Solar for care homes
A care home runs every hour of every day, and its energy bill reflects that. Heating, hot water, laundry, catering and lighting do not pause, which makes a fixed, lower-cost portion of supply genuinely valuable.
Why the numbers work here
Care homes are continuous-load buildings. Unlike an office that empties at six, a home draws power around the clock, with a strong daytime peak across laundry, kitchens and general activity. A rooftop array covers a meaningful share of that daytime load directly. The same applies to nursing homes, residential care, assisted living schemes and supported living settings: the building pattern matters more than the label.
Margins in the sector are tight and energy is one of the larger controllable costs. Lowering operational costs in a care facility usually means finding savings that do not touch staffing or resident care, and energy is one of the few places left to look. Taking a portion of it off the market for the long term protects a budget that has very little slack in it.
What it changes commercially
- Typical reductions of up to 30% on electricity bills, depending on roof area and consumption.
- No capital outlay under a funded agreement, so nothing is diverted from staffing or resident care.
- A fixed rate on generated power for the length of the agreement.
- Maintenance and monitoring of the system are included, so it does not become another job for your facilities team.
Disruption is the real question
In our experience this is what operators actually want to know, ahead of the numbers. Rooftop installation is carried out from outside the building and does not require access to residents' rooms. Work is planned around the home's routine, and typical single-site installations are measured in weeks. Connection works need a short planned outage, which is scheduled with you and, for a care setting, worked around your contingency arrangements.
Groups and multiple homes
Care groups usually start with one or two homes rather than the whole portfolio. Roof suitability varies widely across a group, particularly where older or listed buildings are involved, so it is worth assessing sites individually before committing to a pattern.
Operators running a mix of settings, for example a nursing home alongside assisted living apartments, often find the numbers differ considerably between them. Purpose-built care facilities from the last twenty years tend to have the simplest, most suitable roofs.
Where we work
We arrange commercial solar for care homes, nursing homes and residential care groups across England, Scotland and Wales. Single independent homes and larger care groups are both worth assessing, and there is no cost for finding out what a site could achieve.
How we work
We are an introducer rather than an installer. We assess the site remotely, model what is achievable and handle the commercial side, then introduce you to an accredited funding and installation partner. There is no cost to you for our involvement, at any stage.
Related reading
- Solar for warehouses and distribution centres
- Solar for manufacturing businesses
- Solar for schools and academies
- What is a solar Power Purchase Agreement?
- Common questions about fully funded commercial solar
The first step
A free desktop assessment. We use your site address and a recent electricity bill to model what your roof could produce and what it could be worth. No site visit, no cost, no obligation.
Common questions
Will residents be disturbed?
Rooftop work is done from outside and does not require access to residents' rooms. Scheduling is agreed with the home in advance, and the connection stage, which needs a short planned outage, is arranged around your contingency arrangements.
Our building is old, or partly listed. Does that rule us out?
It may limit which roofs can be used, and listed status brings planning considerations. It does not automatically rule out a site, particularly where there are later extensions or outbuildings with suitable roofs.
We lease the home from a landlord. Is that a problem?
Not in itself. It depends on the lease term and the landlord's willingness to engage. Both are worth establishing early, and leased sites do go ahead.