Communities are set to benefit from more money for healthcare and the armed forces with clean energy upgrades to cut their bills.
82 NHS Trusts, 8 military sites and 1 prison will receive a share of £74 million to adopt clean energy technologies and improve their energy efficiency – helping them bring down bills and create savings to be reinvested into local frontline services.
These measures will save over 190 NHS sites almost £30 million a year on their energy bills, while military sites across England and Scotland are expected to make annual energy savings worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Lincoln County Hospital will receive over £1.2 million to install solar panels, while the Harbour, a mental health hospital in Blackpool, will benefit from £590,000 to install new battery technology.
Meanwhile, a number of RAF stations including RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Waddington and RAF Marham will benefit from upgrades to manage energy usage, making them cheaper to run.
HMP Channings Wood in Devon will also receive £495,000 for solar panels and almost £250,000 for electrical and plumbing works to help reduce heat loss.
£9 million will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE) for batteries and solar panels, building on the publicly owned energy company’s £255 million investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites last year.
Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said: “More money will go straight to frontline services as hospitals, prisons and military sites benefit from cheaper bills and cutting-edge green technology.
“This is our clean power mission in action – cutting bills, investing in public services and providing energy security for our country.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “With lower bills for hospitals, better value for money, and a cleaner, more efficient NHS, everybody wins.
“Every penny of these savings will be redirected straight back into frontline care and delivering an NHS patients, staff and the whole country can be proud of again.
“This investment will help us build an NHS fit for the future.”
Dan McGrail, CEO of Great British Energy said: “Communities are at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. Clean local energy projects enable communities to directly benefit from cleaner, more secure power.
“This funding will help to create an immediate reduction in energy bills so that millions of pounds can be invested back into vital services for the British public.”
