SELBY Hospital could have saved over £42,000 in energy costs if it had switched to a better tariff, according to figures released by the TaxPayers’ Allliance.

The pressure group claimed The New Selby War Memorial Hospital could have saved £42,839 had it paid average rates for energy.

However, the figures show that across the board, the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, was energy efficient compared with national figures.

While Malton Hospital could have saved £6,263 and Bridlington £4,657, York Hospital and Scarborough Hospital could not have made any savings, the TaxPayers’ Alliance figures claim.

A spokeswoman for the hospitals said: “The trust buys energy in a cost-effective way to obtain competitive prices and regularly budgets and reviews costs to maintain best value which results in improved energy performance on a continuing basis.

“Since Selby and Malton Hospitals were transferred from North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust to York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on April 1, the trust has applied our energy strategy and has already seen a reduction in costs.”

The spokeswoman said the trust aimed to reduce carbon emissions by ten per cent by 2015 and 80 per cent by 2050 and continually monitored and reviewed its energy costs and carbon emissions.

Energy-saving initiatives launched last year are expected to save the trust a further £361,000 a year.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance claimed the NHS wasted £41.4 million on excessive energy and water bills in 2012 to 2013, money which could cover the cost of employing 1,350 more nurses.

Peterborough City Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Eastbourne District General Hospital and Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital would have saved more than £1 million each had they paid the average rate for their energy.

The analysis is based on official NHS statistics that reveal the energy bills and potential savings of NHS sites across England, including individual hospitals.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “People pay a lot of money to support the NHS in their taxes and they expect to see every penny possible spent on front-line care, not wasted overpaying for basics like energy and water.”