An innovative new project is to take wasted heat generated by data centres and use it to help power the city hospital.

The UK’s leading low-carbon heat network developer, 1Energy, has this week announced it has secured £17.6m of UK government funding for the scheme –  and the Milton Keynes University Hospital has signed as the anchor customer.

It has formed a city-wide platform called Milton Keynes Energy Network and aims to cut the city’s carbon emissions by more than 15,000 tonnes a year by late 2027.

It will cut air pollution from the hospital and other buildings by 80%, improving public health and reducing healthcare costs while protecting the NHS against energy price hikes.

Data centres use huge amounts of energy and the constant pull means the servers get ever hotter and require water systems to prevent overheating.

A study in America last year found that generating a 100-word email requires an Evian bottle’s worth of water to maintain a workable temperature.

Repurposing this waste heat from data centres in MK alone, using local heat pump-powered energy centre, could produce a supply equivalent of 20,000 homes.

And the scheme will also grow the local economy by creating and supporting 100 new jobs and apprenticeships

The company is already in negotiations with several other significant heat users across the city about the project, which represents over £78m of private capital investment for Milton Keynes, which will be built at no cost to the local council or community.

Repurposing waste heat from two nearby data centres and utilising a heat pump-powered energy centre to the north of the city,  the project will supply businesses, hospitals, universities and homes with clean heating via a 20km (12 mile) network of underground hot water pipes.

The plan is to warm 74 buildings in this way, with the ability to generate enough heat to supply the equivalent of 20,000 homes per year. 

The network enables the removal of individual gas boilers and eliminates reliance on fossil fuels. As such, it will make Britain less reliant on imported fossil fuels and thus, less vulnerable to sudden changes in international gas prices.

And the scheme will also play a vital role in helping fulfil the net zero ambitions of both the city and the NHS. It follows the launch of Milton Keynes City Council’s Heat Network Policy, a key part of their plan for the city to reach net zero by 2030.

In response to the growing threat to public health posed by climate change, the NHS has committed to reaching net zero by 2045.9 The scheme is projected to save over 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, the equivalent of planting more than 238,000 trees, by reducing emissions from buildings by 75%.10 1Energy is committed to developing a strategy to be net zero by 2030.

Tony Marsh, Director of Estates & Facilities at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Joining the Milton Keynes Energy Network is a major step forward in our journey to become a net zero hospital. This partnership will allow us to cut carbon emissions significantly while ensuring our heating infrastructure is resilient and future ready.

 

“As a healthcare provider, we have a responsibility to protect both the health of our patients and the health of our planet, and this project enables us to do both. We’re proud to be working with 1Energy to deliver a greener, more sustainable future for Milton Keynes University Hospital.”

Jeremy Bungey, Executive Director of 1Energy, said: “At 1Energy, our mission is to decarbonise heat — one of the toughest challenges in reaching net zero. The Milton Keynes Energy Network is a vital step in that journey, delivering efficient, low-carbon heating infrastructure that cuts emissions, improves energy security and supports public services like the NHS. It’s also an example of how we can repurpose waste heat into community value, powering a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future.”

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