Thousands of pounds are expected to be saved and put back into frontline care thanks to a major award win to install new solar panels at the main headquarters of Bridgewater Community Healthcare.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced a package of £100 million from Great British Energy for the NHS to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help drive down energy bills, offering better value for the taxpayer.
As part of this groundbreaking new funding, Bridgewater Community Healthcare has been awarded £160,000 to install solar panels at the organisation’s corporate headquarters in Birchwood.
At current electricity price costs, it could save the organisation almost £25,000 each year.
In total, 227 panels will be installed on the roof of Spencer House by late summer. Spanning an area of 453 square metres, it is estimated the annual electricity generated will be almost 90,000kWh (enough energy to power an average UK household for about 25 years*).
Nikhil Khashu is Chief Executive of Bridgewater Community Healthcare. He said: “With energy bills soaring, the funding to install solar panels on the roof of our main headquarters in Birchwood has arrived at a perfect time.
“Like NHS trusts up and down the country, we are doing all we can to cut costs to ensure we can focus our spending on delivering the best patient care.
“Not only will this installation save us around £25,000 on energy bills each year, it will also support our ambition of creating a greener and more sustainable NHS.”
Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, Chris Gormley added: “Thanks to the dedication of teams nationwide, the NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that enhance energy efficiency and drive significant cost savings.
“This groundbreaking new investment, across 78 NHS Trusts on around 200 sites, will expand solar power generation within the NHS by over 300%, slashing energy costs by hundreds of millions of pounds.
“These vital savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.”
