Carbon Management

NHS organisations need to develop the ability to monitor their energy use effectively and in a way that will allow all staff to understand how they can contribute to energy savings.

Through the use of modern and fully integrated power management and control tools linked to localised smart metering. This sort of metering will allow all NHS staff to understand how they can contribute to energy savings.

The 'key information' on the side panel has links to a carbon accounting presentation given by Katie Hughes from Groundwork SW in Sept 2009. It is a useful introduction to the basics of carbon accounting, and provides links to relevant guidance sites.

The NHS SDU Unit has developed metrics which can be used now by NHS organisations to demonstrate action on carbon reduction – more detailed information is available the carbon metrics PDF from the SDU.

Carbon emissions are divided into three categories for monitoring and reporting purposes:
Scope 1 - direct energy use from onsite fuel consumption and transport from company owned vehicles
Scope 2 - indirect energy use from purchased energy, steam and heat
Scope 3 - indirect energy use from (including but not limited to) production of purchased materials, other transport (incl commuter mileage), waste disposal

If possible, systems should be put in place to monitor carbon across all three categories. Most current reporting programmes take into account scope 1 and 2, with certain measurements from scope 3; however, in future all carbon producing activities, direct and indirect, will be measured and reported.

Visit the Carbon - Monitor, Review and Report section in 'Actions' for more information about reporting on carbon emissions.