Hospitals and healthcare facilities rely heavily on chilled water systems to maintain controlled environments across wards, operating theatres, labs, and pharmaceutical storage areas. But with rising electricity costs, growing pressure to cut carbon emissions, and the need for absolute system reliability, the cooling challenge has become more complex—and more critical. Enter EnergiVault: a cold thermal energy storage system from O-Hx that is redefining how cooling is managed in clinical environments.
In hospitals, cooling isn’t optional—it’s mission-critical. But traditional approaches can be expensive and inefficient. Chillers are often oversized to handle peak demand, but this leads to frequent short-cycling, mechanical stress, and inflated running costs. When chillers are connected to emergency power systems, their high start-up loads can strain backup generators and compromise resilience.
EnergiVault addresses all of this—head on.
By shifting energy consumption from peak to off-peak periods, EnergiVault stores cold energy overnight—when electricity is cheaper and the grid’s carbon intensity is lower. This stored energy is then used during the day, meeting cooling loads without placing added strain on chillers or emergency systems.
“Many hospitals operate chillers conservatively to avoid failure during critical hours,” notes the O-Hx engineering team. “But this conservative approach often leads to inefficiencies and higher costs. EnergiVault enables hospitals to run chillers at optimal efficiency, and then carry that cooling forward into the day.”
The benefits are already being recognised by forward-looking NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers:
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Hospitals are smoothing peak loads, avoiding grid constraints and minimising stress on ageing chillers.
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Energy managers are cutting electricity costs and protecting facilities from volatile peak tariffs.
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Facilities teams are extending equipment life and reducing reliance on emergency generator support.
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Sustainability officers are lowering CO₂ emissions, supporting net zero goals without compromising care.
And the economics are just as compelling. Many installations are achieving a return on investment in under four years—some in as little as three—thanks to reduced energy spend, improved reliability, and lower maintenance overheads.
EnergiVault’s modular design means it can be tailored to match the cooling needs of a single clinic or a large hospital campus. Whether you need 1MWh or 10MWh of storage, or a rapid charge cycle to align with on-site solar PV, EnergiVault adapts to suit the real-world demands of healthcare estates.
As the NHS and healthcare providers look to modernise infrastructure and meet sustainability commitments, EnergiVault is providing a proven, practical solution to one of the sector’s most energy-intensive needs. It’s not about changing what hospitals do—it’s about helping them do it better, more efficiently, and more reliably.
