UNIVERSITY Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) has been awarded £1.2-million towards energy efficiency projects and renewable energy.

In total £549,167 was awarded for a solar power project in Plymouth, thanks to funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The funding is part of a package of £100-million from Great British Energy for the NHS to install renewable solutions to help drive down energy bills. University Hospitals Plymouth is one of 78 trusts to be awarded funding.

In addition, the Trust has been awarded £637,000 for LED lighting and solar projects from the NHS National Energy Efficiency fund and £24,000 from the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme which is crucial to identify energy opportunities for the long-term decarbonisation of the estate.

The £1.2-million investment provided will enable the installation of approximately 2200 LED lights and 1400 solar panels across the UHP estate. It is estimated the projects at Derriford Hospital will reduce energy consumption equivalent to the electricity consumed on average by 435 households per year.

Sarah Brampton, deputy chief executive and chief finance officer at UHP, said: “As the major trauma centre for the peninsula, UHP is a large acute trust with over 900 inpatient beds and over 650,000 outpatient appointments last year.

“When you consider heating, lighting, all of the specialist equipment, theatres, and 10,000 staff, it goes without saying that the energy consumption and costs across our estates are significant.

“These successful grant applications for green energy will help our ambition as part of our green plan to increase onsite renewable sources, including installing solar and LED lighting across the estate by 2032.”

Investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other carbon reduction measures as per UHP’s Green Plan commitments will save up to approximately £2-million per year allowing costs to be redirected into front line care.