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.

At Sunsave we install across the whole of Dorset – 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 Dorset?

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 service. We install across England, Scotland, and Wales – and that includes Dorset.

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 battery upgrade, a replacement inverter if necessary, and downtime cover – all for a fixed monthly fee.

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

2. Adept Renewables

Adept Renewables provides a comprehensive solar service to households across Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire.

As well as handling the installation of Jinko solar panels and batteries from the likes of Tesla, GivEnergy, and Fox ESS, this small business also provides aftercare, in the form of a £24.99 per month maintenance package.

For this fee, you’ll get an annual clean and electrical inspection, as well as the installation of replacement equipment, as long as it’s under the manufacturer’s warranty.

You can find the company’s owner, Steven Hook, out on jobs every day, providing the kind of excellent service that’s led dozens of customers on Checkatrade to personally recommend him as friendly, professional, and reliable.

Mr Hook told Sunsave that his company’s success was down to its “unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and our expertise in crafting tailor-made solutions. 

“We consistently exceed expectations by engaging closely with clients to understand their unique energy needs and environmental contexts.”

3. Solum GB

This Bournemouth-based veteran, which is owned by locals Kamil and Joanna Kowalczyk, has been MCS-certified since 2007.

The firm uses top-tier solar panels from the likes of JA Solar, Jinko, LONGi, Perlight, QCells, and Trina, and completes jobs all over south England with an excellent level of customer service.

Reviewers have given Solum a near-perfect score while praising the team's communication, flexibility, and efficiency.

The company also installs electric car chargers, solar thermal systems, and heat pumps, if you want to get the absolute most out of all the solar electricity you'll generate with your new system.

How much do solar panels cost in Dorset?

A 4.5kWp solar panel system costs £10,948 to buy and install in Dorset, 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 get a 5kWh battery too, because a battery can massively increase your solar returns.

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

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

About 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.

At Sunsave, we install across Dorset – 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.

Are there any grants for solar panels in Dorset?

There are solar panel grants available in Dorset, mainly thanks to national government schemes, but they tend to have strict eligibility criteria designed to target the most underprivileged homes.

If you don’t qualify for any of these programmes and you're put off by the price of going solar, 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.

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

Lendology loans

Dorset Council has partnered with not-for-profit lender Lendology to offer loans for home improvements, including solar & battery systems.

Homeowners and private landlords can borrow up to £25,000, and pay that back over as many as 15 years.

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

Your interest rate will be 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.

Solar Together Dorset

Solar Together helps residents and business owners in a specific area to secure a discount on their solar installations through collective buying.

It’s not a government grant; it's a scheme run by private Dutch company iChoosr, in collaboration with local councils.

In London, it secured 20-30% discounts for its customers, according to the Greater London Authority.

And some places have seen even larger price reductions. In Suffolk, households have reportedly saved an average of £2,000 on installation costs.

The most recent Solar Together Dorset scheme was in 2025, when more than 1,100 households signed up.

The initiative only passes through the county every so often, and for a limited time.

Unfortunately, the scheme also comes with significant downsides. To learn more, read our comprehensive guide to Solar Together.

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.

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

The programme has awarded £3.8 million to a consortium including Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.

These local authorities can allocate up to £30,000 in funding to qualifying homes – £15,000 for low-carbon heating, and £15,000 for energy performance upgrades like solar panels.

If you live in one of these areas and the council decides your household could meet the grant's eligibility criteria, a staff member will contact you.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

You can access this government scheme for reducing home emissions if you live in a low-income or vulnerable household with residents on at least one from a list of benefits – though the scheme ends in March 2026.

The initiative compels large energy suppliers to install energy-saving measures in low-income and vulnerable households, at no cost to the inhabitants.

ECO4 can help you to get a free solar panel system, as it has done for more than 57,000 homes – though only if your property is heated with electricity, like 11.2% of households in England.

For more information, check out our full guide to ECO4.

How many homes in Dorset have solar panels?

35,029 homes in Dorset have solar panels that were installed with a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate, as of January 2026.

In total, that means 10.2% of the county's 343,000 households have installed a solar panel system.

This is significantly higher than the UK average of 5.6% – as it should be, since Dorset is among the brightest, sunniest areas in the country.

Typical solar panel output in Dorset

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 – as 10.2% of households in the county have discovered.

If you’re put off by the upfront cost, you could look into accessing a national or local grant.

However, if you’re not eligible for any of these, consider Sunsave Plus, our all-in-one solar and battery solution that’s tailored to your home, and delivered as a monthly subscription at no upfront cost.

To see how much you could save with a solar & battery system from an installer that covers Dorset, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

Solar panels in Dorset: FAQs