CASE STUDY
A major NHS trust needed reliable energy data to control costs and support decarbonisation.
Critical challenge
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust serves 1.9 million people for general services, and 3.7 million across central southern England for specialist care. But they couldn’t identify where gas was being consumed across Southampton General Hospital.
Obsolete IP network metering delivering elevated pressure metering with only aggregate billing data. No building-level visibility. No granular consumption patterns. Mounting compliance risks threatened operations while undermining both cost control and decarbonisation efforts.
The Trust needed metering exchanges across a live hospital environment without compromising patient care.
13
gas meters replaced
27
data loggers installed
17
metering accuracy improvement
Integrated approach
Stark coordinated regulatory compliance, custom fabrication, and live commissioning through unified project delivery.
Our metering and data teams managed complex pipework variations while maintaining uninterrupted hospital services.
Strategic planning navigated ageing infrastructure, while careful stakeholder coordination ensured zero disruption to emergency, surgical, and critical care operations.
Seamless delivery
Working across a live hospital estate demands precision timing and a deep understanding of healthcare operations.
Stark coordinated around clinical schedules, ensuring emergency departments, surgical suites, and critical care units experienced zero disruption to patient services.
Our approach delivered confidence throughout:
- Weekly progress updates with estates, facilities, and clinical leadership, ensuring complete transparency on operational considerations
- Custom fabrication expertise that solved complex pipework challenges within existing infrastructure constraints
- Proactive risk management, identifying and resolving potential issues before they could impact delivery timelines
- Zero safety incidents and zero service disruption across the entire programme
Regular coordination meetings kept all stakeholders aligned. From engineering teams to department heads, proving that complex metering programmes can be delivered successfully even in the most demanding healthcare environments.
Before: Obsolete Intermediate pressure metering
After: Compliant MID approved elevated pressure metering module
"Stark demonstrated a professional, reliable and efficient approach throughout a large gas meter exchange carried out at our property. The works involved a full gas shut off to the site and had the potential to be highly disruptive; however, these were planned and managed carefully to minimise any impact."
Energy Manager, University Hospital Southampton
Future-proofed
MID-approved meters with 20-25 year lifespans provide long-term reliability and eliminate the compliance risks that plague ageing infrastructure.
The new infrastructure transforms energy management capabilities:
- IP network connectivity removes manual meter reading requirements, freeing the estates team’s resources for higher-value work
- Half Hourly data logging delivers granular consumption visibility to identify inefficiencies and validate energy-saving initiatives
- Building-level insights enable targeted interventions rather than estate-wide guesswork
- Scalable design supports future heat pump integration, building management system upgrades, and Net Zero strategies without requiring another disruptive overhaul
For the first time, UHS can see exactly where gas is being consumed across its complex site. Enabling robust business cases for decarbonisation investments backed by reliable data.
For NHS trusts, navigating the dual pressures of cost control and carbon reduction. This infrastructure investment delivers measurable returns across safety, compliance, operational efficiency, and strategic energy management.
To discuss how we can assist you with your gas metering, contact one of the team by completing our contact form.
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