Hospitals and community services across Cheshire and Merseyside are set to benefit from £8.3 million of new national funding to install clean energy and energy‑efficiency upgrades – helping the NHS to lower bills, reduce emissions and reinvest savings into frontline patient care.
The investment forms part of the NHS Decarbonisation Fund, through which 82 NHS trusts in England will receive a share of £65.4 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The programme aims to accelerate the NHS’s journey to becoming the world’s first net zero health service.
The funding will support a range of improvements across NHS estates in Cheshire and Merseyside, including solar panel and battery storage installations, LED lighting upgrades, modern building management systems, as well as clean heat and energy‑efficiency measures.
These upgrades are expected to cut running costs for hospitals and community services each year, enabling trusts to redirect savings into patient care and essential services. They will also contribute to significant reductions in carbon emissions across the region’s NHS estate.
The following NHS organisations in Cheshire and Merseyside will receive a combined £8.3 million to deliver green energy improvements:
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The measures are part of the NHS’s broader strategy to cut carbon emissions, improve sustainability and modernise its estate to meet future energy demands.
This regional investment is part of a £74 million UK‑wide funding package being rolled out to hospitals, military bases and prisons, helping public‑sector sites:
- switch to cleaner energy sources
- lower their energy bills
- reduce environmental impact
- strengthen long‑term resilience
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Director of Sustainability and Partnerships, Dave Sweeney, said:
“This £8.3 million investment is fantastic news for our region. By upgrading lighting, installing solar panels and making other efficiency improvements, we will cut carbon emissions while reducing energy costs at a number of our NHS sites.
“These projects will help accelerate our progress towards a greener, more sustainable NHS while strengthening our long-term financial resilience, helping us to redirect cost savings into improving services for our patients and communities.”
The NHS is one of the country’s largest energy users, and decarbonisation is a key part of its long‑term sustainability plan. Trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside say the funding will help ensure healthcare buildings are cleaner, greener and more cost‑efficient – ultimately supporting better outcomes for patients and communities.
With energy prices remaining high and demand for NHS services increasing, the region’s trusts are expected to achieve both significant cost savings and reduced carbon footprints through the upgrades.
Image credit: iStock
