NHS sites to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels

• More NHS trusts across England will benefit from additional Great British Energy funding for solar panels to cut their energy bills
• Successful initial scheme expanded to 34 NHS trusts covering around 70 new sites, which will see an estimated combined lifetime energy bill savings of up to £65 million to be reinvested in frontline services
• In total, around 260 NHS sites will benefit from Great British Energy's solar roll-out, alongside around 250 schools, and around 15 military sites

Communities across England will benefit from more money for their local NHS services, as Great British Energy's solar rollout continues to cut energy bills for public services.  

As part of an expanded scheme to fund solar panels for NHS sites, military sites and schools, 34 NHS trusts across England, including 10 already in programme, will receive funding from Great British Energy and government for new solar panels. 

These NHS trusts will install the panels at around 70 more sites, from hospitals to mental health facilities. In total, the scheme will see around 260 NHS sites benefitting.  

Estimated energy bill savings over the panels' lifetime could reach up to £65 million for the trusts from this additional spend. 

The scheme covers more than a third of NHS trusts in England, helping them to power health services with clean, homegrown energy, while giving them the potential to sell leftover energy back to the grid.  

NHS services have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and eating into healthcare budgets. This has been driven by the UK's dependency on global fossil fuel markets over which government has no control. The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.34 billion, that has almost doubled since 2019.  

Thanks to this partnership between the NHS and Great British Energy, millions could now be invested back into frontline services - as the rollout continues on a scheme that is estimated to see total lifetime energy bill savings for the NHS of up to £325 million - with the average NHS site estimated to save around £35,000 a year in energy bills. 

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:  

Great British Energy is helping your local hospital save money on its bills, to be reinvested into the frontline, from nurses to medical equipment. 

Across the country, solar panels are going up on rooftops or carpark canopies, to power operating theatres with clean, homegrown power.  

This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, protecting our public services with lower bills and energy security.

Great British Energy's CEO, Dan McGrail said:  

Great British Energy has been set up as a publicly owned energy company to help deliver the government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.   

Our ongoing solar rollout delivers tangible benefits to the people that need it most in our hospitals and schools. Our continuing work is ensuring money is being put back into frontline care and education, providing cheap, clean and secure power.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 

There is not just a moral case for this investment, but a pragmatic one too. 

Every pound the NHS spends on rising energy bills is money that can't be spent on cutting waiting times. 

By modernising the NHS and cutting wasteful spending, including taking back control of our energy, we will get patients treated faster.

Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England said:  

Thanks to this expanded funding through the Great British Energy collaboration, NHS solar generation is set to triple, driving significant cost savings and improving patient care.  

This investment will help more trusts slash their energy bills and reinvest those savings directly into frontline care – continuing to support our patients and communities while driving further progress towards a lower carbon, more sustainable health system.

Earlier this month, the government confirmed total funding for the solar scheme had increased to up to £255 million, allowing Great British Energy to support around 260 NHS sites, around 250 schools, and around15 military sites.  

As part of the expanded scheme, 34 NHS trusts will receive a share of up to £30 million. 

The scheme is already helping schools nationwide to cut costs, with 14 schools having installed panels alongside 5 NHS sites.  

The rollout of these solar panels marks progress in Great British Energy and government's Local Power Plan that will ensure the benefits of the government's clean power mission are felt at a local level, with energy security, good jobs and economic growth – while also helping to rebuild the nation's public services.  

This includes Great British Energy's investment of £10 million in grant funding for England's Mayoral Strategic Authorities to deliver local clean energy projects, announced earlier this year. The scheme will see public services across the country - such as libraries, fire stations and care homes - save an estimated £35 million in lifetime energy bill savings to reinvest back into serving their local communities.  

Last month the Energy Secretary also set out his expectations for how the publicly-owned company will deliver on the government's clean energy superpower mission – that will take back control of Britain's energy supply to protect billpayers from global fossil fuel price spikes. The company will produce a strategic plan within 6 months, setting out how it will meet these expectations and deliver for the British public.   

Michele Moran, Chief Executive, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trusts said: 

We're really proud to have secured funding through the NHS and Great British Energy Solar Partnership. It's another important step in our journey to deliver on our Green Plan and reach Net Zero. 

This investment will help us expand solar generation across key sites, reduce our reliance on grid energy and lower our carbon footprint. It's a great example of how we're investing in a more sustainable future for our services and communities.

Dawn Hanwell, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: 

We are delighted that Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be part of the Great British Energy solar panel programme. The solar installation will reduce our use of grid electricity and is estimated to provide 15% of our annual energy consumption. This will help us reduce our carbon footprint and contribute towards decarbonising our estate in line with our Green Plan. The reduction in energy costs will deliver long-term savings that can be reinvested in our other sustainability priorities and service user care. 

