Sustainability & hot water: caring for clients and the environment

Running a care home means balancing high energy costs against a ceaseless demand for hot water. With the sustainability of care home environments under scrutiny, Bill Sinclair, technical director at hot water specialist Adveco Ltd, details the technologies available to providers looking to balance their books while maintaining fitfor-purpose, sustainable hot water systems, and explains why correctly understanding your hot water needs is key

Every care home needs hot water. With more than 17,000 residential care and nursing homes in the UK, an estimated 400,000 residents, and a further 750,000 staff, daily demands are high.

The growing trend for self-contained bedrooms has driven the inclusion of en suite bathrooms, while catering and cleaning further extend requirements. While the pandemic may have impacted resident numbers, they are now climbing once again, which is set to lead to a shortfall in beds and a desire to optimise space. This has driven the preference for wet rooms, which not only make the most of smaller spaces, but are a practical solution for people with restricted mobility. Recent research by industry analysts Carterwood suggests the shortfall for wet room beds could be as much as 228,000 by December 2024, despite planned new developments adding close to 20,000 additional beds by that date. This all leads to greater demands for hot water, which impacts energy use and running costs, so understanding and addressing hot water generation is an important part of a care home’s daily operation, especially if the sustainability of the care home environment is being challenged.