NHS Wales decarbonisation strategic delivery plan 2025 to 2030 - Part 6: Buildings and land
Our plan to reduce the environmental impact of NHS Wales and support the Welsh Government’s Net Zero ambition for the public sector.
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5: Building energy and utilities consumption will be actively managed and minimised
5a: Establish and embed a process to actively monitor each building’s (or site’s) energy consumption to identify and address excess consumption and inform development of energy saving projects
Building types impacted [footnote 1]: A, C.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: September 2026.
5b: Conduct seasonal reviews of building controls (that is BMS (Building Management System), heating timers, thermostats) to optimise efficiency and ensure standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being followed.
Building types impacted: A, C.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: March 2026.
5c: Adapt the WHEF (Welsh Health Environmental Forum) to include within its agenda a section sharing estate decarbonisation successes, knowledge sharing and innovation
Proposed owners: WHEF.
Implemented by: March 2026.
5d: Embed energy management practices in day‑to‑day healthcare practice through energy reduction campaigns (such as posters, labels, intranet campaigns, and so on)
Building types impacted: A, C, D.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: September 2026.
6: Actively identify opportunities (capital and maintenance) to decarbonise buildings
6a: Create a standardised data collection process for collecting asset‑specific information to support the proactive identification of upcoming decarbonisation opportunities
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: NWSSP (NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership) to develop.
Implemented by: September 2026.
6b: Provide NWSSP with a list of scalable reference decarbonisation projects and measures across the NHS Wales estate and align with all‑Wales contract frameworks to enable efficient procurement and delivery; this should include the outcomes from 9a
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: list provided by December 2026 and updated every two years thereafter.
6c: Estates and facilities teams will actively engage with transport teams across the NHS (such as WAST (Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust), NWSSP) to identify and implement requirements for NHS front‑line electric vehicle charging at their sites to enable vehicle electrification, and actively engage with Welsh Government to identify funding opportunities for implementation
Building types impacted: A, B, C (type C only applicable if long lease (greater than 10 years)).
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: to align with relevant deadline in 15.
6d: Review electrical capacities across sites to determine limitations for electrification, and identify priority locations for electrical supply upgrades
Building types impacted: A, B, C (type C only applicable if long lease (greater than 10 years)).
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: March 2027.
6e: Where opportunities for space rationalisation (such as office space) may exist, monitor utilisation through smart technologies (such as occupancy sensors) to inform decisions on estate rationalisation, shared workspaces, and energy‑efficient building use:
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations (secondary care).
Implemented by: March 2028.
7: Asset decarbonisation plans will be implemented to decarbonise NHS buildings
7a: For non‑acute sites (such as community hospitals, health centres or clinics, offices), plan and implement targeted decarbonisation projects aligned with the principles of the UKGBC (UK Green Buildings Council) net zero carbon buildings framework (such as optimisation, energy efficiency upgrades) to meet building decarbonisation targets; larger projects should follow a fabric first approach (thermal surveys may be beneficial) and include the replacement of fossil fuel heating systems with low carbon alternatives
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: integrated with action plan targets by December 2026.
7b: For acute sites and large hospitals, plan and implement targeted decarbonisation projects (such as optimisation, energy efficiency upgrades) to meet building decarbonisation targets; larger projects, where viable and operationally effective opportunities exist, should follow a fabric‑first approach aligned with the principles of the UKGBC net zero carbon buildings framework
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: health boards; Velindre.
Implemented by: integrated with Action Plan targets by December 2026.
8: Existing CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plant will be maintained at maximum efficiency until life expired; no further fossil fuelled CHP plant will be installed, but renewable CHP will be supported
8a: Continue to operate all current CHP plant to the end of its current working life without major refurbishment, and certify to the CHPQA (Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance Scheme) programme to ensure efficient operation
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: health boards.
Implemented by: annual reporting.
8b: Decommission fossil fuel CHP in line with plant life expiry, prioritising decommissioning over major refurbishment (such as engine replacement), with all fossil fuel CHP to be decommissioned by 2035
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: health boards.
Implemented by: All fossil fuel CHP will be decommissioned by 2035.
8c: New renewable CHP (such as biomass) and emerging sustainable technologies will be supported (subject to feasibility and air quality impacts); no new fossil fuel or ‘hydrogen‑ready’ CHP units will be installed
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
9: Renewable energy opportunities will be progressed to increase energy generation activities and ensure land will be used to its maximum potential
9a: Undertake renewable energy opportunities assessments (such as roof‑mounted solar PV, solar car ports, waste heat recovery, and so on) for all sites to identify on‑site and off‑site private wire opportunities; viable opportunities should be progressed or installed to ensure each organisation meets their renewable energy generation targets
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: December 2028.
9b: Develop a standardised performance management plan to monitor and maximise electricity generation at on‑site renewable generating stations, and add the metrics to EFPMS (Estates and Facilities Performance and Management System) reporting
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: NWSSP.
Implemented by: March 2027.
9c: Support localised initiatives to expand or maintain green spaces on hospital and community sites (such as NHS Forest) for use by staff, the public and patients, to enhance well‑being and aid recovery and social prescribing
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: health boards; Velindre.
Implemented by: December 2026.
10: Primary and community care contractors, business owners and landlords will seek to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise their buildings
10a: Identify and continue to promote resources (such as greener primary care toolkit and online training modules) highlighting primary care’s role in NHS Wales’s decarbonisation ambitions; Welsh Government will use their influence to promote these resources to encourage decarbonisation
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: Greener Primary Care Wales; Welsh Government.
Implemented by: April 2027.
11: All new buildings and major refurbishments will align with the new Welsh interpretation of the NHS net zero carbon building standard
The NHS Net Zero Carbon Building Standard
11a: Produce a Specialist Estates Services Notification (SESN) or guidance note of the NHS net zero carbon building standard outlining how environmental sustainability will be embedded into new builds and major refurbishments; all NHS organisations will ensure organisational alignment with the guidance on all new buildings and major refurbishments, and will report compliance where required
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: NWSSP.
Implemented by: September 2026.
11b: Ensure organisational alignment with the guidance on all new buildings and major refurbishments, and will report compliance where required
Building types impacted: A, B, C.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: December 2026.
11c: Health boards and trusts will work with NHS partners (such as WAST (Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust), NWSSP) throughout new projects to identify current and future requirements for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for delivery of NHS front‑line services
Building types impacted: A, B.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: March 2026.
12: Engage proactively with landlords and tenants across leased properties to drive low‑carbon building operations
12a: NWSSP will produce and share green leasing guidance for NHS Wales (to cover NHS acting as a tenant and a landlord); this will be based on an adaptation of the NHS England green lease framework and the better buildings partnership green lease guidance
Building types affected: B, C, D.
Proposed owners: NWSSP.
Implemented by: September 2026.
12b: Where a new or renewed building lease is being explored (both as a tenant and a landlord), health boards and trusts will follow the NWSSP guidance during discussions to ensure buildings will operate as efficiently as possible
Building types impacted: B, C, D.
Proposed owners: all NHS organisations.
Implemented by: December 2026.
Footnote
[1]. Type A: Buildings owned by NHS Wales and operated or used by NHS Wales.
Type B: Buildings owned by NHS Wales and leased to a non-NHS organisation.
Type C: Buildings owned by a third party and leased to the NHS.
Type D: Buildings owned and operated by a third party, but used for NHS activities (such as buildings used by primary care contractors, either owned or leased, to delivery NHS services such as community dentistry, general medical services (GP surgeries, community pharmacy, optometry).