If you’re lucky enough to live among the rolling hills, striking cliffs, and gorgeous heathlands of Dorset and you’re looking to cut your electricity bills, solar panels could be the best way forward.

From Lyme Regis to Friars Cliff, Dorset receives more sunlight than almost any other area of the UK, which gives residents with solar panels a massive advantage.

In this guide, we’ll tell you how much solar panels cost in Dorset, how the county’s relatively excellent weather affects them, and which government grants can help you cut the upfront cost.

If you’re wondering how much a solar & battery system could save you, just answer a few quick questions below and we'll immediately generate an estimate for you.

How many homes in Dorset have solar panels?

21,414 homes in Dorset have solar panels that were installed with a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate, as of February 2024.

In total, that means 6.2% of all households in the county that have bought a solar panel system – or one in every 16.

This is significantly higher than the UK average of 4.5% – as it should be, since Dorset is among the brightest, sunniest areas in the country.

And these county-wide statistics only take into account installations the MCS has certified, so the real number of Dorset households with solar panels could be slightly higher.

How much sunlight does Dorset get?

Dorset gets considerably more sunlight than the great majority of UK counties, with Dorchester receiving 1,580 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average per year – 45% higher than the national average.

This number will differ depending on where you are in Dorset, but it’s still a fantastic indication.

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

The solar panel industry measures sunlight by tracking the sun’s average intensity in a specific area – a measure called ‘solar irradiance.’

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

There are many factors that affect solar panel output, but solar irradiance is one of the most important.

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 produces – which results in higher savings.

How much power can a solar panel system generate in Dorset?

A solar panel system in Dorset can generate enough electricity to power the majority of your home’s electrical needs, allowing you to cut your annual electricity spending in half.

We designed the system below for a household in Bournemouth that consumes around 3,165 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

This design includes eight solar panels, each with a power rating of 430 watts (W). All together, they form a 3.44 kilowatt-peak (kWp) system – that is, an installation that generates 3,870 kWh per year in ‘standard test conditions’ (which use a solar irradiance of 1,000 W per m²).

Since Dorset is one of the very sunniest places in the country, this system would produce 3,242 kWh per year – a remarkable 94.24% of the quantity it’d generate in standard test conditions.

Our design also includes a 5.2 kWh battery, which allows the household to use 2,075 kWh of the electricity their solar panels produce in a year, which makes up 64% of their total consumption.

This would cut the property’s annual electricity bills by £551, based on February 2024 prices.

The other 1,167 kWh generated by these 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 £295 per year.

In total, this home could cut its annual spending on electricity from £1,048 to £202, according to our estimations – an 81% saving.

One of the main factors behind this household’s ability to reduce its costs by a massive £846 per year is the almost complete lack of shade on site.

The solar panels would only be under shade 1% of the time, according to our calculations, enabling the system to use 99% of the available daylight over a year.

Please note: you won’t necessarily generate 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 Dorset.

If you would like to see the savings you could get from a solar & battery system, click the button below. Just answer a few quick questions, and we’ll provide an estimate.

How much do solar panels cost in Dorset?

A 3 kWp solar panel system costs £9,000 to buy and install in Dorset, on average.

To add a 5 kWh battery to your system, you’ll typically pay an additional £2,000, for an overall cost of £11,000.

Multiple factors could lead to you paying a different price for a solar panel system though, such as its size, the installation’s complexity, and the installer you hire.

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

Are there any grants for solar panels in Dorset?

There are grants for solar panels available in Dorset, thanks to national government schemes.

If you don’t qualify for any of these programmes, but still can’t afford the cost 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.

National grants

Two grants are available to households in Dorset – and if you’re eligible for either one, you should definitely consider applying.

Solar panels can reduce your electricity bills by hundreds of pounds per year, shrink 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 awards funding to local authorities so they can pay for energy-efficient measures in low-income households which don’t have a connection to the gas grid.

This government-backed initiative is only available to properties that hold a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with D, E, F, or G rating.

If your home is eligible, you could get a largely discounted or free solar panel system.

In the most recent wave of funding, the government gave Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council £4.3 million to spend on households in their areas.

To see if you could qualify, contact Ridgewater Energy, an energy efficiency consultancy that’s delivering grants on behalf of the two local councils and Public Health Dorset.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

This government scheme compels large energy suppliers to install energy-saving measures in low-income and vulnerable households that heat their homes with electricity.

If you think you may be eligible and you 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 14,900 solar panel systems have been installed in the UK through ECO4 since it started in July 2022, which is 5% of all measures taken through the scheme.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Dorset?

It’s definitely worth getting solar panels in Dorset, more so than almost anywhere else in the country.

Dorset benefits from high levels of solar irradiance all over the county, particularly when compared to the UK average, and it enables residents to save hundreds of pounds per year.

There’s a reason why 6.2% of households in the county have chosen to install solar panels – and that percentage will likely rise sharply over the coming years, as energy bills stay high.

If the upfront cost puts you off and you think you may fulfil the criteria, you could apply for help from the Home Upgrade Grant or ECO4 scheme.

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 also comes with ongoing monitoring and maintenance – including insurance cover – and gives you priority access to the best export tariffs around, through our partnership with Octopus Energy.

If you’re wondering how much a solar & battery system could save you, just click the button below, answer a few questions, and we’ll provide you with an estimate.

Solar panels in Dorset: FAQs