More NHS sites across England to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels.
From:
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, Michael Shanks MP and The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Published
24 October 2025
Key Highlights of the Expanded Solar Scheme
- 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
Source of the image: UK Government Publishing Service
Communities to Benefit from Cleaner, Cheaper Energy
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.
Rising Energy Costs and the NHS Challenge
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.
Government and NHS Leaders Speak
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 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.
Funding and Rollout Details
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 around 15 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 początk 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.
NHS Trust Leaders Welcome the Initiative
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.
Dawn Hanwell, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:
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.
Simon Adamson, Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Development at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said:
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:
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.
Jan Ross, The Walton Centre Chief Executive said:
The project will generate an amazing 253,760 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:
This will enable us to install a further 2,000 solar panels across our estate.
Tendai Wileman, Chief of Staff & Director of Organisational Change and Net Zero Board Lead, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said:
This will help us reduce our bills, produce clean energy on-site and shift towards a greener future.
Sunil Vyas, Director of Projects and Estates at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said:
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.
Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Projects Sean Greene at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said:
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:
This 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:
Our new solar schemes planned for Sandwell Health Campus and City Health Campus are projected to save 39,000 kg of carbon annually.
Ben Stevens, Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, said:
This investment is a major step in reducing carbon emissions and strengthening the energy resilience of our hospitals.
Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Sustainability Lead, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said:
This funding will enable us to continue to lower energy costs, reduce our environmental footprint and drive further progress towards our Net Zero goals.
Funding Allocation by NHS Trust
| Trust Name | Region | Number of Sites | Funding to Trust (£) | Estimated Lifetime Net Energy Bill Savings (£, undiscounted – 2025 prices) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | EAST OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £681,000 | £1.2 – 1.5m |
| CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | EAST OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £240,000 | £0.6 – 0.7m |
| CAMBRIDGESHIRE COMMUNITY SERVICES NHS TRUST | EAST OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £330,000 | £0.5 – 0.6m |
| NORFOLK COMMUNITY HEALTH AND CARE NHS TRUST | EAST OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING REGION | 7 | £1,200,000 | £2.3 – 2.9m |
| BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £1,075,000 | £2.6 – 3.2m |
| CENTRAL AND NORTH WEST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 6 | £769,000 | £0.9 – 1.1m |
| GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’ NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 6 | £667,000 | £1.2 – 1.5m |
| SOUTH WEST LONDON AND ST GEORGE’S MENTAL HEALTH NHS TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £210,000 | £0.4 – 0.4m |
| THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £218,000 | £0.3 – 0.3m |
| WEST LONDON NHS TRUST | LONDON COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £37,000 | £0 – 0.1m |
| LEICESTERSHIRE PARTNERSHIP NHS TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 4 | £456,000 | £1.4 – 1.7m |
| LINCOLNSHIRE PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 3 | £414,000 | £0.7 – 0.8m |
| SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £177,000 | £0.3 – 0.3m |
| SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £142,000 | £0.2 – 0.3m |
| THE SHREWSBURY AND TELFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £445,000 | £0.8 – 0.9m |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £306,000 | £0.8 – 0.9m |
| WALSALL HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST | MIDLANDS COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £750,000 | £1.2 – 1.5m |
| BARNSLEY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £147,000 | £0.2 – 0.3m |
| CALDERDALE AND HUDDERSFIELD NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £1,189,000 | £1.8 – 2.2m |
| CUMBRIA, NORTHUMBERLAND, TYNE AND WEAR NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 3 | £1,842,000 | £5.2 – 6.4m |
| HUMBER TEACHING NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £668,000 | £1.1 – 1.3m |
| LEEDS AND YORK PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £119,000 | £0.2 – 0.2m |
| SOUTH TYNESIDE AND SUNDERLAND NHS FOUND源ATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £485,000 | £1.2 – 1.4m |
| TEES, ESK AND WEAR VALLEYS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 5 | £2,220,000 | £4.8 – 5.9m |
| THE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £59,000 | £0.2 – 0.2m |
| YORK AND SCARBOROUGH TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £963,000 | £1.7 – 2m |
| LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 3 | £4,173,000 | £7.1 – 8.6m |
| THE WALTON CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | NORTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £590,000 | £0.9 – 1.2m |
| EAST KENT HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | SOUTH EAST COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £2,200,000 | £3.4 – 4.1m |
| PORTSMOUTH HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE TRUST | SOUTH EAST COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £1,737,000 | £2.6 – 3.2m |
| ROYAL DEVON UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | SOUTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £407,000 | £0.8 – 0.9m |
| SALISBURY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | SOUTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 1 | £366,000 | £0.7 – 0.8m |
| SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | SOUTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 2 | £530,000 | £1.1 – 1.3m |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DORSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | SOUTH WEST COMMISSIONING REGION | 5 | £1,752,000 | £3.4 – 4.2m |
| Total: 34 | 74 | £27,564,000 | 50-60 million |
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.
Devolved Nations Funding
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.