Solar panels in Edinburgh: are they worth it?

If you’re fortunate enough to live among Edinburgh’s striking hills, beautiful parks, and dramatic coastline, and you’d like to cut your energy bills, solar panels might be the answer.

From Cramond to Gilmerton, Edinburgh receives enough sunlight for solar homes to save hundreds of pounds on their electricity bills every year.

In this guide, we’ll explain how much solar panels cost in Edinburgh, how the city’s cloudy weather affects them, and which government grants could help you reduce the upfront cost.

We install in Edinburgh, 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 installers in Edinburgh?

1. Sunsave

At Sunsave, our mission is to make solar accessible to all UK households, which is why we provide the first solar subscription service in the UK.

Sunsave Plus comes with no upfront cost. Instead, you’ll pay a completely fixed monthly fee, which lets you start saving on your energy bills immediately.

We’ll give you the best-in-class kit, expert advice on which of the best export tariffs you should pick, and we’ll always be just a phone call or email away for the length of your term.

We mean it, too. Every Sunsave Plus system is covered by the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee, which provides you with 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, a free battery upgrade, a free inverter replacement (if required), and downtime cover.

What’s more, your system will be insured by Aviva against damage, fire, and theft.

Our customers are huge fans of our work, as shown by the 200+ five-star ratings they’ve given us on Trustpilot, alongside reviews that praise our friendly, helpful, pressure-free attitude.

To find out more, read our reviews page.

2. The Edinburgh Boiler Company

As you might guess from the name, this business’s main focus wasn’t solar when it was founded in 2015 by the ironically named Mark Glasgow.

But the company has since expanded into solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps, and in 2023 was named UK Enterprise Awards’ renewable specialists of the year.

The firm still mostly deals in boilers – which is why most of its thousands of Trustpilot reviews mention the word ‘boiler’ – but this move into solar has been enormously successful.

93% of solar reviews left on the installer’s Trustpilot page come with five-star ratings, and they praise the company’s efficient, hard-working approach, from electricians and roofers to the team in the office.

This is also the only installer on this list apart from Sunsave to be a Which? Trusted Trader.

3. Spartan Electrical

The youngest company on our list was founded in 2021, and has attained a stunning Checkatrade rating of 9.98 in the years since.

Owners Carlos Tomas Callado and Chris Reilly have built a business that’s reliable, punctual, and communicative, according to their customers.

Spartan Electrical is also an Edinburgh Trusted Trader – which is a government-supported scheme to ensure locals only use reputable companies – where it has a perfect rating.

Speaking to Sunsave, Chris put this positive response down to the attention paid on each and every job.

“We care,” he said. “We treat our customers’ houses like our own, and we take the time to explain the stuff that some tradespeople don’t. 

“We also really make sure everything’s perfect for our clients. If they’re not happy, we’d never proceed. It’s our number one priority to make sure the customer is happy, and that we leave the house spick and span.

“It’s not just about getting as many installations as possible for us; it’s about saving money for our customers.”

4. Ideal Electrical Solutions (UK)

IES has been a fixture in northern Edinburgh for more than a decade, having set up shop in 2013.

Led by Mark Denholm, who went to school in eastern Edinburgh, the company is fully entrenched in the community, as shown by it sponsoring local football teams Tranent FC and Livingston United.

Its staff are also prepared for jobs of any size, having regularly installed battery storage systems that top 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in recent months.

If you go solar with this Edinburgh Trusted Trader, you’ll join clients including the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh Castle, and Edinburgh University.

And if you’d like to take full advantage of your new solar & battery system, the installer also fits electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps.

5. GSM Electrical Fife

This family-run business is helmed by Marie and Greg Michie.

Speaking on the company’s YouTube channel, Greg said: “Our customers consistently choose us because we've got over 200 five-star reviews across Google and Trustpilot.”

He added that he leads “an expert team who put the customer at the heart of what we do. We don't send a salesman to do our survey. In most cases, you'll get me.”

Greg, who grew up in the area, has been an electrician ever since he left school around three decades ago – and his first apprentice, Reece Sawers, is now his fellow director.

When he’s not helping Greg oversee all of GSM Electrical’s departments – which includes EV charger installations – Reece turns out as a left-back for local football team Crossgates Primrose FC.

6. Renew-able Solutions

Located right next to the North Sea in eastern Edinburgh, Renew-able Solutions has well and truly won over the local population.

Despite opening its doors just months before the pandemic, the company has attracted near-perfect ratings.

These are accompanied by reviews that commend its staff members for their friendly, communicative nature, with customers thanking the company for ensuring they made the most of solar grants.

The team is accustomed to all sizes of solar & battery installations, from standard residential arrays to a recently installed system with 242 solar panels and 20kWh of battery storage at a factory in nearby Tranent.

The installer also fits EV chargers, air and ground source heat pumps, and wind turbines.

How much do solar panels cost in Edinburgh?

A 4.5 kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar panel system costs £8,130 to buy and get installed in Edinburgh, on average, according to MCS data.

The amount you pay for your system will depend on multiple factors, such as the system’s size, the installation’s complexity, the installer you choose, and your location in the city.

We've also included the cost of adding a 5kWh battery to your installation, because this can substantially increase your savings.

You can use more of the electricity your panels generate, reducing the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid and lowering your energy bills.

