Dublin hospital targets energy efficiency

Opened in 1998, Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) is located in County Dublin. The facility has around 3,000 staff and serves as a teaching hospital for Trinity College Dublin. At the time of construction, it was one of the largest capital investments in healthcare ever undertaken by the Irish state and has 562 beds, 12 operating theatres and 14 critical care beds.

As part of wider plans to ensure the most efficient energy sourcing and usage, the hospital has decided to upgrade ageing infrastructure and replace obsolete equipment, improving resilience in the process.

Fortuitous timing

Following a competitive tendering process through the Carbon and Energy Fund project framework, TUH agreed on a new 15-year energy performance contract with Centrica Business Solutions.

TUH’s Director of Facilities and Estates, Ciaran Faughnan, explains: “We are acutely aware of our level of energy consumption and the subsequent impact on the environment. The timing of this contract is fortuitous.”

The contract includes an upgraded heating network, incorporating a combined heat and power (CHP) system, replacement of heating pumps, steam boilers and autoclaves, and importantly, an upgraded Building Energy Management System to manage the installed mechanical equipment on site. Other measures include the replacement of more than 5,000 lights across the campus and refurbishment of ageing theatre air handling units, along with the upgrade of other air handling unit fans with high efficiency versions, all contributing to ensure the best outcomes for efficiency and resilience.

“This aligns to the Centrica Business Solutions strategy for supporting healthcare in becoming more energy efficient and to decarbonise,” says Justin Jacober, Managing Director at Centrica Business Solutions UK & Ireland: “The Centrica Business Solutions team is delivering on its long-term relationship with Tallaght University Hospital to support its ambitions with this contract and beyond, to offer sustainable healthcare services. We are very enthusiastic about this partnership and as a business are fully committed to make a positive impact for TUH and the Irish healthcare sector.”

Technical overview

A 1.5MWe combined heat and power unit delivers substantial energy savings, complemented by a new high efficiency boiler and an extended low-temperature hot water network, bespoke valve and pipe insulation jackets to reduce heat loss across the site. New electrical steam generators have been installed to assist with sterilisation of surgical equipment, removing the old inefficient gas fired steam boilers that served the Hospital Sterile Services Department (HSSD). Over 5,000 lights have been replaced with LED units, and a new dedicated site-wide fibre optic network has been installed.

Eight air-handling units serving the hospitals operating theatres have been upgraded, and fans replaced in others. Some 51 water pumps have been replaced with highly efficient variable-speed drive units.

Customer results

The contract guarantees an annual saving of nearly €1 million in energy expenditure, that will be reinvested into the hospital to enable these critical infrastructure upgrades. Overall, the scheme provides for a 70% drop in the need for grid supplied electricity, a 20% saving on electrical consumption and a 26% reduction in carbon consumption. It is therefore set to deliver improvements in TUH’s carbon footprint and drive for sustainability.

Speaking on behalf of the Carbon & Energy Fund Ireland (CEFI), Director Edel Wyse has congratulated the team on achieving this milestone, adding: “Progressing TUH’s ambitious energy and carbon reduction strategy would not have been possible without the dedicated and cohesive Project Management Team. It’s been a pleasure to work with a hospital as progressive as TUH who, through the CEFI Membership, embraced innovation to improve its resilience, save money and reduce its carbon emissions.”

Shane Minehane, Head of Commercial Operations, Centrica Business Solutions Ireland, says: “We are conscious that healthcare is an energy-intensive sector, delivering round-the-clock critical services. This requires unique and innovative solutions to deliver decarbonisation and resilience improvements. The leadership being shown by TUH to embrace this challenge is an inspiration for the sector.”

“Centrica Business Solutions are delighted to be working with Tallaght University Hospital, as their energy partner of choice, to deliver a multi tech project to support the trust’s requirement as well as move forward on their sustainability ambitions.”

Ciaran Faughnan, TUH’s Director of Facilities and Estates, concludes: “The hospital is over 20 years old with an ageing infrastructure that needs significant investment as equipment becomes obsolete. These updates will be reducing our carbon footprint at the same time and ensuring we are using the most efficient means of energy for an increasingly busy and enlarged campus.”