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Cost and savings
How much do solar panels cost in the UK? A typical system for a three-bedroom house is £6,600 to £8,400 installed, for around 4kW. With a battery, £10,100 to £13,900. Only a quote is a price. More on cost.
How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves? There is no single honest number. Estimates range from about six to twelve years and they assume different things. What decides yours is how much of your generation you use at home rather than export. How to work it out.
How much will I save? Government’s estimate is around £500 a year for rooftop solar. Yours depends on your roof, your usage and your tariff.
Do I pay VAT on solar panels? No. Installed solar, batteries and heat pumps in residential property are currently zero-rated until 31 Mar 2027, after which VAT goes to 5%, not 20%.
Is a battery worth it? It depends on your tariff more than anything else. On a time-of-use tariff a battery lets you buy cheap overnight electricity and avoid expensive peak electricity, which often matters more than storing your own solar. More on batteries.
Grants and payments
Is there a government grant for solar panels? Not a universal one for ordinary owner-occupiers. There is zero VAT, the Smart Export Guarantee, and targeted schemes for lower-income households. Government also runs a Warm Homes Loan Scheme, which is theirs rather than ours; check it on gov.uk. The full picture.
Can I still get the Feed-in Tariff? No. It closed to new applicants after 31 Mar 2019. Existing households keep their payments.
What is the Smart Export Guarantee? An obligation on larger suppliers to offer at least one export tariff. Suppliers set their own rates, which currently run around 12p to 13p per kWh. You need Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certification and a smart meter. More.
Does ECO4, the Energy Company Obligation, pay for solar panels? Sometimes, for eligible households. ECO4 is open until 31 Dec 2026 and can fund measures including solar for low-income and vulnerable households in EPC D to G homes in England, Wales and Scotland. Solar only qualifies in some circumstances, eligibility is assessed by the installer or scheme administrator rather than by us, and funding can run out before the closing date. More.
Is it different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? Yes, significantly. Scotland has paid nothing for domestic solar or batteries since 6 Jun 2024. Wales has Nest. Northern Ireland has no equivalent solar grant. Detail.
The system
What size system do I need? The UK average is around 4.8 to 5.2 kWp. The right size depends on your roof, your usage and your budget. More.
Do solar panels work on a cloudy day? Yes, at reduced output. They respond to daylight, not direct sun. British weather reduces output rather than stopping it.
Do solar panels work at night? No. That is what a battery is for. More.
Does my roof have to face south? No. South is best. East and west facing roofs produce less in total but spread generation across more of the day, which can suit a household that uses electricity morning and evening.
What if a chimney or tree shades part of the roof? Shading on one panel can affect others on the same string. Optimisers or microinverters reduce the effect. Tell every installer about shading and check their output estimate accounts for it. More.
How long do panels last? Decades. Output falls slowly each year rather than stopping. The inverter usually needs replacing sooner than the panels. More.
Rules and permission
Do I need planning permission? Usually not. Roof-mounted solar on a house is normally permitted development. Exceptions include listed buildings, scheduled monuments, conservation areas and anywhere an Article 4 Direction applies. Rules differ across the UK. More.
Why is my quote limited to 3.68kW? Because of how systems connect to the electricity network. Up to 3.68kW per phase the installer simply notifies the network operator afterwards. Above that, permission is needed first. More.
Can a battery go in my loft? Not under the rules that have been mandatory since 15 Oct 2026. If an installer proposes it, ask how the installation complies with BS 7671 Amendment 4. More.
Do I need an MCS-certified installer? If you want to be paid for exported electricity, yes. Without MCS certification you cannot claim the Smart Export Guarantee. More.
During and after
Will solar keep my power on in a blackout? Not normally. A standard system shuts down in a power cut for the safety of network workers. Backup is possible but has to be specified and paid for. More.
Do panels need cleaning? Rarely in the UK. Rain does most of it. Cleaning is worth considering if the roof is shallow-pitched or under trees. More.
What maintenance is needed? Very little. Keep an eye on the output figures so you notice if something stops working, and expect to replace the inverter at some point.
Can I add more panels later? Sometimes, but it is rarely as simple as it sounds. Inverter capacity, network permission and mixing panel ages all come into it. More.
Heat pumps
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler? Not reliably, at current prices. A heat pump has to reach a seasonal performance factor of about 2.81 to match a gas boiler, and the median in UK field trials is 2.8. A well-designed installation saves money, a poor one costs more. We would rather say that than tell you it always saves. The full arithmetic.
How much is the heat pump grant? £7,500 in England and Wales, or £9,000 for eligible off-gas-grid properties until 31 Mar 2027. Your installer applies and takes it off the price. More.
Using this site
What does it cost me? Nothing. Installers pay us for the introduction.
How many installers will contact me? Up to 3 installers who cover your area. We email and text you their names when your enquiry is passed on, and you can ask any of them, or us, to stop at any time.
Do you install solar panels? No. We are not an installer, we do not carry out work and we do not sell equipment. The installers are independent businesses responsible for their own quotes and their own work.