Saving Energy – Optimising Heating

Review GP practice heating use

Identify current heating system fuel type and heating energy use (kWh). Ideally by month.  This information can be found on practice energy bills.

Energy efficiency recommendations

Review your practice’s EPC/DEC for recommendations to improve energy efficiency, including projected payback periods. EPC register – https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

Check heat efficiency and fabric of the building

• Checking current heat loss from rooms and the whole building can help determine if there are remedial actions needed.
• Is the building fabric suitably maintained e.g. correct levels of insulation? Check insulation levels, and number/types of windows and doors as all can affect heat loss.
• Ensure temperatures are appropriately regulated in the building. Ask staff where the cold spots are in the winter or over heated areas in the practice.

Discuss

Look at the energy bills and findings from steps 2 & 3 with your practice lead team.  Discuss and plan improvements (see below).

Outside help

You might like to team up with a local energy charity or company to have a professional energy audit done.  The financial savings can often be significant and repeated annually so could potentially cover the initial cost of the audit.

Remedy building fabric issues

• Improve insulation (floor, walls, loft) by taking simple steps such as using radiator backing and refreshing ceiling lagging and more extensive steps e.g. cavity wall insulation, under floor heating.
• Improve windows e.g. installing double or triple glazed windows if not currently used (where possible).
• Improve doors e.g. ensuring well-fitting doors, using draught excluders etc.

Energy saving and efficiency

• Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) are used by building owners, operators and end-users to improve the energy performance of buildings. This is achieved by providing users with measurement, recording, trending, and alarming capabilities and diagnosis of unnecessary energy use.
• If unable to install a BEMS, install heating timers.
• Reducing inappropriately wasted heat through correct temperature settings by room type. for example, radiators are turned down where possible e.g. corridors which have lower temperatures than clinical rooms.
• Replacing – Replace heating equipment with most energy efficient at the end of its life.

Electricity based heating

• Replacing – ‘Electrify when it dies’ mantra to replacing gas fired equipment e.g. heaters/boilers with electric versions e.g. Air Source or Air to Air Heat Pumps.
• Install an air source heat pump (ASHP) steps include such as reviewing (and possibly increasing) the capacity of the fuse board, swapping radiators to enable lower temperature flow rates and investing in insulation and building fabric to reduce heat loss.

Use renewable electricity for heating

• Purchasing 100% renewable electricity – See Switching Energy Provider project.
• Producing own renewables e.g. solar PV. The UK solar industry body is Solar Energy UK – https://solarenergyuk.org/.

Heating Plan

Tailor this Heating plan for your practice.

Behaviour Change Programme

• Advertise the plan and tips for energy saving to patients and staff using newsletters, posters, stickers, videos and incentives.
• Ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities.
• Provide regular reminders.
• Here is a Newsletter article on saving energy and helpful resources which can be adapted for patients and staff.

Monitor Heating Use

Keep an eye on the energy bills to see if use has reduced.  You might like to do occasional sweeps of the heating system e.g. radiators left on? Drafts?  Hot spots?

Study

Review the results, summarise learning, share with practice team + decide if any changes are needed to improve the process. Use the Project Monitoring form to keep track of the project and when it might need reviewing.