Thanks to an energy performance contract (EPC) with Equans and the hospital's efforts, the primary energy consumption of the CHR in Namur is falling by 16% every year
In 2019, the CHR Sambre et Meuse was the first hospital in the province of Namur to sign an energy performance contract (EPC). Equans was chosen as its partner. But what exactly does this contract entail? The energy renovation of the installations and their maintenance for a period of ten years. Since then, the hospital's surroundings and appearance have changed considerably.
Three years after introducing tools to monitor energy consumption, it is high time to take stock. And we can safely say that the results have exceeded expectations. Thanks to the joint efforts of the hospital and our teams, the CHR has achieved an average primary energy saving of 16% per year. For more details, we spoke to Pascal Degimbe, who monitors energy consumption during the project.
A comprehensive solution
The CHR Sambre et Meuse (CHRSM) in Namur has approximately 400 beds, 300 doctors and 1,700 employees who work hard every day to ensure the comfort and safety of their patients. The hospital consumed as much energy each year as more than 2,000 households and was therefore looking for a way to make its facilities more energy efficient. No sooner said than done! With the support of Renowatt, the CHRSM signed an energy performance contract (EPC) with Equans in 2019. Why? To reduce consumption, of course!
What is an EPC?
An EPC (energy performance contract) is a contractual commitment in which Equans guarantees to make one or more buildings more energy efficient. In the case of the CHRSM, Equans carried out work to optimise energy consumption, which was financed by the hospital. In return, we guarantee a 15% reduction in primary energy consumption (electricity and gas). If this target is not met, Equans will bear the financial consequences. However, if the savings exceed expectations, the customer shares the profits with us. And that is exactly what happened between July 2021 and June 2024!
What measures are involved?
‘At the CHRSM's Meuse site, for example, we have improved the combined heat and power system,’ explains Pascal Degimbe. ‘We have also modernised the boiler room, installed LED lighting, optimised the cooling machines and set up a system that cuts off the power to the operating theatres when they are not in use. Recently, we also installed solar carports in the hospital's new car park.’
Monitoring
To accurately calculate energy savings, we use the Energis monitoring tool. ‘This platform displays information from all on-site energy meters in a single dashboard,’ explains Pascal Degimbe. ‘The main advantage is that it provides an objective picture of the impact of the measures taken, based on the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). This naturally takes into account the interventions made by Equans, but also any changes in the customer's habits.’
Changes in usage
It must be said: the hospital and its staff have radically changed their habits in recent years... From the coronavirus pandemic to the energy crisis in the winter of 2022-2023 and a new building for the emergency department, our client has spared no expense or effort to become more resilient and adapt to changes in energy consumption. ‘In the case of the CHRSM, the collaboration between Equans' experts and the hospital's technical director is truly remarkable,’ adds Pascal Degimbe. ‘Thanks to this teamwork, we can analyse every detail and find ways to save more and more energy, whatever the context.’
Better than expected
The results speak for themselves. Thanks to the measures taken and the decisions made by the hospital, we have managed to save almost 5,000 MWh of electricity and around 8,000 MWh of gas over the past three years. The new hydrothermal installation that was installed during the work on the hospital's new emergency department plays a key role in this. Thanks to this installation, our teams were able to redesign the cooling systems throughout the hospital, resulting in even better performance in this area.
What is hydrothermics?
Hydrothermics is a process whereby heat pumps extract water from the groundwater beneath the hospital to regulate the temperature of the hospital's installations. Compared to a conventional installation, this system alone will reduce the hospital's annual electricity consumption by 357 MWh.
‘The advantage is that this installation not only supplies electricity to the new emergency department, but also to part of the hospital,’ adds Pascal Degimbe. ‘By adapting the hydraulic network, we were able to improve the hospital's efficiency, as the hydrothermal system now takes precedence over traditional cooling machines.’
Well on the way to reducing CO2
This is not the first time Equans has helped healthcare institutions reduce their energy consumption. Our teams work in hospital complexes such as Chirec in Brussels, the CHU in Liège and the CHR in Huy. We therefore have extensive experience with the energy transition in healthcare. Under the EPC signed with the CHRSM, we have already avoided almost 2,400 tonnes of CO2 thanks to the measures taken. This corresponds to the annual emissions of almost 1,200 cars. And with the help of the solar panels on the roof of the hospital car park, these figures should improve even further in the coming years. Excellent news for the hospital and for the environment!
Discover Carbon Shift, an integrated approach that brings together all our low-carbon solutions
The significant improvement Equans has achieved in the CHRSM is the result of our integrated approach to efficiently reducing our customers' carbon emissions. This approach encompasses a wide range of solutions, combining our many years of expertise with extensive technical skills.
