Today we can announce that the Trust will receive up to £543,000 to aid us in decarbonising our Children’s Resource Centre at Darent Valley Hospital.
The funding, known as the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme 3B, allows trusts to receive decarbonisation funding provided they show value for money and direct carbon emission reductions, based on a cost per tonne of carbon saved over the life of the project.
The project has been designed to a “Fabric first” approach, where changes to the building are made to reduce heat loss before decarbonisation, so that energy use is minimised, as well as the size and capacity of new equipment.
By improving the wall insulation of the building, the Trust will be able to heat the centre with just over a third of the current energy. The project will also allow us to install just 80% of the current boiler capacity with low carbon heating, reducing the capital and running costs for the NHS.
The overall project will save over 83 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
Our Green Plan included an action to utilise low carbon technology alongside our existing equipment, and this project will serve as the test case for decarbonisation of the site. By securing this funding, the project is a great step forward in our goal to become Net Zero by 2040.
Combined with the rest of our Green Plan actions, the Trust is continuing on our journey to becoming a sustainable organisation, with oversight by our Sustainability Steering Group and on-site partners.