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Solar panels in Devon: are they worth it?
Here are the best installers in Devon based on our research, as well as the best available grants and typical costs.
Why you can trust our content
We know that the solar industry is full of misinformation, but we only use reliable sources, including:
- Our experienced solar experts, installers and system designers
- Our own database of solar & battery system designs
- Authoritative bodies like MCS and the UK government
At a glance
🏡 More than 48,000 Devon households have had solar panels installed
🌞 Devon receives significantly more sunlight than most places in the UK
Devon receives substantially more sunlight than the great majority of UK counties, with Exeter getting 1,237 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average per year – 13% higher than the national average.
This number will differ depending on where you are in Devon, but it’s still an excellent indication.
Exeter’s figure is based on the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which provides regularly updated solar irradiance data.
📈 The county’s solar panel adoption rate is more than double the national average
10% of homes in the county have had a solar panel system installed.
This is more than double the UK average of 4.6% – as it should be, since Devon is one of the brightest, sunniest counties in the UK.
If you’re lucky enough to live among Devon’s rolling hills and Jurassic Coast and you’re looking to cut your electricity bills, solar panels could be the best way forward.
From Welcombe in the west to All Saints in the east, this county receives more sunlight than almost any other in the UK, which gives residents with solar panels a massive advantage.
In this guide, we’ll explain how much solar panels cost in Devon, how the area’s excellent weather affects savings, and which grants can help you cut the upfront cost.
At Sunsave we install across the whole of Devon – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate a quick estimate.
What are the best solar panel installers in Devon?
Name | Location | Founded | Customer score | Solar subscription? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sunsave | Greater London | 2021 | 94% | Yes |
BD Electrical Services | Bideford | 2022 | 97.5% | No |
Earth Inspired Solar | Barnstaple | 2022 | 100% | No |
We’ve used a stringent series of tests to assess more than 2,200 installers across the UK, and these companies above fared the best of any in Devon.
They’re all certified by Flexi-Orb or MCS, accredited by the HIES, approved by TrustMark, registered with NAPIT, and have received excellent customer ratings on at least one reputable review site.
The best of the best are also Which? Trusted Traders and offer a solar subscription option, though Sunsave is the only top-rated company that fulfilled the latter requirement.
To see the top companies in the country, check out our national guide to the best solar panel installers.
1. Sunsave
At Sunsave, our mission is to make solar accessible to all UK households, which is why we’re offering the UK’s first solar subscription service to households all over Devon.
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.
You’ll also receive insurance provided by Aviva that’ll protect your system against damage, fire, and theft.
If you want to find out how much you could save with a solar & battery system at no upfront cost from the best installer in Devon, enter a few details below, and we’ll generate an estimate.
2. BD Electrical Services
Since 2022, this Bideford-based business has grown through word of mouth into one of the best, most popular installers in the area.
This wasn't luck, either – co-owner Dwayne Bowden has put in the time. The born-and-bred Devon boy worked as an electrician and project engineer in the county for just under a decade before launching his own company with Richard Davis – hence the 'BD' in their firm's name.
Bowden told Sunsave that being ranked as one of the best solar panel installers in Devon was "bloody good."
He put his company's success down to its trustworthiness, saying: "We get the job done to a good standard, and we're reliable, unlike other installers."
3. Earth Inspired Solar
Not many solar panel installers have a shop where you can come and discuss your plans with trained engineers – but Earth Inspired Solar isn't like most companies.
Just a few minutes outside Barnstaple in North Devon, surrounded by greenery, equestrian stores, and dog grooming centres, you can meet the firm's installers, who reviewers agree are professional, friendly, and tidy.
As well as solar installations, this team can also fit boilers, underfloor heating, and heat pumps.
That means you can trust the company to take a holistic view of improving your home.
How much do solar panels cost in Devon?
Property size | System size | Number of panels (430 W) | Estimated cost |
---|---|---|---|
2-3 bedrooms | 3.01 kWp | 7 | £9,000 |
4-5 bedrooms | 5.16 kWp | 12 | £10,500 |
6+ bedrooms | 8.17 kWp | 19 | £13,500 |
A 3kWp solar panel system typically costs around £9,000 to buy and install in Devon.
To add a 5kWh battery to your system, you’ll usually pay another £2,000, for an overall cost of £11,000.
Multiple factors could lead to you paying a different amount for a solar panel system though, like its size, the installation’s complexity, and the installer you choose.
To read about everything else you need to know, check out our guide to solar panel costs.
How many homes in Devon have solar panels?
48,255 households in Devon have had solar panels installed with a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate, as of May 2024.
That means 10% of homes in the county have had a solar panel system installed.
This is more than double the UK average of 4.6% – as it should be, since Devon is one of the brightest, sunniest counties in the UK.
And these Devon numbers only include installations the MCS has certified, so the real number of households with solar panels is likely to be slightly higher.
Local authority | Homes with solar panels | % of homes with solar panels |
---|---|---|
East Devon | 6,256 | 9.37% |
Exeter | 3,579 | 4.92% |
Mid Devon | 5,310 | 14.92% |
North Devon | 4,727 | 10.94% |
Plymouth | 8,201 | 7.16% |
South Hams | 5,750 | 14.63% |
Teignbridge | 5,157 | 8.62% |
Torbay | 2,741 | 4.35% |
Total: 48,255 | Average: 10% |
Are there any grants for solar panels in Devon?
There are grants for solar panels available in Devon, thanks to local initiatives and national government schemes.
If you’re not eligible for any of these programmes, but still can’t afford the price of solar panels, have a look at 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.
Solar Together Devon
Solar Together is an initiative that helps residents in a specific area secure a sizable discount on their solar installations through collective buying.
So far, more than 290 Devon households have signed up to take part in the 2024 edition of the scheme, which is supported by councils including East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, Plymouth, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon.
535 homes joined the scheme the last time it ran in Devon, in 2020.
You can take part in 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 amount of time in each area, so if you’re interested, sign up for free before it ends.
To learn more, check out our guide to Solar Together.
Warm Up Grant
This local scheme offers top-up payments worth as much as £3,000 to households that have received funding through the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme (more on that below).
So if you get an ECO4 grant that doesn’t cover the entire cost of a home improvement – like solar panels – you may be able to fund the rest with a Warm Up Grant.
The scheme is available to residents throughout the county, including in Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, and West Devon.
Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
This government initiative hands funding to local councils that they can use to improve the energy efficiency of social homes in their area, including measures like solar panels and insulation.
In 2024, the government awarded £1.87 million of funding to East Devon District Council, in addition to the £600,000 the council received in 2023.
And other Devon residents have benefited from Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund grants. Plymouth City Council collected a total of £8,100,000 in 2022 and 2023, while Exeter City Council received £1.5 million in 2023.
East Devon has so far used its grants to carry out 210 measures across 50 households, and Plymouth has funded 226 improvements in 58 homes, according to the government.
It’s not clear how many of these measures were solar panel installations, but they make up about 10% of all installations across the country.
You can’t apply to the scheme, but if you live in East Devon, you can contact your local council to advocate for your social housing to be included in any measures.
Lendology loans
Local authorities all over Devon, including East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon, have 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 representative Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 4.2%, and you’ll have to continue paying back the loan if you move home.
National grants
Two national grants are available to Devon homes – and if you’re eligible for either, you should absolutely consider applying.
Solar panels can cut your electricity bills by hundreds of pounds per year, reduce your carbon footprint, and increase your property’s value, but the upfront cost is often high. If you don’t have to pay it, you shouldn’t.
Home Upgrade Grant
The Home Upgrade Grant gives funding to local authorities so they can pay for energy-efficient improvements in low-income households which aren’t connected to the gas grid.
This government-backed scheme is only available to properties that have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with a rating of D, E, F, or G.
If your home is eligible, you could get a largely discounted or free solar panel system, wherever you live in Devon.
In the most recent wave of funding, the government gave £13.3 million to a Devon City Council-led consortium of East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge, Torridge, and Torbay’s councils.
Another consortium of West Devon and South Hams picked up £4.1 million in funding, and Plymouth City Council, operating on its own, was handed £3.4 million.
To see if you could qualify, apply through the government’s site or call your local council.
Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)
This government scheme compels large energy suppliers to install energy-saving improvements in low-income and vulnerable households that use electricity to power their heating systems.
If you think you could be eligible and receive at least one qualifying means-tested benefit – such as Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Child Tax Credits – you could potentially get an energy supplier to install a free solar panel system at your property.
More than 21,700 solar panel systems have been installed in the UK through ECO4 since it began in July 2022, which is just over 5% of all measures taken through the programme.
How much sunlight does Devon get?
Devon receives substantially more sunlight than the great majority of UK counties, with Exeter getting 1,237 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average per year – 13% higher than the national average.
This number will differ depending on where you are in Devon, but it’s still an excellent indication.
Exeter’s figure is based on the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which provides regularly updated solar irradiance data.
The solar panel industry measures sunlight by tracking the sun’s average intensity in a specific area, which it calls ‘solar irradiance.’
It’s assessed 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 one of the most crucial.
As you may expect, the more intense the sunlight that hits your panels, the higher the kWh/m², and the more solar electricity your installation generates – which means higher savings for you.
