Central government have awarded a multi-million pound grant to make Macclesfield Hospital go greener.

A £7m grant from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will be received by East Cheshire NHS Trust, with the aim of decarbonising and energy efficiency work to be completed at Macclesfield Hospital.

The funds will now be invested into schemes across the site, alongside Centrica, the trust's energy partner, that will help deliver 'a greener NHS'. A notable change will be a shift from gas to electric energy sources, for keeping people warm.

This will also include re-roofing 60% of Macclesfield Hospital so it is a more thermally efficient building, improving patient and staff experience. Work will start over the coming months.

Macclesfield Hospital is located on Victoria Road. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

An East Cheshire Hospice spokesperson claimed "This will significantly improve thermal efficiency, reduce heating demand and heat loss whilst improving the ward environment for patients and staff."

The money will also help to install a low carbon, more efficient heat pump to reduce Macclesfield Hospital's reliance on expensive fossil fuel-powered heating. Works for this will start in mid-June.

The trust estimates they will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 999 tonnes CO2e / year and 4,262,903 kWh energy / year.

While the hospital are nowhere near towards carbon neutral, which Westminster is targeting in the coming decades, Hospital heads believe it is a step in the right direction.

Other renewable energy sources which can pouwer electric heading include include solar and hydroelectric power. (Image - Ri Pixabay)

Ged Murphy, Acting Chief Executive at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said; "Our main source of heating at Macclesfield Hospital is gas so this move to electric as a more renewable energy source is fantastic news."

Extracting fossil fuels releases CO2 into the atmosphere, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. Whereas electric heating, comprises more sustainable options such as wind, nuclear and tidal-generated energy.

"This project and the benefits it will deliver will be a big step towards our Net Zero Carbon emissions targets and sustainability work set out in our Green Plan," added Mr Murphy.

"We all know that climate change poses a major threat to our health as well as our planet and we want to build on the great work being done to reduce the impact on public health and the environment." 

Acting Chief Executive Ged Murphy, pictured in February 22. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

There will be minimal disruption while the re-roofing work is taking place and no impact on patient care.

By using less gas and fossil fuels to keep the hospital warm, the trust will be reducing its CO2 emissions, whilst improving ventilation and thermal efficiency.

"I am delighted this investment will help East Cheshire NHS Trust deliver more sustainable heath care for the future, improve our carbon footprint and reduce the environmental impact of our services for our staff, patients and the communities we serve," he concluded.

"As part of the trust's corporate social responsibility ambitions, we're committed to taking the right steps to tackle climate change.

East Cheshire NHS Trust have also pledged to be 'net zero' in 18 years time. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

"This funding will help deliver significant carbon savings and take us a step closer to making us Net Zero Carbon by 2040."

Rebecca McNamara from Salix Finance, who are helping deliver the grant, said: "We are very pleased to be working with East Cheshire NHS Trust and supporting them on their decarbonisation journey to deliver on their Net Zero Carbon targets.

"This project should make a remarkable difference to the patients, staff and the wider community."

The news to switch energy sources appears to have been pre-planned, and does not come as a coincidence with national concerns over the cutting of Russian gas supplies.

60 per cent of the roof will be better insulated to keep heat in. (Image - East Cheshire NHS Trust)

Macclesfield: Get your Jubilee event promoted on our website for FREE with our Macclesfield Events Page.

Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top 10 Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article?

1300 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address in the shaded box below or on this link.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.