YORK Hospital has made the final of a building industry award after it installed a new energy centre to reduce its carbon footprint - saving £60,000 a month.

The hospital has been shortlisted for the Retrofit Project of the Year at the Heating and Ventilation awards after it completed the £4.6 million project last year.

The new system, which was installed last March, is a combined heat and power unit which uses a gas-fuelled engine to produce electricity and re-uses the excess heat from the hot exhaust gases.

It was hoped that the refit would save the hospital £12.7 million over the life of the project and cut carbon emissions by 45,000 tonnes during its 15 year lifespan.

Brian Golding, director of estates and facilities at York Hospital Trust, said: “Our sustainable development group ensures that we are consistently addressing energy consumption across all our hospitals, looking at everything from light bulbs through to the design of new buildings.

“By reducing energy costs, we can reinvest savings into front line services and patient care.

“Since the completion of this project, we have seen a huge reduction in our energy consumption."

The project was procured through the Carbon & Energy Fund which helps fund and manage complex energy infrastructure upgrades for the NHS.

As previously reported in The Press, energy costs for the hospital last year added up to over two million pounds a year, including over a million pounds on gas, half a million on electricity and a quarter of a million on water.

Vital Efficienci, a company which helps to reduce energy consumption, upgraded light fittings and its sister company Vital Energi installed the combined power system.

Ashley Malin, project development director at Vital Energi said: “The Trust has a clear vision to lower energy spend and reduce carbon emissions and we are delighted we have worked with them to achieve that."