Coal-fired heating has officially disappeared from the NHS after Nottingham City Hospital moved into the clean energy era.
A major £34.8 million decarbonisation overhaul has seen a two-phase transformation, replacing ageing coal and gas boilers with a new energy centre, air source heat pumps, solar panels and a full LED lighting upgrade across more than 6,600 fittings.
The project, delivered by Vital Energi was funded through the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme run by Salix Finance
Nottingham City Hospital had been the final NHS site still burning coal – and is now delivering independently verified annual savings of £1.4 million.
The programme has cut carbon emissions by more than 16,000 tonnes — equivalent to removing around 8,000 cars from the road for a year.
The works included a 400kW air source heat pump system serving maternity and urology departments, a waste heat recovery system and a major Building Management System upgrade, bringing all energy systems under a single digital controls platform.
The BMS upgrade alone generated annual gas savings of more than 7.4 million kWh — almost five times higher than originally guaranteed.
The challenge was compounded by the fact the hospital remained fully operational throughout the works.
Vital Energi had to manage the live transition from the old coal boiler house to the new energy centre while maintaining heating and critical hospital services.
John Runniff, Account Development Director at Vital Energi, said: “Delivering in a live acute hospital adds a layer of complexity that very few contractors are equipped for.
“What makes this especially satisfying is that the results speak for themselves. The savings have been independently verified.”
The project also supports Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s wider target to hit net zero by 2040.
Alberto Jaume, Programme Manager of Decarbonisation Schemes at the Trust, said: “This landmark project was an important part of moving us away from relying on coal and gas energy and towards clean energy.
“We are pleased with the vast reduction of our carbon footprint and the cost savings this has brought.”
Copyright © 2026 Energy Live News LtdELN