Trust wins funding for green energy projects

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded government funding for heat pumps and other energy projects to help reduce emissions from its estate.

The grant – worth £0.8m – has been provided by the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which has supported projects aimed at decarbonising public sector estates since 2020.

The scheme is delivered by Salix Finance and provides grants to public sector bodies to fund low carbon heating, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures such as heat pumps, solar panels and insulation.

Building energy makes up more than 40% of the NHS’s direct carbon footprint, with the health service aiming to reach net zero by 2040. Sixteen NHS trusts across the country were allocated a combined £150m, with the NHS winning more than a third of the funding available in the latest round of the scheme.

The grant handed to Mid Yorkshire will help to support the implementation of a range of energy initiatives that were submitted as part of the funding bid. This includes the installation of heat pumps, roof insulation and solar panels, together with upgrades to building energy management systems.

Peter Leighton-Jones, Head of Sustainability at Mid Yorkshire, said: 'Securing this grant from the Salix scheme is fantastic news and will enable us to make a significant step forward in reducing our carbon emissions. The conversion of these three buildings from natural gas to air source heat pumps will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but also help to catalyse a more sustainable future for our healthcare system as a whole.'

On the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Salix Finance Chief Executive Annie Shepperd OBE commented: 'There is a huge amount of passion and expertise in the green energy sector, and Salix is proud to be supporting the hundreds of decarbonisation projects that have been made possible through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Each one represents the best evidence of government and public bodies working together to achieve great things.'

Salix Director of Programmes Ian Rodger added: 'Every day the vital work that Salix does supporting the public sector’s energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects is driving down our carbon footprint and making public sector buildings better places for people to work in and for the public to use. We look forward to working with so many exciting new projects across the country as we start the next phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.'

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before being taken over by the newly-formed Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It aims to support the government’s commitment to reduce emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037, compared to 2017 levels, as first set out in the 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy.