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Vital Energi recently completed their first EcoVadis assessment and are proud to have been awarded a Silver Medal Sustainability Rating, placing them within the top 15% of companies rated over the last year. 

EcoVadis is the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, having created a global network of over 130,000 rated companies. Within the industry, it is also the most widely recognised sustainability benchmark.

Environmental performance was a scorecard highlight, along with Human Rights and Ethics, and EcoVadis commented that Vital Energi “demonstrate an advanced management system on environmental issues” compared to other companies in the industry.

One notable achievement is Vital Energi’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions. The company have set an ambitious target to become a net zero organisation by 2035. To reach this goal, they have implemented various initiatives, including appointing carbon management experts, Greenly, to help calculate their most detailed carbon footprint ever, investing in on-site renewables and electric vehicles, enhancing energy efficiency in operations and training/upskilling staff and supply chain.

Looking ahead, Vital Energi have ambitious plans to further enhance their sustainability performance. A key initiative is the development of their Supplier Engagement Portal. This innovative platform will facilitate better communication and collaboration with suppliers, ensuring that sustainability criteria are met throughout the supply chain. The portal will allow suppliers to share their sustainability practices, submit compliance documentation, and participate in joint initiatives to reduce environmental impact.

To be rated this highly in their first ever assessment really is testament to all staff throughout the company and their ongoing commitment to protecting our planet for future generations.

To demonstrate their ongoing commitment to sustainability, Vital Energi have identified key focus areas, and work is already underway internally to develop an Action Plan in preparation for their next assessment where they aim to be awarded a Gold Medal Sustainability Rating.

Vital Energi’s fleet has distinguished itself as one of the greenest around after emissions from their vehicles were found to be less than 25% of other organisations.

Pendragon Vehicle Management recently undertook an audit of their clients who had taken delivery of 20 or more cars over the previous year. Vital Energi topped the league table of sustainable performers by coming in with an average of 20.7 Co2 g/km. The average for similar sized clients was 85.2 Co2 g/km.

Fleet Manager, Paul Carberry explains, “We are helping to decarbonise cities, campuses and developments through our energy generation and energy conservation projects and it’s great that we can contribute, as a company, to reduce the carbon emissions of our company fleet.

“We were early adopters of low emission petrol and diesel vehicles, then mild hybrids in 2009, plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV’s) vehicles in 2014 and more recently, in 2019, battery electric vehicles (BEV’s), which can be charged by the Solar PVs at our Blackburn headquarters. By constantly being at the cutting edge of technology, coupled with choosing sustainable behaviours, we are able to outperform other similar organisations and contribute to the UK meetings its carbon targets.”

Over 70% of Vitals’ current fleet are either BEV’s or PHEV’s, which give the fleet average emissions of 48.21 Co2 g/km.  With another 95% of the 21 vehicles that are currently in the order bank being BEV’s or PHEV’s, the fleet is only set to become greener in the future and will continue to position Vital Energi at the forefront in the UK’s journey towards net zero.

Vital Energi have secured a £25m contract with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to reduce the Trust’s carbon footprint by 14,000 tonnes a year, and guarantee energy savings of at least £1.3m a year for the Nottingham City Hospital.

The project received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The City Hospital currently relies on aged gas and coal fired boilers for heating and hot water, which Vital Energi will be replacing with more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, resulting in a reduction of 14,000 tonnes of carbon per year.

The old laundry building will be demolished so Vital can construct a new energy centre at the heart of the site, which will be equipped with combined heat and power units to provide heating and electricity throughout the hospital using new and improved energy infrastructure.

Vital Energi will also be installing renewable generation and energy conservation measures such as LED lighting, 300 kWe solar PV panels, and 342 kW air source heat pumps around the hospital, which will deliver energy and carbon reductions.

These solutions will have a significant impact on the overall energy performance and carbon emissions of the hospital, and the lighting upgrades will enhance the patient experience in both the wards and common areas.

Andrew Chatten, Director of Estates and Facilities at the Trust, said:

“We are committed to doing everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint, and to upgrade our ageing hospital estate, which costs a lot to maintain and makes it much harder for us to deliver the outstanding patient care to which we aspire. Having secured grant funding as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, we are now looking forward to working with Vital Energi to make City Hospital much more energy efficient.”

Sameen Khan, NHS Programme Manager for Salix Finance, added:

“We are pleased we can support Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and be a partner in their landmark project. Their commitment to improving their patient care, facilities, reducing their carbon footprint and considering the impact they were having on the environment, has been emphasised from the onset of their funding application and relationship with Salix. We are proud to be a part of their journey towards a low-carbon future.”

With vast experience of working in acute hospital environments throughout the UK, and through excellent communication, working alongside hospital staff, Vital Energi will ensure minimal disruption and continuity of service.

Vital Energi are delivering the project through the Carbon and Energy Fund Framework, which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations.

Vital Energi have been partnering with Loughborough University for over 25 years and have installed over 7km of district heating pipework, helping their heating network evolve to meet the changing needs of their campus.

Vital Energi have won the contract to upgrade a section of the University of Liverpool’s district heating network.  The project involves replacing a 200m section of pipework connecting the University’s Quad Node to Fingals Cave and installing branches to the George Holt, Students’ Guild and Math & Oceanography buildings.

The upgrades are partly to replace ageing infrastructure, but the project also allows the 200mm pipework to be replaced by 250mm pipework, which is capable of transporting more heat along the network.

Vital Energi have received Multi Utility Recognition Status (MURS) which enables them to carry out a range of essential contestable works across the water, electricity and gas utilities.

Vital have been accredited as a company by the The Water Industry Registration Scheme (WIRS), The Gas Industry Registration Scheme (GIRS) and the National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS).  After being recognised by these three schemes Vital Energi is now recognised as having Multi Utility status.

Vital Energi have considerable knowledge and experience in the delivery of complex infrastructure projects. Cost and time savings can be realised through early engagement of subject matter experts that bring about utility coordination.

More about our accreditations:

WIRS

The Water Industry Registration Scheme (WIRS) is for contractors who provide new connections to the existing water supply or sewerage system. These are referred to as Self Lay Providers (SLPs). A WIRS registered SLP can undertake Contestable Works in relation to the provision of new water connections, i.e. mains, services and associated works.

GIRS

The Gas Industry Registration Scheme (GIRS) is for contractors who provide work associated with the construction of new gas infrastructure. GIRS registered providers are able to undertake new gas connections, services alterations or disconnections, dependent on the scope of their accreditations.

Utility Infrastructure Providers (UIPs) can compete with Gas Distribution Networks to complete some gas connection activities.

NERS

The National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS) is a UK-wide accreditation scheme which assesses the competence of Independent Connection Providers to deliver connections safely and to a high standard.

Building in our reputation for delivering low carbon sustainable infrastructure solutions we can reduce costs and risks associated with Multi Utility delivery through co-ordinated, design and delivery. To find out more about how we can help to meet your low carbon Multi Utility infrastructure needs please contact us using the link below.

If you’d like to know more about our capabilities, or you’d like to discuss your Multi Utility needs then please contact Medi Rampal at [email protected]

Vital Energi are proud to be active members of the Diverse Heat Network (DHN), a newly created group of organisations with a shared ambition to drive actionable change and diversity across the sector.

The group of businesses and representatives aims are:

• To encourage collaboration, share best practice and learn from and with each other through a range of initiatives, activities and resources.
• To identify parts of our sector which are not diverse and continue to attract a diverse workforce, growing our talent pool whilst developing talent we already have.
• To enable change, inspiring and influencing our partners, supply chain and the wider industry, to accelerate innovation and creative solutions.

The DHN is a collective of organisations with a shared ambition to enable change within our sector through partnership and collaboration.

Working alongside industry peers, Gary Fielding, Chairman of Vital Energi is representing as a Board Member, alongside our Proposals Manager Gemma Dyson, and Trainee Energy & Commercial Modeller Millie Cooney, who will champion our involvement across the heat network sector, and wider energy industry.

Learn more about the Diverse Heat Network

Hull City Council is set to become a low-carbon leader after partnering with renewable energy provider Vital Energi to deliver a low-carbon heat network, driving economic growth, job creation, and building climate-resilient neighbourhoods.

The project will be delivered under a multi-year design, build, operate, and maintain contract, which will see Vital Energi construct a new energy centre at Trippett Street car park and install over 5km of district heating pipework during phase 1, across Hull city centre.

