Royal United Hospital in Bath has announced it has submitted a planning application to make significant improvements to the heating system at its Combes park site.

This comes after RUH received £21.6 million from the Public Sector Decarbonation Scheme and hospital bosses plan to reduce carbon emissions by 19 per cent initially, and 25 per cent by 2030.

The grant will be used to partially de-steam the site by replacing its ageing, inefficient boiler heating systems with more sustainable and energy-efficient equipment. This change will improve the air quality around the hospital for patients and visitors, staff and the local community.

The grant, which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix, will also fund other important improvements such as installing, solar panels and LED lighting, which is more user-friendly, environmentally friendly and comfortable for staff and patients.

The RUH is working with resource management company Veolia to deliver these changes. Now Veolia has submitted a planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council on the hospital’s behalf so that this work can begin.

Toni Lynch, chief nursing officer for the RUH, said: “The RUH is aiming to reach Net Zero for scope one and two carbon emissions by 2030, in line with Bath and North East Somerset Council, and for the benefit of all of the people in our community.

“Decarbonising our site, and moving towards cleaner, more energy-efficient options, is essential in helping us reach this goal. We are very grateful to all the partners who are working together with us on this exciting project to make these vital changes.

”The application focuses on the redevelopment of the hospital’s existing Energy Centre on the west of its site and would see four air source heat pumps (ASHPs) installed on the roof of the Energy Centre.”

The carefully researched proposals include steps to reduce noise omitted by the ASHPs, to make sure that residents living on roads close to the development notice as little difference as possible.

The ASHPs would also heat water to a lower temperature before distributing it around the RUH site. This means less heat is lost as it’s transported from the energy centre to the end users.

Because ASHPs would provide the same output more efficiently, their installation would mean that the RUH could decommission some of the existing, less environmentally friendly gas boilers. The new system would also see fewer leaks and disruption to services, as the pipes would be more accessible for maintenance.

A future planning application, expected to be submitted in the new year, will see the hospital apply for additional permissions where required to install the pipework and other infrastructure that is needed to circulate this lower-temperature water.

Ian Rodger, director of public sector decarbonisation at Salix, said: “The NHS has set challenging net zero targets and we are looking forward to working with the RUH as it progresses its journey in support of these targets.”

If plans are approved, work would start soon after and be completed by 2026.