Secure I.T. completes UPS and AHU upgrades for NHS
Author: Joe Peck
Secure I.T. Environments (SITE), a UK design and build company for modular, containerised, and micro data centres, has completed uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and air handling unit (AHU) upgrades at two live data centres operated by an unnamed NHS Foundation Trust.
The projects were carried out while both facilities remained operational and were designed to improve resilience, energy efficiency, and future scalability for the Trust’s critical digital infrastructure.
The UPS upgrade replaced two end-of-life systems with modular Riello Multi Power infrastructure. SITE installed two 252kVA UPS chassis, each configured at 84kVA N+1 using 42kW power modules. The modular design allows additional capacity to be added in the future without replacing the entire platform.
Cooling upgrade improves efficiency
The second project involved replacing ageing AHUs at a data centre originally designed and built by SITE during the 2000s. The facility supports a hospital with more than 800 beds, outpatient services, and one of the South East’s busiest emergency departments.
As part of the works, the existing condenser compound was decommissioned and replaced with a new ground-level installation designed to improve heat rejection performance.
The upgraded FläktGroup AHUs were specified to maintain environmental conditions during higher ambient temperatures, whilst also incorporating physical security measures and remote monitoring capabilities.
According to SITE, the new cooling equipment is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 58,000kg annually and deliver energy cost savings of approximately £32,305 per year, with a projected return on investment of just over three years.
Working around ongoing operations
The projects were delivered in carefully planned phases to minimise disruption to hospital operations. The UPS systems were replaced one at a time over two weekend shutdowns, with construction work for the cooling upgrade being scheduled to reduce the impact on visitors and nearby clinical services.
A spokesperson for the Trust comments, “This was a big and critically important project for the hospital, carried out smoothly by Secure I.T. Environments. We were really grateful for the work and professionalism of the team, and its partners Riello, throughout the project.”
The UPS project also included new underfloor containment and cabling, DC transition boxes, integration with the existing battery strings following testing, remote monitoring, commissioning, load bank testing, and operational training for estates engineers.
Jo-Anne Garvie, Commercial Director at Secure I.T. Environments, says, “In hospital environments, the resilience of supporting infrastructure has to be treated with the same discipline as the IT systems it protects.
“These projects have resulted in a more flexible and maintainable power platform and energy-efficient cooling infrastructure. Together, they support the Trust’s current operational needs and give it a clear path for future expansion.”
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