Aerial view of solar panels installed on a UK detached house roof in a suburban neighbourhood
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Solar Panels

Solar Panel Cost UK 2026: Real Prices, Payback Periods and Grants Explained

What a solar panel system costs to fit in 2026 by size, with and without a battery, what you're paying for, and how long it takes to pay for itself.

Updated 21 October 2026

£7,600
Average system (Energy Saving Trust)
£6,500–£8,000
Typical 4kW, fitted
9–12 years
Typical payback
0% VAT
Until 31 March 2027

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The short answer

Average cost: about £7,600 for a 4.5kWp system of around 12 panels, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
By size: about £5,000–£6,500 for 3kW, £6,500–£8,000 for 4kW and £8,000–£10,000 for 5kW, fitted (Heatable, October 2026).
With a battery: a 4kW system plus battery is typically £10,000–£14,000.
Payback: 9 to 12 years in most of Great Britain, according to the Energy Saving Trust, against a panel life of 25 years or more.
No general grant. Everyone gets 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, but free panels through ECO4 are only for qualifying low-income homes, and that scheme closes on 31 December 2026.

New to solar? Our Solar Panels UK guide covers the basics and whether solar suits your home. This page is about the money: what you'll pay, what drives the price, and how quickly it comes back.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in the UK?

Price depends mostly on the size of the system. These are typical fitted prices for 2026, including the inverter, scaffolding and installation, with 0% VAT applied.

System sizePanels (approx.)Typical cost, fittedEst. yearly saving*
3kW7 to 8£5,000–£6,500About £510
4kW9 to 10£6,500–£8,000About £690
4.5kW (UK average)About 12About £7,600About £770
5kW11 to 12£8,000–£10,000About £860

Prices for 3 to 5kW from Heatable's October 2026 price guide (median quotes: £5,700 for 3kW, £6,800 for 4kW, £7,750 for 5kW). The 4.5kW average is from the Energy Saving Trust. Panel counts assume 400W to 450W panels. *Our calculator's assumptions: a south-facing roof in the Midlands, 40% of output used at home at 26.32p/kWh and the rest exported at 12p/kWh.

Not sure what size you need? Our solar savings calculator suggests a size from your roof and bill, then works out savings and payback.

Aerial view of solar panels installed on a UK detached house roof
A typical UK home system has 9 to 12 panels on a south-facing roof.

How Much Do Solar Panels and a Battery Cost?

Adding a battery is the biggest single change to a quote. Heatable puts a 4kW system with a battery at £10,000–£14,000. The Energy Saving Trust puts a battery on its own at £5,000–£8,000, though smaller 5kWh batteries start from about £3,950 fitted. Batteries also have 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.

A battery stores daytime solar for the evening and can charge cheaply overnight, so it adds most value for people on a time-of-use tariff, who work from home or have an EV. Our home battery guide covers costs and savings in detail, and the battery storage calculator sizes one for your usage. You can also add a battery later.

What Are You Paying For?

A solar quote covers much more than the panels. Here's what goes into it:

1
Panels
Usually 9 to 12 for a typical home. Premium back-contact panels cost more than mainstream TOPCon ones. Our best solar panels guide compares six.
2
Inverter
Converts the panels' DC power to AC for your home. The Energy Saving Trust says it will usually need replacing after around 12 years, so check the warranty length.
3
Scaffolding and mounting
Scaffolding is often a large part of the labour cost, and roof complexity changes how long it stays up.
4
Electrical work and network notification
Wiring, isolators, a generation meter and notifying your local network operator. Bigger systems may need approval before they connect.
5
MCS certificate and handover
The certificate you need for Smart Export Guarantee payments, plus warranties and system paperwork.

Two quotes for the same panels can differ by a lot because of installer overheads, how busy they are and how they price scaffolding. That's why comparing more than one quote matters.

What Makes Your Price Go Up or Down?

Complex or flat roofs. Multiple roof faces, flat roofs needing frames, or repairs before fitting all add cost.
Premium panels. Back-contact and HJT panels cost more per panel than mainstream TOPCon ones.
Adding a battery. Typically adds £3,950 to £8,000 depending on size.
A simple pitched roof. Faster to scaffold and fit.
0% VAT. Saves roughly £1,200 to £2,000 on a typical system until 31 March 2027.
Comparing quotes. The cheapest way to cut the price for the same system.

Want a price for your roof?

Get a fitted price from Blue Ape Renewables, the MCS-certified installer we work with, or compare prices from local installers.

No obligation. We earn a commission if you go ahead.

How Much Will You Save?

UK homeowner checking solar panel energy savings on a tablet at home
Most systems come with an app to track generation and savings.

