Committed to cutting carbon

With the NHS in England responsible for emitting approximately 3.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year from its buildings alone and facing an annual energy bill in excess of £400M, the need for Trusts to take steps to reduce energy use and cut their carbon emissions - the main cause of climate change - has never been greater.
    
The financial, environmental and legislative imperatives to cut carbon are clear. The Department of Health has set targets for the NHS to reduce its carbon emissions by 15 per cent by 2010, and with regulation from the EU ETS and Energy Performance in Buildings Directive now in place, reducing carbon emissions and capturing cost savings must be a priority for all Trusts.

Cutting carbon and cash
In addition, as a publicly funded body, the NHS has a responsibility to deliver the best value for tax-payers’ money, and cutting their energy bill can be one way of ensuring they achieve this. Implementing good carbon management at every level of their organisation - and therefore reducing their energy use and spend - will enable Trusts to save money, releasing important funds that can be better used elsewhere.  
    
Organisations in this sector must lead by example – inaction simply isn’t an option. To help NHS Trusts take control of their carbon footprint, the Carbon Trust - a private company set up by government to accelerate the UK’s move to a low carbon economy - runs a bespoke programme. Launched in October 2006, the NHS Carbon Management (NHS CM) programme enables Trusts to assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a robust strategy to help them drastically reduce their carbon emissions over a 5-10 year period. The Trusts will also benefit from significant cost savings as their energy bills could fall by around 20 per cent.

Phase three
The third phase of the NHS CM programme was launched in May 2008. 18 NHS Trusts from across England and Scotland joined the programme, bringing the total number of participants up to 48. The phase three participants are subsequently set to cut their collective carbon footprints by 60,000 tonnes and energy costs by £7 million. So far, the Carbon Trust has helped NHS Trusts identify annual savings of more than £14 million and 125,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
    
Programme participants are provided with practical support to integrate carbon management into their organisation’s infrastructure at all levels, helping them overcome the obstacles that can get in the way of improving energy management, such as lack of resource and finance. The Trusts are taken through a five-step Carbon Management process to set up a team, measure their carbon footprint, identify reduction opportunities and formulate and then implement their plans.
    
In addition, the programme assists organisations with a range of tasks including project management, stakeholder communication, data gathering, opportunity assessment and business case development. It also facilitates the sharing of knowledge and expertise among participants, ensuring NHS Trusts find the right low carbon, low cost solution for them.

Getting started
The initiative requires significant commitment from NHS Trusts that wish to apply – and is most suitable for mid to large hospitals. The Carbon Trust’s initial assessment, advice and support - including analysis and training - is free of charge, but the organisation’s project leader is required to devote at least two days a week to the programme’s implementation during its ten month duration. Initial capital investment may also be needed to replace existing infrastructure with more energy efficient models.
    
To participate in the programme, the Carbon Trust asks the organisation to nominate two key individuals, a project leader to coordinate the progress over the five-step process and a project sponsor, to champion the team’s work and facilitate the programme at the Trust Board. This approach ensures key departments are fully engaged with the aims of the programme.

The Carbon Trust’s NHS Network
Sharing energy efficiency best practice within the sector is vital, and the Carbon Trust’s NHS Network gives energy managers and estate managers the opportunity to do this with colleagues across NHS organisations.  The network is free for NHS managers working on energy/carbon issues. Members can search for messages by specific topics and learn and build from what others have already done. Managers can sign up for the NHS network at nhsnetwork.carbontrust.co.uk.  For NHS managers that want to get started today, the Carbon Trust also offers a range of services, including carbon surveys, and advice on no cost and low cost ways to cut energy use via its free advice line 0800 085 2005 and website: www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy. 

For more information
More information on the NHS Carbon Management programme is available at www.carbontrust.co.uk/nhs.  The third phase of the programme will run until March 2009. Any NHS Trust that would like to be considered for the fourth phase of the programme should contact the Carbon Trust by emailing: publicsector@carbontrust.co.uk.