Solar panels in Bristol: are they worth it?

If you live in the artistic, independent, hilly city of Bristol, and you’d like to reduce your electricity bills, solar panels may well be the answer.

From Avonmouth to Whitchurch, Bristol gets more sunlight than the great majority of places in the UK, which gives you a distinct advantage when you’re using solar panels.

In this guide, we’ll explain how much solar panels cost in Bristol, how the city’s weather affects them, and which government grants can aid you in cutting the upfront cost.

At Sunsave we install across the whole of Bristol – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

What are the best solar panel installers in Bristol?

1. Sunsave

At Sunsave, our mission is to make solar accessible to all UK households, which is why we offer the UK’s first solar subscription. We install across England, Scotland, and Wales – and that includes Bristol.

Sunsave Plus allows you to start saving on your energy bills immediately, without having to pay anything upfront.

You’ll get the best-in-class kit installed on your roof, access to the best export tariffs, and the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee, which includes 24/7 monitoring & maintenance, a free replacement battery and inverter, and downtime cover – all for a fixed monthly fee.

Your system will also be insured by Aviva against damage, fire, and theft.

2. HelpinU Solar

Like Sunsave, HelpinU Solar is a Which? Trusted Trader, meaning you can hire this company with complete peace of mind.

Customers have commended the team for being efficient and tidy, with an emphasis on causing minimal disruption, while the gear is sourced from top-tier companies like JA Solar, Trina, Canadian, Jinko, and Eurener.

HelpinU covers south-west England, and has worked with dozens of councils across the region to install government-funded green measures in the households that need it most.

The company also installs electric car chargers, if you want to use the electricity your solar panels generate to help fuel your vehicle.

3. OVO (S) Gas

OVO launched OVO Solar in 2023, but the company has been installing solar panels on customers' houses for much longer.

This part of the Bristol-based behemoth is a renamed remnant of SSE's energy retail business, which OVO bought in 2020.

The company has been around in various guises since 1992, and retains much of the muscle memory it's gained in that time.

If you use OVO, you'll also be able to access its best export tariff.

How much do solar panels cost in Bristol?

A 4.5kWp solar panel system costs £7,613 to buy and install in Bristol, on average, according to MCS data.

For this price, you should be able to get 10 solar panels, each with a 450-watt peak power rating.

We've also shown the cost if you add a 5kWh battery, because a battery can massively increase your solar returns.

It allows you to use more solar-generated electricity at home – known as self-consumption – which means you can buy less electricity from the grid.

You can also join the best export tariffs and time-of-use import tariffs, and join grid flexibility services like virtual power plants.

Around 94% of new solar panel installations in the UK include a battery, according to data from Flexi-Orb and the EPVS.

Multiple factors may cause your specific solar panel system’s price to be different though, including its size, the installation’s complexity, and the installer you choose.

To learn everything else you need to know, check out our guide to solar panel costs.

Are there any grants for solar panels in Bristol?

There are solar panel grants for many different Bristol households, plus initiatives that can help you massively cut the upfront cost.

If you’re not eligible for these schemes but still can’t afford solar panels, check out Sunsave Plus, which is available at no upfront cost. 

For fixed monthly payments over 20 years, you’ll receive the best-in-class kit, full monitoring and maintenance support, and a system that can save you money from day one.

To see which schemes you might qualify for, use our grant eligibility checker.

Lendology loans

Bristol City Council has partnered with not-for-profit lender Lendology to offer loans for home improvements, including solar panels.

Homeowners and private landlords can borrow up to £20,000, and pay that back over as many as 25 years. All you need is enough equity in your home to cover the agreed loan.

The current Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 4.2%, and you’ll have to continue paying back the loan if you move home.

The interest rate is fixed, there are no early repayment charges, and you can make overpayments at any point.

For more general information, read our article on solar panel loans.

Bright Green Homes

In 2023, Bristol City Council launched Bristol City Leap, a £1 billion, five-year programme to decarbonise the city. Bright Green Homes is the main way this initiative is helping households.

Through this initiative, Bristol City Leap offers measures including solar panels, insulation, heat pumps, windows, and doors to underprivileged residents with energy-inefficient homes.

To qualify, you must occupy a home with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F, or G, and earn £36,000 or less as a household.

Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and aren't available to anyone in social housing or temporary accommodation.

As well as Bristol, Bright Green Homes is also open to households located in North Somerset Council and Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Solar Together

Solar Together helps residents in a specific area secure a discount on their solar & battery system installations through collective buying.