You save in two ways: electricity you use yourself instead of buying, and electricity you export through the Smart Export Guarantee. Here's how a 4kW south-facing system in the Midlands works out:

Part of the savingHow it's worked outPer year
OutputPVGIS estimate for 4kW, south-facing, BirminghamAbout 3,870kWh
Used at home40% of output at 26.32p/kWhAbout £410
Exported60% of output at 12p/kWhAbout £280
TotalAbout £690

If the January 2027 price cap rises to the forecast 30.28p/kWh, the home-use part goes up to about £470. Using more of your own power (working from home, running appliances in the day, an EV or a battery) increases savings, because each unit you use saves more than twice what exporting it earns. Export rates vary hugely by supplier, so check our solar export tariff comparison.

How Long Is the Payback Period?

The Energy Saving Trust's figures, using July 2026 fuel prices and including export payments, put payback at 9 to 12 years:

LocationHome all dayHome half the dayOut all day
London9 years9 years9 years
Manchester10 years10 years11 years
Aberystwyth9 years9 years10 years
Stirling11 years11 years12 years

Panels last 25 years or more, so most systems have well over a decade of savings after payback. Allow for one inverter replacement along the way.

Shorter payback: high daytime usage, a south or south-west roof, an EV or heat pump, a good export tariff.
Longer payback: low usage, an east, west or north-facing roof, heavy shading, a very low export rate.

Solar Panel Grants and VAT in 2026

0% VAT, for everyone. Solar panels and batteries are zero-rated until 31 March 2027. Your installer applies it automatically.
ECO4, for qualifying low-income homes. Can fund solar for free. It closes on 31 December 2026 and installers stop taking new jobs before then, so check now with our ECO4 eligibility checker. The Warm Homes Plan takes over from 2027.
Warm Homes: Local Grant (England). Council-run funding, including solar, for lower-income households in homes rated EPC D to G, running to 2028. See our Warm Homes Plan guide.
Smart Export Guarantee. Not a grant, but you're paid for every unit you export, as long as the system is MCS-certified.
Scotland: solar panels and batteries were removed from the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan in June 2024, so there's no Scottish government funding for solar right now.

How to Get a Fair Solar Quote

Get it in writing, with the panel, inverter and any battery named by model.
Check MCS certification. You need it to get export payments.
Ask about the inverter and its warranty, as it's the part most likely to need replacing.
Compare more than one quote for the same system size, and ask each installer to model savings from your actual bills.
Walk away from pressure. Be wary of any installer pushing you to sign the same day.

Which kind of quote suits you?

"I'd rather deal with one good installer" Get a fitted price from Blue Ape Renewables, the installer we work with. MCS-certified and NAPIT-accredited, fitting solar panels and batteries across England, Wales and Scotland. Get a fitted price →

Tell us about your project and local installers will quote

Both are free and there's no obligation. We earn a commission if you go ahead with Blue Ape or with one of the installers you are matched with.

Solar Panel Cost UK: FAQs

How much do solar panels cost in the UK?

The Energy Saving Trust puts the average home system at about £7,600 for 4.5kWp. Typical fitted prices are about £5,000–£6,500 for 3kW, £6,500–£8,000 for 4kW and £8,000–£10,000 for 5kW, with 0% VAT applied.

How much do solar panels cost for a 3-bedroom house?

A 3-bed home usually suits a 4kW system of 9 to 10 panels, which typically costs £6,500–£8,000 fitted. Larger roofs or higher usage may suit 5kW, at about £8,000–£10,000.

How much do solar panels and a battery cost together?

A 4kW system with a battery typically costs £10,000–£14,000. The Energy Saving Trust puts a battery on its own at £5,000–£8,000, though small 5kWh batteries start from about £3,950 fitted.

How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves?

The Energy Saving Trust estimates 9 to 12 years, from 9 years in London to 11 to 12 in Stirling, including export payments. Panels last 25 years or more.

Are there grants for solar panels in 2026?

Everyone gets 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. Low-income households may get free panels through ECO4 (closes 31 December 2026) or, in England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Scotland's Home Energy Scotland scheme stopped funding solar in June 2024.

Does a solar quote include VAT and scaffolding?

Quotes for homes should already have 0% VAT applied, and scaffolding is normally included. Ask for it to be listed so you can compare quotes like for like.

Will I need to replace anything?

Usually the inverter, once, after around 12 years according to the Energy Saving Trust. Panels themselves last 25 years or more and come with long performance warranties.

Updated 21 October 2026. Average cost, payback and inverter life from the Energy Saving Trust (updated 1 October 2026). Prices by size and solar-plus-battery costs from Heatable (updated 13 October 2026). Solar output from the EU's PVGIS tool. Savings are estimates; yours will depend on your roof, usage, tariff and export rate.

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