More Hull health centres go green

Hull’s health estate is becoming one of the greenest in the country, thanks to hundreds of new photovoltaic panels being installed on health centre roofs across the city.

Newington Health Centre on Anlaby Road, and Alexandra Health Centre located just off Beverley Road, have both had panels installed this month, which will convert sunlight into energy to provide power for everything from lights and heating to medication fridges.

The photovoltaic panels will provide nearly all the health centres’ energy needs, even being able to feed back into the energy grid on sunny days. This will save the NHS around £18,000 a year in energy costs across the two centres, and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking over 500 long haul flights over the panels’ lifetime.

The installation of the photovoltaic panels is funded by NHS company Community Health Partnerships (CHP), with the installation carried out by Hull-based electrical contractors N&P and managed by Sewell Facilities Management.

And following a recent announcement of additional funding from CHP, three more health centres across the city will also have photovoltaic panels fitted later this year.

Alan Land, Head of Technical Services at CHP, said: “CHP is continuing our collaboration with Citycare to deliver successful sustainability projects, by expanding photovoltaic technology across our LIFT buildings, we are reducing carbon emissions and helping futureproof NHS facilities.

“Generating clean, onsite electricity also saves thousands of pounds that can be reinvested by our tenants into patient care. These improvements support the NHS’s journey to net zero while making our buildings more efficient and resilient.

Tim Wigglesworth, Chief Executive of Hull Citycare, who own and manage the health centres, said: “Given the rising costs of energy and the NHS’s own net zero goals, it’s essential that medical facilities across the country do everything they can to generate energy sustainably and reduce the amount of carbon they emit.

“We’re delighted to be paving the way for sustainable health here in Hull, and we hope the work in the city will demonstrate to other health facilities across the country that investing in the sustainability of their health estate can have considerable benefits for the environment, as well as providing savings on energy bills that can then be spent on improving patient care.”

The installation of photovoltaic panels at Newington and Alexandra Health Centres follows the trial last year of panels at Marfleet Health Centre in East Hull. This proved a huge success, generating over 55,000 kWh of power since their installation in April, which provided enough electricity for over 40% of the health centre’s energy needs. On sunny days, the panels were able to generate all of the centre’s energy needs, and were then able to export extra power, feeding over 23,000kWh back to the grid in the last year.

These aren’t the only sustainability measures that are improving the health estate in Hull. In 2023, Hull’s 13 health centres managed by Hull Citycare had all their traditional light fittings replaced by energy-efficient LEDs, saving thousands of pounds a year on energy bills, and using 25% less energy.

Over the coming year, all these health centres will also be fitted with voltage optimisers, to further reduce energy consumption.