Award success for Spire Healthcare and Inenco

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Exceeding targets and leading the healthcare sector through an ambitious decarbonisation strategy

The healthcare sector, and hospitals, in particular, are extremely energy-intensive consumers. This is due to a number of factors, including the fact that they’re complex, highly controlled environments.

But this also means that the sector has a huge opportunity to play a pivotal role in helping the UK on its journey to net zero.
Spire Healthcare is the second largest provider of private healthcare in the UK, with a considerable estate portfolio of 39 hospitals and 8 clinics across the UK. As part of their vision to be a sector leader in carbon reduction and their commitment to mitigating climate change, Spire Healthcare has worked towards achieving various emission reduction targets over the years. In 2020 they sought the services and support of Inenco in setting their most ambitious target yet, backing this up with a phased plan and guiding them through this journey.

Working in partnership we developed a robust, holistic decarbonisation strategy with a challenging net zero target of 2030, aligned to science-based targets, and a clear roadmap with annual reduction targets to ensure this goal is achieved.

Starting the journey

At the beginning of this relationship, Inenco’s team of Solutions experts developed a range of scenario-based reviews and examined sample data. This was then used to equip the Spire Healthcare team with the knowledge and advice needed to make an informed decision on their next reduction target, and the methods of achieving this that best fit their business and strategic priorities.
Through a collaborative effort, guided by Inenco’s extensive understanding of carbon reduction and energy efficiency, Inenco and Spire Healthcare developed a long-term decarbonisation strategy incorporating staggered year-on-year targets.

Foundations of the decarbonisation strategy

The core elements that make up the strategy are twofold: focusing on the technical and engineering activity that needs to take place as well as a programme of carbon reduction awareness initiatives and education.

The upfront activity concentrates on delivering the best ROI and carbon reductions in the short-term, laying a clear foundation for longer-term sustainable improvements

Engineering: this includes activities such as using data and reporting to identify energy wastage and opportunities, procuring zero-carbon electricity, replacing gas-driven autoclaves with electric-driven ones and chiller heat recovery.

Education: this activity is focused on using data to drive behavioural change, creating sustainability advocates and raising energy awareness within teams through upskilling and equipping ‘Carbon Champions’ with relevant knowledge and delivering energy/environmental campaigns.

A Carbon Champion, trained by the Inenco Solutions team, is now in place across each site with a speciﬁc local action plan dedicated to addressing their particular challenges.

Success to date

Through a combination of; Carbon Champion workshops, localised plans, data-driven efficiencies, energy procurement and innovative solutions, Inenco has played an instrumental role in helping Spire Healthcare to exceed its first-year carbon reduction target.

Exceeded carbon reduction target by 1,600tCO2e or 5%

The work done by Inenco and Spire Healthcare was shortlisted for both the Business Green Leaders Awards under the Net Zero Strategy of the Year category (receiving a highly commended award), and the Energy Awards under the Net Zero Initiative Award category for 2022.

This is an extremely positive start to Spire Healthcare’s net zero journey. Through their decarbonisation strategy, they will continue to make long-term sustainable change, playing a genuine role in mitigating climate change.