Simon Adamson, Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Development at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said:  

We're committed to reducing our impact on the environment while delivering excellent healthcare. This funding supports us to do just that. The solar panels will bring green energy to our hospital sites across Durham, Darlington and North Yorkshire, saving us money that can be used to provide safe and kind care to our communities.

Michael Wright, Managing Director, Net Zero Lead, Barnsley Hospital NHS FT said: 

We are proud to be part of this important solar initiative alongside Great British Energy.  Installing solar panels across our buildings will not only help reduce our energy costs while powering our buildings with clean, renewable energy, directly supporting our commitment to achieving net zero.

The Walton Centre Chief Executive Jan Ross said:  

As part of the NHS' commitment to reaching net zero by 2045, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is fully supportive of the efforts to tackle climate change and the environmental impact of our services. 

The energy used in our buildings is the largest contributor to our carbon footprint. To address this, we are prioritising energy efficiency improvements as a central part of our strategy. 

We are delighted to have applied for, and received, funding from GB Energy to install solar panels at The Walton Centre; this will allow us to take another step towards being net zero. The project will generate an amazing 253760 kWh which will help us offset our specialist energy demands.

Paul Fitzpatrick, Director of Estates and Facilities for NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said:

I welcome this additional funding from Great British Energy, which will enable us to install a further 2,000 solar panels across our estate. This builds upon the existing solar panel installations at our Aintree, Broadgreen and Liverpool Women's hospitals, which alongside our other energy efficiency projects are helping us harness renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions and cut energy bills.

Tendai Wileman, Chief of Staff & Director of Organisational Change and Net Zero Board Lead, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said: 

We are delighted to receive this funding for new solar panels for our community health centres. This will help us reduce our bills, produce clean energy on-site and shift towards a greener future. 

The installation of solar panels will directly support the aims of our refreshed Green Plan, which outlines how we will protect the environment while continuing to provide high-quality care for our patients over the next three years.

Sunil Vyas, Director of Projects and Estates at The Royal Marsden NHSFoundation Trust, said: 

We are delighted that The Royal Marsden was chosen to benefit from the Great British Energy solar programme. The solar panels will assist in our important ongoing work to hit the NHS Net Zero target by generating renewable energy and reducing our emissions, with the additional benefit of helping to reduce our energy bills.

Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Projects Sean Greene at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 

This initiative highlights our commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. We're investing in a healthier future for our community and money saved can be spent on patient care.

Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive and Chair of the Trust's Climate Change Group at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said: 

We are delighted to have been awarded funding to install solar panels on a car canopy at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. 

This is further investment which aligns with our vision of sustainable health services and more modern facilities, creating a better environment for our patients and colleagues. It is a project that will reduce our carbon footprint further and contribute to savings of an estimated £1 million a year in energy costs.

Rachel Barlow, Chief Development Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust said: 

The installation of these solar panels marks a crucial milestone in our journey at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust toward a more sustainable and resilient healthcare system. Our patients, staff, and community deserve a healthy environment, and reducing our carbon emissions is vital. With a total capacity of 229 kWp, our new solar schemes planned for Sandwell Health Campus and City Health Campus are projected to save 39,000 kg of carbon annually. 

This investment is key in delivering our new Green Plan and supports our trajectory to net zero, whilst underlining our commitment to a greener ways of working. We are proud to actively contribute to the NHS's national net zero target and champion climate-conscious care.

Ben Stevens, Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, said: 

This investment is a major step in reducing our carbon emissions and strengthening the energy resilience of our hospitals, and it aligns with our ongoing commitment to creating a sustainable, future-ready Trust.

Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Sustainability Lead, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: 

We are delighted to be part of the Great British Energy solar panel scheme. Embracing clean energy is a key part of our sustainability strategy, which includes an ambition to create greener, more resilient facilities for our patients, staff and community. This funding will enable us to continue to lower energy costs, reduce our environmental footprint and drive further progress towards our Net Zero goals.

Notes to editors  

The devolved governments have received separate GBE funding of over £9.35 million which will be used for renewable energy schemes that can be deployed either onto public sector buildings or to support new community or local renewables schemes. This includes £4.85 million for Scotland, £2.88 million for Wales and £1.62 million for Northern Ireland.   

Energy bill savings estimates are based on DESNZ assumptions agreed with other government departments (OGDs) and are net of operating costs. These estimates are highly uncertain, as they remain sensitive to key input assumptions, including future electricity retail prices.

The total estimated lifetime net bill savings are rounded to the nearest £5 million, so the sum of individual NHS trusts may not match the overall total due to round 

Estimated lifetime net energy bill savings are presented as ranges to reflect uncertainty in the final installed capacity. These estimates should be considered preliminary, as they remain sensitive to key input assumptions, including future electricity retail prices.