The scheme in this part of the country is called Solar Together West of England, and is run in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority.

Two editions of the scheme, in 2021 and 2023, have so delivered more than 1,700 installations. This adds up to 6.5 megawatts (MW) of solar generation capacity.

In 2021, participants enjoyed a 22% discount, while households who joined in 2023 received a 34% discount, based on the typical market price at the time.

You can register for Solar Together if you’re a homeowner, small or medium-sized business owner, or tenant – as long as you have your landlord's permission.

It only runs for a limited time in each area, but it should be back in Bristol before too long.

The only downsides of the scheme are that despite the discount, it still comes with a high upfront cost, and because the process is collective, it takes a long time to get to your installation day.

There's also a lack of post-installation support, which means that if anything goes awry with your system or monitoring app, you may be left in the lurch.

For more information, read our in-depth guide to Solar Together.

National grants

There are also two national government grants that are open to Bristol residents, and if you’re eligible for either one, you should look into applying.

Solar panels can cut your electricity bills by hundreds of pounds per year, massively reduce your carbon footprint, and increase your property’s value, but the upfront cost can be high. If you don’t have to pay it, you shouldn’t.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant

The Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) is a government scheme that funds measures which improve the energy efficiency and heating systems of energy-inefficient homes.

To qualify, households must be deprived, low-income, or receive a means-tested benefit.

The programme has awarded £13.5 million to Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council, and Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Eligible homes can receive up to £30,000 in funding, including £15,000 for low-carbon heating, and £15,000 for energy performance upgrades – like solar panels.

If you live in Bristol and the council decides your household might meet the grant's eligibility criteria, a staff member will contact you.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The fourth phase of the government’s Energy Company Obligation continues to compel large energy companies to install energy-efficient home improvements in vulnerable and low-income households.

If your home fits this description and you receive at least one qualifying benefit, you could take advantage of the government’s main programme for reducing domestic emissions.

You could potentially get an energy supplier to install a free solar panel system on your property through this scheme, but only if you primarily use electricity to heat your home.

This includes 10.9% of households in England, 11% in Scotland, and 7.5% in Wales, according to government data.

How many homes in Bristol have solar panels?

9,576 homes in Bristol have installed solar panels, according to government data up to July 2025.

That means 4.6% of households in one of the UK’s biggest cities have bought a solar panel system.

Though this figure is slightly below the UK average of 5.5%, it’s relatively high for a city of Bristol’s size.

Historically, countryside areas have embraced solar panels more enthusiastically than cities for a variety of reasons, including the disproportionate number of flats in cities – but that’s changing, and with good reason.

After all, the sun shines the same in urban and rural places, and Bristol in particular is one of the sunniest locations in the country.

Is Bristol sunny enough for solar panels?

Bristol receives significantly higher levels of sunlight than most of the UK, enjoying 1,253 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average per year – 15% above the national average.

This number will vary slightly across Bristol, but it’s an excellent indication.

Bristol’s figure is based on the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which provides regularly updated solar irradiance statistics.

In the solar panel industry, sunlight is measured via ‘solar irradiance,’ which assesses the sun’s average intensity in a specific area.

It’s tracked in kilowatt-hours per square metre – that is, how much energy makes it from the sun, through 93 million miles of space, to a specific square metre on Earth.

There are multiple factors that affect solar panel output, but solar irradiance is among the most important.

Naturally, the more intense the sunlight that hits your panels, the higher the kWh/m², and the more solar electricity your installation will produce – leading to higher savings.

Typical solar panel output in Bristol

A solar panel system in Bristol can produce enough electricity to cover most of a home’s annual consumption, allowing you to cut your electricity bills by more than half.

We designed the system below for a real property in Bristol that consumes around 3,531 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Bristol?

It’s certainly worth getting solar panels in Bristol, in almost all scenarios.

Bristolians enjoy high levels of solar irradiance across the city, enabling them to save hundreds of pounds per year – which is probably why 4.6% of homes have gone solar.

If the upfront cost is too high, you may be able to get a Lendology loan, Bright Green Homes grant, or funding from the ECO4 scheme or WH:LG.

If these options aren't appealing or realistic, consider Sunsave Plus, our all-in-one residential solar and battery solution that’s tailored to your home, and delivered as a monthly subscription at no upfront cost.

It comes with 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, free replacement parts (including a battery and inverter), and downtime cover. Your system will also be insured by Aviva against damage, fire, and theft.

At Sunsave, we install across the whole of Bristol – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

Solar panels in Bristol: FAQs