Renewable energy grants and funding for UK business

Yes, businesses can get help with renewable energy, though in 2026 most of that help comes through tax relief and targeted schemes rather than open cash grants. The single biggest lever is not a grant at all: 100% Annual Investment Allowance and Full Expensing let a company deduct the full cost of solar, batteries, heat pumps and EV chargers from taxable profit in year one, recovering roughly a quarter of the cost, with VAT reclaimable for VAT-registered businesses on top. Layered on that are the Workplace Charging Scheme for EV, the Smart Export Guarantee for solar export, and sector schemes such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Below is each route with who it is for and what it is worth. One important caveat: the domestic Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not apply to commercial buildings, so commercial heat pumps are funded through capital allowances and the public and industrial schemes instead.

How the funding routes stack

The routes combine. A typical owned project uses AIA or Full Expensing on the whole capex, claims the Workplace Charging Scheme on any EV sockets, and sells surplus solar under the Smart Export Guarantee. A public body layers PSDS or Salix funding with those allowances; an energy-intensive manufacturer adds the IETF. If capital is the barrier rather than the return, a Power Purchase Agreement sidesteps grants entirely by removing the capex, and asset finance spreads the cost so the project is cash-flow positive from month one. We map the right combination for your specific measures and business type, and prepare the paperwork, as part of the free assessment.