Hospitals and schools in England are beginning to cut energy costs following the installation of solar panels funded through a £180 million investment programme.
So far, panels have been fitted at five NHS sites and three schools, with another eight schools expected to follow this autumn. In total, 11 schools and five hospitals across the country are set to benefit, with estimated lifetime combined savings of £3.8 million.
The funding forms part of a wider £180 million scheme announced in March to support the installation of rooftop solar panels on around 200 schools and nearly 200 NHS sites in England. Of this, £80 million has been allocated to schools and £100 million to hospitals.
According to estimates, a typical NHS site could save up to £45,000 annually on energy bills, while schools could save around £25,000. These savings are expected to be reinvested into local services such as healthcare provision and classroom resources.
The NHS is currently the largest public sector energy user in the UK, with an annual energy bill of around £1.4 billion – more than double its 2019 total. Rising energy costs have also placed additional strain on school budgets.
Currently, only about 20% of schools and 10% of hospitals in the UK have solar panels installed. Officials expect that by April next year, all the institutions under the current scheme will have panels operational.
The solar installed on the NHS sites, has a combined project cost of £704,332 and a total installed capacity of 474 kW. These assets are estimated to deliver yearly average net energy bill savings of around £63,200 and of around £1.9 million over their operating lifetime which is assumed to be 30 years.
The largest installation was at Winchester & Eastleigh Resource Centre, where the 242kW system will save £32,200 a year and £967,000 over it’s life.
The 11 schools have a combined project cost of £1.3 million and a total installed capacity of 626526kW. This is estimated to deliver annual average net energy bill savings of around £63,200 and of around £1.9 million over their operating lifetime.
Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, said: ‘Thanks to this new funding, we are set to expand solar generation by more than 300% across the NHS – slashing millions of pounds from energy bills, which can then be redirected into patient care.
‘These new solar panels are expected to save the NHS £8.6 million every year once all the projects are completed, adding up to £260 million over their lifetime.
‘That’s a massive leap towards a more sustainable, cost-efficient NHS – building on the great work already undertaken in the five years since we became the first healthcare system in the world to commit to reaching net zero.’
Photo: Benjamin Jopen
Leave a Reply