UK Allocates £10 Million to Power Public Buildings with Clean Energy

The UK’s publicly owned investment firm, Great British Energy (GB Energy), has committed £10 million in grants to support clean energy installations across public buildings in England, a move expected to generate £35 million in lifetime energy bill savings.

The funding will benefit schools, libraries, fire and police stations, care homes, community centres, and other public facilities across the country. According to GB Energy, the supported projects could reduce annual operating costs for public buildings by £1.2 million, while contributing to the UK’s broader net-zero goals.

Key Regional Projects:

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will install rooftop solar panels on care homes and leisure centres, projected to save £4.6 million in energy costs over the lifetime of the systems.

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority received funding for rooftop solar on libraries, police and fire stations, and sports centres, estimated to cut £2.1 million from future energy bills.

• In York and North Yorkshire, £700,000 in new funding will enable solar panel installations for a swimming pool in York and leisure centres in Whitby, Ripon, and Thirsk, expected to save around £4 million in total.

• Other grant recipients include projects in Greater London, the West Midlands, and the West of England, as well as solar panel installations on police headquarters, car parks, and a former colliery in the East Midlands.

• The West Yorkshire Combined Authority will install solar and battery storage systems at police stations, a plant nursery, a primary school, sports facilities, and the Lotherton Hall Estate, targeting nearly £8.3 million in lifetime savings.

  
  

National Strategy

This round of funding follows GB Energy’s earlier £180 million initiative to deploy solar panels on approximately 200 schools and 200 hospitals across England. That effort is expected to return £400 million in energy savings to schools and NHS facilities over the next 30 years.

Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, emphasized the value of the initiative:

“Our plans will mean more money can be spent on the services that make working people better off and help strengthen the ties that bind us in our communities. This is what Great British Energy is all about—taking back control to deliver lower bills for good.”

Dan McGrail, recently appointed as GB Energy’s permanent CEO, said the projects highlight the organisation’s purpose:

“This shows our mission in action—providing a lasting positive impact for the country by creating new jobs, lower bills, and a cleaner future. It’s important that communities feel the benefits of the energy transition.”