Solar panels for care homes, GP surgeries and private clinics

Why healthcare demand suits solar

Care homes and nursing homes

A care home is occupied every hour of every day. Its electrical loads include lighting, laundry, commercial kitchens, lifts and hoists, nurse call and fire systems, medical equipment, and often electric hot water and heating. Laundry and kitchens in particular run through the daytime, so a rooftop array can be used directly for most of the year, including weekends and bank holidays. That makes the self-consumption rate high, which is the main driver of savings.

GP surgeries and health centres

Surgeries follow a weekday daytime pattern with extended hours on some evenings and weekends. Loads include lighting, IT, vaccine and medicine refrigeration, heating and ventilation. Buildings are often modest in size, so arrays are smaller, but the daytime match is good.

Private clinics, dental practices and diagnostic centres

Imaging equipment such as MRI and CT scanners, along with the cooling they need, can create substantial daytime loads. Dental practices run compressors, suction and sterilisation equipment. Physiotherapy, veterinary and other clinics often have long opening hours. These sites typically use everything a roof array produces.

The site and building issues a healthcare survey checks

Backup power and essential supplies

Many healthcare buildings have standby generators or uninterruptible power supplies for essential circuits. Grid-connected solar inverters are designed to shut down when the grid supply is lost, for the safety of anyone working on the network, so standard solar does not provide backup power on its own. The survey checks how the array would sit alongside generator changeover arrangements so that the two do not interfere. If resilience is a priority, battery storage with a suitable backup function can be considered, though it needs specific design.

Occupants and fire strategy

Care homes accommodate people who may not be able to evacuate unaided, and their fire strategies often rely on moving residents horizontally to protected areas rather than evacuating the whole building. Any rooftop system must not undermine that strategy. The surveyor considers cable routes through the building, the position of isolators for the fire service, and how far panels sit from compartment walls. Insurers often refer to the RC62 recommendations; our fire safety and insurance guide explains the main points.

Working in occupied buildings

Installation in a care home or clinic has to be planned around residents and patients: noise, vibration, dust, infection control and secure storage of equipment, plus keeping access routes and ambulance bays clear. Work may need restricted hours, and electrical shutdowns for the final connection must be coordinated with any equipment that cannot be interrupted.

Roofs and electrical capacity

Purpose-built care homes and health centres often have pitched roofs with tiles or slates, sometimes with multiple slopes and dormers that break up the usable area. Converted period buildings bring heritage considerations. Clinics with imaging equipment need an electrical assessment to confirm the connection point and any power quality issues. Systems above the G98 threshold need G99 approval from the DNO.

Car parks and transport

Care homes, health centres and clinics usually have parking for staff, visitors and patients, and some run minibuses or community vehicles. Where the roof is small or awkward, a canopy over part of the car park can add generating capacity and shelter, provided it leaves room for ambulances, drop-off points and accessible bays. It also gives a natural location for EV charging if you are planning chargers for staff or vehicles.

Finance and ownership questions for healthcare

Operator and property owner

Many care homes are operated by one organisation and owned by another, often on long leases. The operator usually pays the electricity bill and gains the savings, while the landlord controls the roof. Who installs, who owns the system and what happens at the end of the lease all need agreeing. A power purchase agreement can suit operators who do not want to invest capital in a building they lease.

GP premises

GP surgeries may be owned by the partners, leased from a private landlord, or held by a public sector property body. Each arrangement affects who can approve works and how any savings or costs are treated. Practices should check their lease and speak to whoever handles premises matters before commissioning work.

NHS estates

NHS trusts and other NHS bodies usually run solar projects through their own estates teams, procurement rules and frameworks, often as part of wider net zero plans. Our service is mainly suited to independent healthcare providers, care operators and practices, though the survey principles are the same.

Tax and VAT

Profit-making operators can usually claim capital allowances on solar, which is special rate expenditure; check the treatment with your accountant. Charitable care providers may be eligible for the zero rate of VAT if the building is used solely for a relevant charitable purpose; see our charities page and confirm eligibility with your adviser.

What to have ready for a healthcare survey

• 12 months of half-hourly data, plus details of any separate supplies
• Details of standby generators, UPS systems and essential circuits
• Fire risk assessment and fire strategy for the building
• Asbestos register for older premises
• The lease, or contact details for the landlord or property owner
• Any equipment that cannot tolerate a planned shutdown
• Preferred working hours and areas that must stay clear during installation

Request a free survey to see what your premises could generate and save.