Having a battery opens up loads of other opportunities too, like signing up to one of the best export tariffs, getting a time-of-use import tariff that allows you to buy electricity at an off-peak rate, and using grid flexibility services like virtual power plants.

These benefits have led to around 94% of new solar panel installations across the UK including a battery, according to data from Flexi-Orb and the Energy Performance Validation Scheme (EPVS).

We install in Edinburgh, 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 Edinburgh?

There are currently no local grants for solar panels in Edinburgh.

As an increasing number of households switch to solar, some councils have shifted to focus on other, less popular home improvements, like insulation and heat pumps.

National grants

Households in Edinburgh can gain access to a couple of national solar panel grants, which we’ve explained in detail below.

However, this funding is mainly targeted at underprivileged, energy-inefficient homes.

To see which grants you could qualify for, use our grant eligibility checker.

Warmer Homes Scotland

This Scottish government grant pays for domestic measures that make properties cheaper to heat, and is designed to help anyone who receives benefits, is elderly, or is otherwise deprived.

Homeowners and private tenants can get improvements like solar panels for free through this scheme, which has £728 million of funding to spend on households by 2030.

To be eligible, your home must have a floor area of 230m² at most, a living standard that will be significantly improved by the suggested improvements, and be in a council tax band between A and G.

You also need to have been there for at least six months, and you or someone you live with must be more than 75 years old, receive one or more of these benefits, or be nearing the end of their life.

ECO4

This is a UK government scheme that aims to reduce household emissions by helping low-income households, vulnerable people, and those who receive benefits.

ECO4 pushes large energy companies to carry out measures that improve these homes’ energy efficiency levels for free.

You may be able to get a free solar panel system through the scheme – but only if your home’s heating is powered by electricity, as just 11% of households in Scotland are.

You’ll need to be a homeowner or a private renter, and receive at least one eligible benefit too – unless you live in energy-inefficient social housing, in which case you could be eligible without meeting any other requirements.

If your annual household income is below a certain amount, or if a cold home would make your health conditions worse, you may also be able to get improvements through ECO4.

To learn more, check out our guide to ECO4.

How many homes in Edinburgh have solar panels?

5,696 homes in Edinburgh have solar panels, according to government data from September 2025.

This means that 2.3% of the 244,791 households in the capital have had a solar panel system installed.

That’s significantly lower than the UK average of 5.5%, and the Scottish average of 5.4% – but a fairer comparison is with another capital, London, which has a 1.7% rate.

Edinburgh’s 2.3% rate is much higher, especially considering there’s relatively less daylight throughout the year in Scotland.

Is Edinburgh sunny enough for solar panels?

Edinburgh is absolutely sunny enough for solar panels.

In terms of ‘solar irradiance’ – the term for the sun’s intensity in a specific area – the Scottish capital is extremely similar to large parts of the rest of the UK.

Solar irradiance, which is measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre, is the amount of energy that travels from the sun to a particular spot on Earth.

The higher your area’s solar irradiance is, the more daylight your panels can turn into electricity, and the more you’ll save on your energy bills, everything else being equal with your solar output.

Dunsop Bridge, a village in Lancashire that the Ordnance Survey has declared the geographic centre of Britain, receives around 850kWh per m².

This is according to the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS), which regularly updates its solar irradiance data.

You’ll get around 4.8% less in Edinburgh, but that’s still more than enough to substantially reduce your electricity bills with solar.

Advances in solar and battery technology have made switching to solar worthwhile across the UK, even in areas that get lower than average amounts of daylight.

Typical solar panel output in Edinburgh

The average 4.6kWp solar panel system will generate 3,220kWh of electricity per year in Edinburgh, according to the European Commission’s PVGIS tool.

That means you should be able to fuel most of your annual electricity consumption with solar energy, since the average UK household uses 3,400kWh per year.

We’ve used a 4.6kWp array because it was the average UK system size in 2024, according to the MCS, and a 35° roof, since that’s a standard angle for UK roofs.

We also made the system west-facing, so if you have a south-facing roof, you could produce even more solar electricity with this setup – 4,038kWh, to be exact.

These results show the high levels of output now available to solar homes in Edinburgh, thanks to modern systems.

Your output won’t be the same all year round, with your panels usually producing more electricity in summer than you need. If you sign up to a solar export tariff, you can sell all of this excess electricity to the grid.

This will provide you with a buffer when you hit winter, when your panels will be less productive and you’ll need to import more grid electricity.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Edinburgh?

It’s definitely worth getting solar panels in Edinburgh, for most homes.

The capital’s irradiance levels may be lower than the UK average, due to its cloudy weather, but a system will still produce more than enough electricity to make your investment worthwhile.

You can save hundreds of pounds per year by switching to solar, which is probably why thousands of households in Edinburgh have already taken the plunge.

If the upfront cost is too high, you might be able to get a fully funded solar & battery system through Warmer Homes Scotland or ECO4, but most households aren’t eligible.

If that includes you, it’s worth considering Sunsave Plus, our all-in-one, bespoke residential solar and battery solution that’s delivered as a monthly subscription with no upfront cost.

Every system comes with the Sunsave Guarantee, which includes 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, a free battery upgrade, a free replacement inverter (if required), and downtime cover.

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

We install in Edinburgh, 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 Edinburgh: FAQs