How much power can a solar panel system generate in Devon?
A solar panel system in Devon can produce enough electricity to power the majority of your home’s electrical needs, allowing you to lower your electricity bills.
We designed the system below for a household in Exeter that uses around 4,750kWh of electricity per year.
Location | System size (kWp) | Battery size (kWh) | Average output per year (kWh) | Consumption (kWh) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Exeter | 4.3 | 5.8 | 4,811 | 4,750 |
This design includes 10 solar panels, each with a power rating of 430 watts (W). Together, they form a 4.3 kilowatt-peak (kWp) system – that is, an array that produces 4,300kWh per year in ‘standard test conditions’ (which use a solar irradiance of 1,000W per m²).
Since Devon is one of the sunniest counties around, this installation would produce 4,811kWh per year – which is 12% more than the quantity it’d generate in standard test conditions.
Our design also includes a 5.8kWh battery, which would allow the household to use 2,357kWh of the electricity their solar panels produce in a year, which makes up 49% of their total consumption.
This would cut the property’s annual electricity bills by £577, based on May 2024 prices.
The other 2,454kWh generated by the solar panels would be sent to the grid, using a smart export tariff called Octopus Flux – one of the best export tariffs on the market – to earn an extra £560 per year.
In total, this home could cut its annual spending on electricity from £1,383 to £246 – an 82% saving.
We’ve worked out these savings by using the NREL System Advisor Model (SAM), which incorporates solar irradiance data based on the latest weather patterns, statistics about the system’s inverter, and smart battery controls that maximise export savings.
One of the main factors behind this household’s ability to cut its costs by a huge £1,137 per year is the total lack of shade on site.
The solar panels in this example would never be in shade, enabling the system to use 100% of the available daylight, all year round.
Please note: you won’t necessarily produce as much solar electricity with your system, since this design is for a specific property that may be different to yours – but it should give you a rough indication of what’s possible in Devon.
Is it worth getting solar panels in Devon?
It’s definitely worth getting solar panels in Devon, more so than most places in the country.
Devon benefits from high levels of solar irradiance – particularly when compared to the UK average – which enables residents to save hundreds of pounds per year.
There’s a reason why an enormous 10% of households in the county have decided to get solar panels – and that percentage will likely rise over the coming years, as energy bills stay high and heat pumps and electric vehicles continue to become increasingly popular.
If you’d like to buy solar panels but the upfront cost puts you off, check if you’re eligible for help from initiatives like the Home Upgrade Grant or ECO4 scheme.
And if you don’t qualify for a government grant, you should 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 ongoing monitoring and maintenance – including replacement parts and insurance cover provided by Aviva – and gives you priority access to the best export tariffs around, through our partnership with Octopus Energy.
At Sunsave we install across the whole of Devon – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate a quick estimate.
Solar panels in Devon: FAQs
How much do solar panels cost on average in Devon?
You’ll typically pay £9,000 to buy and install a 3kWp solar panel system in Devon.
Adding a 5kWh solar battery to this setup will usually cost you an extra £2,000, for an overall price of £11,000.
A 5.2 kWp solar panel system costs £10,500, on average – or £12,500 with a battery – while an 8.7kWp system will set you back £13,500 on its own, or £15,500 with a battery.
Related Reading
How much do solar panels cost in the UK?
By Josh JackmanWhat is the downside of solar panels in Devon?
The main downside of getting solar panels in Devon is the high upfront cost.
The average household pays more than £10,000 for a solar installation, according to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
And around half of households have less than £5,000 in savings, according to the FCA, which makes going solar impossible for many.
If you’re searching for a solar panel system that comes with no upfront cost, you can turn to Sunsave Plus, a tailored solar and battery solution with monitoring and maintenance, all for a fixed monthly subscription.
Related Reading
The pros and cons of solar panels
By Josh JackmanIs it harder to sell a house with solar panels in Devon?
It’s not harder to sell a house with solar panels – in fact, you may even get a higher price.
A 300,000-property study by Rightmove in 2023 showed that solar panels typically increase a property’s value by 3%, or £11,157.
This is because they usually raise your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating by a grade, which makes the home more valuable.
And with 70% of UK households wanting to go solar, according to our research, you should have plenty of willing customers.
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Read full storyWritten byJosh Jackman
Josh has written about the rapid rise of home solar for the past five years. His data-driven work has been featured in United Nations and World Health Organisation documents, as well as publications including The Eco Experts, Financial Times, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Times, and The Sun. Josh has also been interviewed as a renewables expert on BBC One’s Rip-Off Britain, ITV1’s Tonight show, and BBC Radio 4 and 5.