NHS Improvement £46 Million Sustainability Initiative Announced

NHS Improvement has announced the release of £46 million for NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts in England. This exciting opportunity will focus on the utilisation of Public Dividend Capital (PDC) towards the installation of new LED lighting across estates to drive direct energy efficiency in the NHS.

The NHS Energy Efficiency Fund (NEEF) provides funding towards the investment in infrastructure, to drive down wasted energy as well as save money on energy bills and to lower carbon emissions. With this new funding NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts have the potential to gain multiple benefits involving improved environment for patients and staff alike, providing better quality lighting as well as financial and carbon emission savings from the installation of new lighting. For instance, 35 NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts have utilised £8.8m of Salix funding to upgrade their lighting infrastructure to LED thereby saving approximately £2m annually in costs on their energy bills and a total saving of £41m over the lifetime of the lighting upgrades. Additional financial savings gained from LED installations include a reduction in maintenance costs, helping to reduce backlog maintenance for the NHS, and allowing finances to be redirected towards front line services.

Applications for NEEF should be submitted through the NHS Improvement Estates and Facilities Collaboration Hub. The deadline for applications is 12 pm 30th November 2018. Please follow NHS Improvement’s guidance here for additional information.