Goole and District Hospital is one of 3 hospitals that form Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. Opened in 1988, it is home to the Goole neuro-rehabilitation centre, which treats patients with brain injuries and other neurological conditions from across the country.

The ambitious Modern Energy Partners (MEP) innovation programme set out to reduce the site’s emissions and achieve at least 50% carbon emission reduction by 2032 (against a 2017 baseline) in line with the governments’ decarbonisation targets.

In 2019, the site had an annual energy consumption of 7.5GWh and an energy bill of circa £350,000. MEP developed a decarbonisation plan for the site that demonstrated how a £2.8m investment could decarbonise the site by 66%.

As part of the plan, the first no regret measures were implemented between March and December 2021, including:

Key facts

• Removal of existing coal fired boilers
• New, fully integrated Building Management System
• Improved hot water distribution system with plate heat exchangers
• Energy efficient LED lighting installed across site
• Building fabric upgrades – Cavity wall and loft insulation
• Estimated savings of £250,000 and 1,387 tCO2e per annum for the hospital
• A reduction in energy usage of 3.8 Gigawatt hours on site (9% of annual usage) 3.45 GWh per annum (45%).

Warm Home Prescription is a service invented by Energy Systems Catapult and was trialled across England and Scotland in 2021-22, helping people who struggle to afford energy and have severe health conditions made worse by the cold. The service allows them to stay warm and well at home, and out of hospital in winter whilst reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of their home.

This trial aimed to determine how providing a low carbon warm home can improve people’s health and reduce their use of the health service, saving the NHS money overall and easing pressure on frontline staff. A warm and healthy home must be central to any consumer-centred vision we have for changing how people use energy in their home as we move towards a smart, flexible Net Zero energy system.

The trial overwhelmingly demonstrated the value of WHP to vulnerable and low-income individuals, with more than 4 out of 5 recipients heating their homes to warmer temperatures than in previous years. 51% of WHP recipients heated their homes to a much warmer temperature than before by at least 2 degrees.

During the trial, the health and wellbeing of individuals improved significantly owing to a warmer home:

• 79% of recipients found it had a positive impact on their physical health,
• 70% said that it improved their mental health.
• Overall, 98% of WHP recipients would take part in the project again, with 93% placing greater importance on the need to stay warm in their homes.

Delivery staff on the project were satisfied with their experience, with 94% of healthcare professionals and 77% energy advisors reporting their satisfaction. Overall 93% of delivery staff would like to see WHP offered again during the winter. Benefits cited for this include:

• Reducing cost pressures on the NHS and freeing up beds in hospitals
• Proactively helping vulnerable people through the winter
• Reducing financial pressures for vulnerable and low income households
• Helping people to feel adequately warm and comfortable in their homes

Sheffield Hallam University has carried out an independent Impact and Value for Money assessment of Energy Systems Catapult’s Warm Home Prescription (WHP) project. It has been produced by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University.