The National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh commits to energy savings

The project

The HSE Energy Bureau, jointly funded by SEAI, expanded the provision of its services to non-acute Section 38/39 organisations in 2020.

 Following a presentation from the Bureau on the benefits of energy efficiency, the management team at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh committed to investing resources in this area and reducing their energy use. Cappagh were one of the first organisations to engage with the Bureau and agree to an energy efficiency plan.  

Cappagh established a 'Green Energy Committee' in September 2020. Several members of the team attended energy and carbon basics training. An energy audit of Cappagh campus was carried out and the Energy Officer who completed this identified multiple energy saving projects. These projects were logged in its 'Register of Opportunities' file.

Shortly after completing the Audit, the hospital completed a lighting upgrade project funded through the HSE Energy Minor Capital budget. This project alone has resulted in an estimated annual energy saving of 75,000 kWh, equivalent to €11,500 in financial savings.

Dr Colm Geraghty acted as the local Energy Champion on campus and was keen to see energy management practices adopted throughout the hospital.  Dr Geraghty explains "The more engagement that a hospital has with the programme, the more funding they are likely to receive, so I would encourage all hospitals who are starting the programme to appoint an energy lead with dedicated time allocated to the project. This will ensure that momentum is sustained and allow the organisation to reap maximum benefits from the programme."