with the Vitomax and Vitoplex boilers, along with an inverter driver which monitors pressure. The boilers’ integration with existing pipework resulted in less downtime during the phased replacement process.
David Moss, assistant director of estates at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new infrastructure is a more energy-efficient way of heating the hospital; we are taking advantage of advances in technology to provide a better environment for our staff and patients. The latest installations are expected to save around £500,000 a year before capital repayment, which will be reinvested in improving services.“