During phase 1 of the project, the network will supply low-carbon instant heat and hot water to residential tower blocks, council buildings, educational institutions, and private sector businesses. This solution is more cost-effective than alternative decarbonised heat solutions, such as Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP).

Due to the modular nature of the project, there is significant potential for the network to expand in future phases, with opportunities for new connections across the city as demand for low carbon energy continues to grow.

The project is funded through a £15m grant from the Green Heat Network Fund, via Triple Point, £1.5m of Levelling Up Partnership funding, and a £27m loan from the National Wealth Fund, which will be repaid through the operation of the network, representing a major investment in Hull’s future.

In addition to this, the scheme will provide a return for the council over the lifetime of the project by providing affordable, clean energy to buildings, which will allow more money to be allocated to other services, whilst also reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 110,000 tonnes over 40 years.

As part of Vital Energi’s long-standing commitment to social value, they will deliver £3m worth of community benefits, including utilising local supply chain, school and college workshops, site visits, work experience placements, training for educators, apprenticeships, and apprenticeship awareness sessions, voluntary organisation support, and skills development for Hull City Council’s internal workforce.

To deliver this project, Vital Energi will install insulated pipes throughout the city centre, while ensuring continuous access for businesses and residents and minimising disruption wherever possible.

As part of their ambitious plans to be net zero by 2030, Affinity Water have appointed Vital Energi to install solar across 4 of their sites in London and the south of England, in a contract initially worth £3.9m.

Affinity Water supplies an average of 950 million litres of water each day to 3.8 million people across the south, and they are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and achieving net zero operational carbon emissions by 2030, partly through the installation of renewable technologies.

There are plans in place for the scheme to significantly grow too. A total of 37,000 panels are set to be installed which will generate 23.5MW of renewable energy a year to help power 28 of Affinity Water’s pumping stations across the south of England, which will result in energy savings of up to £2.8m a year.

The project will see the installation of both ground and roof mounted solar arrays, along with new and upgraded electrical infrastructure, and will deliver a net gain in biodiversity of 10% through species habitat enhancements. All the work is being undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the water industry, with engagement of local residents and considerate construction methods.

Construction is due to begin in June.

Vital Energi are working with York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to reduce the carbon footprint of York Teaching Hospital through the implementation of low-carbon energy solutions, helping the Trust work towards their goal of net zero by 2040.

As well as installing two 200kW air source heat pumps which will allow for zero carbon on-site energy generation, Vital Energi are helping the hospital site become more energy efficient through upgrades to the building fabric of the 3-storey Ward Block Building, which houses ward and clinical areas.

The existing fabric of the Ward Block Building, which was constructed in the 1970s, has poor thermal insulation properties and experiences significant heat loss through both the building fabric and glazing units, which results in higher energy consumption.

The building fabric upgrades have recently been implemented on the west elevation of the building, which has the greatest single external surface of the estate, totalling 2,520m2. The solution will reduce heat loss from the building, resulting in reduced heating bills and lower carbon emissions, as well as significantly improving the external aesthetics of the building, and patients and staff will benefit from increased natural light and improved ventilation.

With vast experience of working within a hospital environment, the Vital Energi team are working alongside hospital staff to ensure clinical services will be maintained during the fabric works and to also ensure optimal internal temperatures and air quality conditions will be maintained at all times.

Vital Energi’s Account Director, Steve Black, said:

“This is our second project at York Teaching Hospital, and we’re proud to be helping them make further strides towards their target of net zero emissions by 2040 through the installation of a range of energy solutions. The upgrades to the external façade and the windows of the ward block are almost complete, and not only has the energy efficiency of the building increased significantly, the upgrades have created a strong visual impact.”

The project received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), formally part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to replace old gas (oil and coal) powered heating and hot water systems with low carbon systems whilst reducing the heat requirement through energy efficiency measures such as increased insulation.

DESNZ, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Vital Energi are delivering the project through the Carbon and Energy Fund Framework, which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations.

This is second project Vital Energi will implement at York Teaching Hospital. Back in 2016, they designed and retrofitted the hospital’s existing energy centre, and installed a range of energy conservation measures, guaranteeing the Trust savings in excess of £12m in energy costs and over 45,000 tonnes of carbon over the course of the 15-year contract.

Work is already well underway on site, and is expected to be complete by the autumn.