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Health Finance, Corporate Governance &

Value Directorate
Alan Morrison, Interim Deputy Director,
Health Infrastructure, Investment and PPE

To: NHS Chairs

NHS Chief Executives

Copy: Executive Sustainability Leads

Sustainability Champions
Directors of Finance
Strategic Facilities Group
National Environmental and Sustainability Group

19 July 2022

Dear Colleagues,

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND TRANSITION

I am writing regarding NHS Scotland’s energy and associated greenhouse gas emissions
performance in 2021/22. The Annex to this letter sets out a summary of each Health Board’s
performance in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 and 2015/16.

Reducing energy consumption is a priority for NHS Scotland in order to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and limit pressures on resource budgets. To help achieve these two priorities,
I attach a document from the Carbon Trust, ‘Energy Management: A comprehensive guide to
controlling energy use’. This was published in 2011 but still provides a useful guide, setting
out the approach which organisations should take to energy management. It also provides
minimum guidelines for staffing energy management roles. Given the increase in energy costs,
it is suggested that the minimum guideline of 1 FTE energy manager for every £2 million of
energy spend should be interpreted as 1 FTE energy manager for every £5 million to £6 million
of projected energy spend in 2022/23.

Energy and associated emissions performance

NHS Scotland’s emissions from electricity and heat use fell by nearly 11,000 tCO2e between
2020/21 and 2021/22, an annual reduction of 2.5%. However, this overall reduction masks a
significant variation in performance between Health Boards (changes in territorial Health
Boards’ emissions varied from increases of 6.5% to decreases of 16.7%) and is lower than
the average annual reduction since 2015/16 (29,000 tCO2e).

NHS Scotland’s electricity and heat emissions have reduced by 28.9% between 2015/16 and
2021/22. The decrease was largely driven by the decarbonisation of the electricity grid and a
decrease in electricity consumption. Emissions from the use of fossil fuels (e.g. natural gas,
oil and liquefied petroleum gas) have shown no significant change since 2015/16.

The full NHS national energy report can be obtained from Thomas.Pye@nhs.scot.

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St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
Funding Opportunities

Scottish Government’s Climate Change and Energy Directorate is offering up to £2 million of

capital funding for public bodies who have no access to borrowing powers to implement
efficiency and decarbonisation measures this year, part of £200 million of funding which will
be made available to the public sector over the course of this parliament. Up to £50,000 of
pre-capital funding is also available for each organisation to carry out measures such as
energy audits to inform the development of energy efficiency and decarbonisation
programmes. I encourage all Health Boards to apply to this fund.

Information on the application process is available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-central-government-energy-efficiency-grant-
scheme-form-and-guidance/pages/overview/

I look forward to continuing to work with you on this important challenge.

Yours sincerely

ALAN MORRISON
Interim Deputy Director,
Health Infrastructure, Investment and PPE

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St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and heat use – 2021/22 compared to
2020/21

Name CO2e (t) CO2e (t) CO2e Variance %

(20/21) (21/22) difference
NHS GREATER GLASGOW and CLYDE 109,407.0 104,319.4 -5,087.6 -4.65%
NHS LOTHIAN 70,682.3 65,370.1 -5,312.2 -7.52%
NHS GRAMPIAN 50,882.1 51,267.6 385.5 0.76%
NHS TAYSIDE 40,905.9 43,577.1 2,671.2 6.53%
NHS LANARKSHIRE 26,685.0 25,542.2 -1,142.8 -4.28%
NHS HIGHLAND 28,514.6 27,668.9 -845.7 -2.97%
NHS FIFE 20,247.8 20,299.9 52.1 0.26%
NHS AYRSHIRE and ARRAN 20,438.2 19,501.5 -936.7 -4.58%
NHS FORTH VALLEY 16,218.6 16,321.7 103.2 0.64%
NHS DUMFRIES and GALLOWAY 14,291.8 14,350.4 58.7 0.41%
NHS NATIONAL WAITING TIMES CENTRE 8,117.7 8,221.3 103.5 1.28%
NHS BORDERS 7,114.3 7,105.5 -8.8 -0.12%
NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND 4,287.3 4,448.8 161.4 3.77%
NHS WESTERN ISLES 3,861.4 3,770.5 -91.0 -2.36%
SCOTTISH AMBULANCE SERVICE 2,902.2 2,748.3 -153.9 -5.30%
NHS STATE HOSPITAL 2,193.4 1,867.4 -326.0 -14.86%
NHS SHETLAND 1,643.2 1,755.3 112.1 6.82%
NHS ORKNEY 2,203.6 1,835.3 -368.3 -16.71%
NHS 24 446.8 422.1 -24.7 -5.53%
SALUS 60.0 40.6 -19.4 -32.36%
HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT SCOTLAND 21.9 6.6 -15.3 -69.85%
Total 431,125.2 420,440.4 -10,684.8 -2.48%


St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
Name CO2e (t) - CO2e (t) - CO2e Variance
2015/16 2021/22 difference %
NHS GREATER GLASGOW and CLYDE 166,772.7 104,335.7 -62,437.0 -37.44%
NHS LOTHIAN 88,632.7 65,428.2 -23,204.5 -26.18%
NHS GRAMPIAN 67,267.5 51,267.6 -15,999.9 -23.79%
NHS TAYSIDE 55,627.4 43,577.1 -12,050.4 -21.66%
NHS LANARKSHIRE 35,700.9 25,542.2 -10,158.7 -28.45%
NHS HIGHLAND 36,012.5 27,668.9 -8,343.6 -23.17%
NHS AYRSHIRE and ARRAN 29,977.4 20,190.7 -9,786.6 -32.65%
NHS FIFE 28,364.3 20,299.9 -8,064.4 -28.43%
NHS FORTH VALLEY 24,339.1 16,321.7 -8,017.3 -32.94%
NHS DUMFRIES and GALLOWAY 13,873.8 14,352.0 478.2 3.45%
NHS NATIONAL WAITING TIMES CENTRE 12,342.3 8,221.3 -4,121.1 -33.39%
NHS BORDERS 9,151.7 7,105.5 -2,046.2 -22.36%
NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND 6,214.1 4,448.8 -1,765.3 -28.41%
NHS WESTERN ISLES 4,355.5 3,770.5 -585.0 -13.43%
SCOTTISH AMBULANCE SERVICE 4,388.2 2,748.3 -1,639.9 -37.37%
NHS STATE HOSPITAL 2,564.0 1,867.4 -696.5 -27.17%
NHS SHETLAND 2,487.7 1,755.3 -732.4 -29.44%
NHS ORKNEY 2,199.2 1,835.3 -364.0 -16.55%
NHS 24 1,210.9 422.1 -788.8 -65.14%
SALUS 93.8 40.6 -53.3 -56.76%
HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT SCOTLAND 94.9 6.6 -88.3 -93.04%
Totals 591,670.7 421,205.6 -170,465.1 -28.81%

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St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot