DESNZ Funding
Funding programmes led by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Funding support for your
renewable energy project.
Seven funding areas for public sector, local authority, combined authority, community and school renewable energy projects, and how we support your application with feasibility evidence, procurement documentation and a delivery programme planned back from the funding deadline.
- 7Funding areas
- EvidenceFrom a free feasibility study
- SupportApplication and procurement
- DeliveryPlanned from the deadline
Public sectorDecarbonisation projects
Local & combined authoritiesRegional and civic funding
CommunityCommunity funding routes
SchoolsSchool funding routes
01. How funding works
Programmes change.
Programmes change.
The evidence they need doesn’t.
This page is for anyone who needs help paying for a renewable energy project. Funding programmes open and close, change their criteria and set fixed spending windows. What stays the same is what a funder wants to see: a credible system size, a savings forecast, a carbon reduction estimate, a realistic cost and a deliverable programme.
Our free feasibility study provides that technical evidence in a form you can attach to your application. Once funding is awarded, we plan the works back from the deadline.
Below are the seven funding areas we support projects through. Programmes, criteria and deadlines change from year to year, so we do not list them here. Instead, we confirm what is open to your organisation as part of every feasibility study.
02. Funding areas
Seven funding areas
Seven funding areas
we support projects through.
These are the areas in which we can support an application. Availability, eligibility, amounts and deadlines for your organisation are confirmed during the feasibility study.
Great British Energy
Funding routes connected to Great British Energy, the publicly owned energy company.
Public Sector Decarbonisation
Decarbonisation funding for public sector buildings and estates.
Public sector pathwayCommunity Funding
Funding routes for community and faith organisations and community energy projects.
Community pathwayLocal Authority Funding
Funding routes for council estates, depots, civic buildings and housing.
Local authority pathwayCombined Authority Grants
Regional grant programmes administered by combined authorities.
School Funding
Funding routes for schools, academy trusts and colleges.
Education pathwayNot sure which applies?
Tell us about your organisation and site, and the feasibility study will identify the routes that fit.
Request a free feasibility study
03. How we support an application
Assess. Evidence.
Assess. Evidence.
Procure. Deliver.
The same process we follow for every funded public sector, community and school project.
Step 01
Free feasibility study
We turn your site data and electricity bills into an estimated system size, savings forecast, carbon reduction estimate and indicative ROI.
No obligationStep 02
Funding check
We confirm which of the seven areas is open to your organisation as part of the feasibility study.
Part of the studyStep 03
Application evidence
We supply figures, drawings, a quotation, accreditations and a delivery programme in the format the funder asks for.
Evidence packStep 04
Procurement support
Accreditation, insurance, health and safety and policy documentation for frameworks, compliant quotations and direct awards.
Before tenderStep 05
Delivery within the window
Once funding is awarded, we plan the programme back from the deadline and mobilise our in-house team.
Deadline-plannedStep 06
Evidence of outcomes
MCS certificates, commissioning records and monitoring data for your funder return.
Reporting
04. Who this is for
Funding routes
Funding routes
by organisation.
05. Free feasibility study
Get the evidence
Get the evidence
your application needs.
Share your site details and electricity bills. A UK engineer will model the system and produce the figures funders ask for.
- Estimated system size
- Estimated bill savings
- Carbon reduction estimate
- Indicative payback
06. Funding FAQs
Funding
Still have a question?0330 043 1047 Funding
questions answered.
Do you help with funding applications?
Yes. The free feasibility study produces the system size, savings, carbon and cost figures an application needs, and we support the evidence and delivery programme behind it. Programmes change, so we confirm what is open to your organisation rather than promise what might be available.
Can you guarantee we will get funding?
No one can. What we can do is make sure your application has credible, well-evidenced figures and a deliverable programme, which is what funders assess.
What happens if the funding deadline is tight?
We plan the programme back from the deadline and run surveys, design, DNO applications and procurement documentation in parallel. If a date is not realistic, we will tell you early.
Can you work through our procurement framework?
Yes. We provide the accreditation, insurance, health and safety and policy documentation your route requires, whether that is a framework call-off, a compliant quotation process or a direct award.
Is there funding for homeowners or businesses?
The seven areas above are for public sector, local and combined authority, community and school projects. For homeowners, solar panels and battery storage installed in homes in Great Britain currently attract 0% VAT (due to run until 31 March 2027); the Residential page explains more. Businesses can find capex, lease and PPA routes on the Commercial & Industrial page.
Which funding programmes are open at the moment?
Programmes open and close, and their criteria and deadlines change, so we do not publish a list that could go out of date. We check what is currently open to your organisation as part of the free feasibility study.
What do you need from us to get started?
Recent electricity bills or consumption data, the site address, and any drawings or roof information you already hold. If you have a funding deadline, tell us at the outset so we can plan the programme around it.
Does VAT apply to funded public sector or charity projects?
It depends on the building and how it is used. The 0% rate on solar PV, heat pumps and battery storage currently covers residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose; other non-domestic installations are normally charged at 20%. We cannot give tax advice, so please confirm your position with your finance team or adviser.
Funded projects,
delivered.
A free feasibility study from our in-house UK engineering team, with the figures your funding application needs.