IEDE’s partnership with NHSPS delivers sustainable solutions for primary healthcare buildings

An innovative research collaboration between UCL’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE) and NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and funded by UCLPartners is facilitating the transition to net-zero buildings in the primary healthcare sector. The research explored the potential of repurposing existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) models to forecast and assess the impact of implementing low-carbon technologies in NHS primary care buildings.

Led by Dr Esfand Burman, Associate Professor at the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, the project demonstrated that EPC models, when enhanced, can be used to simulate complex decarbonisation scenarios - such as replacing gas boilers with heat pumps and integrating solar PV systems. These insights are now being used to inform practical work packages that could be implemented across NHS primary care sites nationwide. 

The team developed a bespoke conversion tool to automate the transformation of EPC models into more advanced simulation models. This breakthrough has opened new avenues for cost-effective, data-driven planning in the NHS estate. NHSPS identified the opportunity and provided access to a comprehensive dataset of EPC models, and the teams worked closely together to interpret the findings.

This collaborative research was recently recognised with the ‘Most Significant Contribution to the Art and Science of Building Services Engineering’ award at the 2025 CIBSE IBPSA-England Technical Symposium. The award was presented to Meysam Paydar, an IEDE PhD researcher who was the lead author of a paper on ‘Evaluating the potential of using energy certification models to assess decarbonisation pathways for primary healthcare buildings’.

Nick MacDonald-Smith, Net Zero Carbon Lead at NHSPS, said: “This recognition is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling the NHS’s Net Zero Carbon goals. By unlocking the value of existing data, we’ve taken a significant step toward understanding how our estate can transition to sustainable, low-carbon operations.”

Dr Esfand Burman said: “We are delighted that our paper has won this prestigious award. Huge congratulations to Meysam and all co-authors! This was a collaborative and highly successful project and our research will hopefully help the transition to net-zero carbon in the healthcare sector.”

The award highlights the technical excellence and applied value of the work, as well as the strength of collaboration between academia and the NHS in addressing the climate challenges of the built environment.
 

Image: Meysam Paydar is presented with the ‘Most Significant Contribution to the Art and Science of Building Services Engineering’ award at the 2025 CIBSE IBPSA-England Technical Symposium.