Home & Family
Compare solar panel quotes
Solar is one of the few home improvements with a genuine return, and one of the easiest to overpay for. The spread between quotes on the same roof is routinely thousands.
A domestic solar installation is a fifteen to twenty-five year decision made on the basis of a two-hour visit. The hardware is largely commoditised — the panels, inverter and battery come from a short list of manufacturers everyone uses — so most of the price difference is installer margin, scaffolding, and how the finance is structured.
Quotes are hard to compare because installers size systems differently. One will propose eight panels, another fourteen, and the payback maths changes completely. Compare on cost per kW installed and on the modelled annual generation, not on the headline total.
What it should cost
| What you are buying | Indicative UK cost |
|---|---|
| 3kW system, roughly 7–8 panels | £4,000 – £6,000 |
| 4kW system, roughly 10 panels | £5,000 – £7,500 |
| 6kW system, roughly 14–15 panels | £7,000 – £10,500 |
| Battery storage, around 5kWh | £2,500 – £4,500 |
| Battery storage, around 10kWh | £4,500 – £7,000 |
| Bird proofing, extra scaffolding, roof repairs | £300 – £1,500 |
Domestic solar and battery installations are currently zero-rated for VAT in the UK. If a quote shows VAT on the panels, ask why.
What changes the price
- Roof orientation and pitchSouth-facing at around 30 to 40 degrees is the benchmark. East–west split roofs generate less at midday but spread it across the day, which can suit a household that is out at lunchtime. North-facing is rarely worth it.
- ShadingA single chimney or tree shading one panel can drag a whole string down unless the system uses optimisers or microinverters. Ask specifically how shading has been handled and what it added to the price.
- Scaffolding and accessA three-storey terrace or a difficult access route can add over a thousand pounds that has nothing to do with the panels.
- Whether you add a batteryA battery does not generate anything. It shifts what you already generate into the evening, and lets you import cheap overnight electricity on a time-of-use tariff. Whether it pays back depends far more on your tariff than on your roof.
- How you payCash, finance and rent-a-roof arrangements produce very different lifetime costs. Solar finance is a credit agreement — read the APR and the total repayable, not the monthly figure.
How to compare properly
Take these to every supplier. The answers are usually more revealing than the prices.
- Check the installer is MCS certified. Without it you cannot claim the Smart Export Guarantee, which is the payment you receive for electricity you export.
- Ask for the modelled annual generation in kWh and the assumptions behind it. A quote that will not show its workings is hiding a sizing decision.
- Divide the total by the system size to get cost per kW, and compare that figure across quotes rather than the totals.
- Separate the warranties: panels, inverter, battery and workmanship are four different terms from four different parties. The inverter is usually the first thing to fail.
- Ask what happens if the roof needs work in ten years and the panels have to come off, and what that costs.
- Treat any specific savings figure with caution. Generation can be modelled; your future bills depend on tariffs nobody can predict.
Ready to compare solar?
Compare Solar Panels is our dedicated site for this category, with the detail, local coverage and a quote form.
Common questions
How long is the payback?
Commonly quoted in the eight to fourteen year range for a cash-bought system, but it moves with electricity prices, your tariff, how much you use during daylight, and what you paid. Any installer quoting a single confident number is modelling, not promising.
Do I get paid for electricity I export?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee. Rates vary by supplier and are worth shopping for separately — they are not fixed nationally, and your export supplier does not have to be your import supplier.
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not, as most domestic roof installations fall under permitted development. Listed buildings, conservation areas and some flat roofs are the common exceptions.
Is a battery worth it?
More often than it used to be, mainly because time-of-use tariffs let you charge overnight cheaply. It is a tariff decision as much as a solar one, so price the system both with and without.
Still deciding between options?
Buy solar outright, finance it, or rent your roof?
The panels are much the same whichever route you take. How you pay for them changes the lifetime return more than any hardware decision will.
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