Steve Heape, chair of IHEEM’s Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Panel, speaks with Andy Yates of the Carbon and Energy Fund and Rob Hilliard of Vital Energi, drawing on their substantial experience delivering energy, mechanical, and Net Zero infrastructure in operational NHS environments. Together, they explore what trusts can – and should – be doing to prepare existing estates for low-carbon heat technologies, including how early estate preparation and critical backlog investment can be aligned to make future Net Zero solutions deliverable, affordable, and resilient.
As the NHS accelerates its journey towards Net Zero, low-carbon heat technologies are no longer theoretical. Heat pumps, geothermal systems, and low-carbon energy centres now feature regularly in board papers, capital plans, and strategic discussions. Yet those involved in delivering these schemes are increasingly clear about one thing: the success or failure of low-carbon heat rarely hinges on the technology itself.
Instead, it is the condition — and readiness — of the existing estate that determines whether projects succeed, stall, or quietly unravel once the operational realities of live hospitals come into play.
"People tend to focus on the technology," says Andy Yates, "but the reality is that low-carbon heat will only ever perform as well as the system you're connecting it to."
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