The NHS has confirmed that it will be switching over 11% of its total estate to renewable energy by this spring, under a series of clean energy deals brokered via its property services division.

Under the terms of the new contracts, the NHS will be supplied with 100% renewable-source energy by British Gas Business.

The National Health Service has a sizeable property division - the NHSPS - which manages over 3,500 buildings, including GP surgeries, health centres and hospitals. Together, these public buildings cover a total of 34 million square feet.

New contracts have now been completed via Inspired Energy to ensure that the estate will be powered by entirely clean energy by April of this year. Additionally, heating energy will be switched to natural gas, which has a lower carbon footprint.

The NHS says that its annual carbon emissions will be slashed by over 40,000 tonnes as a result of the new contracts.

It will also be rolling out LED lighting for better energy-efficiency across the entire estate with a £1.5 million investment. The plan is that the NHSPS can cut maintenance and operational costs whilst slashing its carbon emissions.

Currently, the NHS is responsible for around 5% of the UK's entire carbon footprint every year, so its plans will be key in slashing the country's overall emissions to meet the net-zero target for 2050.

Simon Stevens, the CEO of the NHS, said last year that the NHS was working to create a series of integrated measures that would vastly reduce its carbon footprint within the year. He said that it would also be creating new resources to support staff as they worked to share the possible health impacts of air pollution and other environmental issues.

Further measures are being planned to decarbonise the NHS fleet and vehicles.