The NHS is under more pressure than ever to deliver good outcomes for patients and to support extremely busy medical staff. Yet there are significant challenges for this extensive estate of over 10,000 buildings.
Firstly, around 42% of the estate was built before 1985 and 14% constructed even before the NHS was established in 1948. Updates are underway, but while the government is focused on delivering new hospitals over the next five to ten years, maintaining those already in operation is equally vital to achieving patient care targets.
A second layer of challenges comes with the NHS commitment to achieving Net Zero direct emissions by 2040. Again, the age and sheer size of the estate make this a massive goal.
However, many hospital estates teams are embracing these challenges. For example, space heating and hot water production account for around 80% of direct greenhouse gas emissions in NHS buildings, so decarbonising these systems is an important focus.
Preventative planning to mitigate risk
As a result, many hospitals are taking the opportunity not simply to swap like-for-like HVAC equipment when they refurbish, but to switch to alternative lower-carbon approaches.
For example, many have adopted low-carbon electric heat pump heating systems to replace gas boilers or other fossil fuel systems. These upgrades have been supported by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which has provided funding on many projects.
Wherever HVAC systems are refurbished, one critical aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked is water treatment and water quality. This is a process that not only ensures heating and cooling systems operate more efficiently but also helps to prevent HVAC equipment failure in the short and long-term.
Enwa has worked with several healthcare clients and NHS Trusts as they have updated ageing boilers and adopted modern electric heat pump systems. We know that clean ‘polished’ water circulating around systems is vital for efficient heating and cooling and this is especially important in retrofit projects.
Contaminants
It is critical to ensure that water from the old system, that can contain the by-products of corrosion, scale and fouling, is not allowed to contaminate and impact the new one. This old debris can make the new equipment less energy efficient and cause potential damage to a major investment.
The theme for this year’s IHEEM Healthcare Estates Conference is ‘Prevention is better than cure’. It’s a topic that’s very apt for the healthcare industry, and for water treatment in healthcare buildings. But while prevention of problems in water systems is critical – curing them is just as important.
EnwaMatic side stream filtration and water treatment units embody the principles of both Prevention and Cure. They provide a robust, preventative maintenance and water treatment strategy for new builds. But they can also easily be retrofitted and form preliminary works on upgrade projects in older buildings – ‘curing’ water contamination issues and bringing water quality in building services systems back under effective control.
The units achieve this by establishing a self-regulating water conditioning process that responds in real time, for example, to additions of make–up water and top up to these systems.
While conditioning the water, EnwaMatic is continuously filtering to less than 10 microns and is programmed to automatically backwash debris to a foul drain. Independent testing shows that suspended solids are significantly reduced, and the treated waters clarity is comparable to potable water. It provides pH elevation and regulation, corrosion inhibition and scale control, and the combined chemistry and filtration also contribute to a harsh environment for bacterial growth.
What’s more, the water treatment process is dynamic and self-regulating, responding to water conditions in real time, ensuring effective treatment is in place continuously. Enwa’s EnwaMatic side stream is a practical alternative to chemical dosing, which can be a time-consuming activity.
Saving valuable time
One of the things we hear most often from our clients is that EnwaMatic side stream filtration systems save facilities and estates engineering teams ‘significant’ amounts of time. It removes the need to check effective dosage of inhibitors or to worry about manual adjustment of chemical levels and subsequent dosing; or to undertake cleaning of cartridges, filter bags or magnets, fit replacements and deal with their disposal.
With EnwaMatic units, there are no concerns about safe storage or handling of chemicals on site.
And worries of exposure and potential sensitisation to harmful chemicals is removed and the impacts of harmful chemicals leaking from HVAC systems and ‘clean ups’ are avoided. All of this gives our clients and their staff peace of mind and time to get on and prioritise other jobs around the estate.
Support
Retrofitting EnwaMatic side stream units is an easy and straightforward process that takes around a day-and-a-half including set up and commissioning. Once the unit is installed it will process the equivalent of the system volume 1-2 times every twenty-four hours, providing effective and efficient filtration which keeps the energy carrier polished and in optimal condition.
Our standard models treat volumes from 0 – 130 m3, and we can also design and manufacture bespoke units to meet client requirements, for example those with larger district heating networks or higher temperature systems – or simply to meet challenging space requirements within their buildings.
Whatever the size of unit, the principle is the same – chemical ‘inhibitor’ free, environmentally friendly self-regulating chemistry with automated backwash and trouble-free water treatment to protect your HVAC systems and optimise their efficiency.
Operating 24-7 sites and operations teams across several shifts means support is critical and many of our healthcare clients contact us for support over the phone, by Teams, or we visit their site to see them. If you’d like to speak to us about water treatment in your healthcare building, please contact uksales@enwa.com or call 01530 830354.
