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Solar panels in Hampshire: are they worth it?
Here's how much you can save by getting solar panels in Hampshire, and how much they'll cost.
Written byJosh Jackman
🏡 More than 41,000 households in Hampshire have solar panels
☀️ Hampshire receives substantially more sunlight than most counties
📈 The county’s solar panel adoption rate is 20% higher than the UK average
If you live in the hilly county of Hampshire and want to lower your electricity bills, solar panels are the best way to do it.
From Basingstoke to the New Forest, Hampshire enjoys more sunlight than most places in the UK, which gives it a distinct advantage over other counties when it comes to going solar.
In this guide, we’ll go through how much solar panels cost in Hampshire, how well they work in this weather, and which government grants can help you lower the 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 Hampshire have solar panels?
41,709 homes in Hampshire have solar panels certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), as of January 2024.
That means 5.4% of all households in the county have gone solar, across the 13 local authorities.
This is one-fifth higher than the 4.5% of all UK households that have bought solar panels – which makes sense, since Hampshire is one of the sunniest places in the country.
And since this county-wide tally only includes Microgeneration Certification Scheme-certified installations, the real number of homes with solar panels in Hampshire is possibly a little bit higher.
| Local authority | Homes with solar panels | % of homes with solar panels |
|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council | 3,635 | 4.75% |
| East Hampshire District Council | 4,426 | 8.4% |
| Eastleigh Borough Council | 3,448 | 6.06% |
| Fareham Borough Council | 3,145 | 6.47% |
| Gosport Borough Council | 1,649 | 4.59% |
| Hart District Council | 2,544 | 6.36% |
| Havant Borough Council | 2,910 | 5.43% |
| New Forest District Council | 5,425 | 6.99% |
| Portsmouth City Council | 2,148 | 2.49% |
| Rushmoor Borough Council | 1,262 | 3.21% |
| Southampton City Council | 3,781 | 3.7% |
| Test Valley Borough Council | 3,264 | 5.97% |
| Winchester City Council | 4,072 | 7.88% |
| Total: 41,709 | Average: 5.4% |
How much sunlight does Hampshire get?
Hampshire receives a lot of sunlight compared to most of the UK, with the level of solar irradiance in the county coming in at 18% higher than the UK average.
For instance, the Guildhall in Winchester sees 1,287 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average, each year. This figure will vary slightly across the county, but it’s a pretty good indicator.
'Kilowatt-hours per square metre' refers to how much energy is travelling from the sun, across 93 million miles of space, to a specific square metre on Earth.
These figures are taken from the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which measures solar irradiance according to the latest weather trends.
When it comes to solar panel output there are a number of factors which affect how much energy they produce, but solar irradiance is a big one.
As you’d expect, 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.
How much power can a solar panel system generate in Hampshire?
A solar panel system in Hampshire can generate enough power to cover most of your annual consumption, allowing you to cut your electricity bills by more than half.
We put together the design below for a household in Southampton that uses roughly 5,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.
| Location | System size (kWp) | Battery size (kWh) | Average output per year (kWh) | Consumption (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 6.02 | 5.2 | 5,713 | 5,000 |
This design uses 14 solar panels, each with a power rating of 430 watts (W), to build a 6.02 kWp (kilowatt-peak) system – that is, an installation which generates 6,020 kWh per year under standard test conditions, which use a solar irradiance of 1,000 W per m².
Thanks to Hampshire’s sunny nature, the system’s output would come close to this level, producing an estimated 5,713 kWh per year – well over the 5,000 kWh used by the household.
An attached 5.2 kWh battery would allow the property to use 2,800 kWh of this solar electricity per year, covering 56% of its usage and saving £762 on energy bills, at January 2024 prices.
The other 2,913 kWh would be sent to the grid through a smart export tariff called Intelligent Octopus Flux – one of the best export tariffs on the market. This would currently net the household another £726 per year.
In total, the property would be able to cut its total annual electricity bill from £1,544 to £56 – an incredible 96% reduction.
This high level of saving is partly down to a lack of shade. According to our estimates, the system would experience 2% shading – allowing it to use 98% of the available daylight.
Please note: you won’t necessarily generate as much solar electricity with your system, as this design is for a specific property that may be different to yours – but it should give you a rough idea of what’s possible in Hampshire.
How much do solar panels cost in Hampshire?
| 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 |
The price of a solar panel installation in Hampshire is typically £9,000 for a 3 kWp system.
If you want to add a 5 kWh solar battery to this system, you’ll raise the overall cost by £2,000 on average, for a total of £11,000.
The actual cost of your installation will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your system and the complexity of the installation.
To find out everything else you need to know, check out our guide to solar panel costs.
And if you’re interested in how much you could save with a solar & battery system, click the button below, enter a few details, and we’ll generate a quick estimate.
Are there any grants for solar panels in Hampshire?
There are multiple solar panel grants for people in Hampshire, as well as schemes that can help you lower the costs of your installation.
If you don’t qualify for these initiatives 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’ll save you money from day one.
Solar Together Hampshire
Solar Together is a group-buying scheme that helps residents in a particular local authority secure a sizable discount on their solar installations.
It’s not a grant, but it will typically lower the price of everyone’s systems by around 25%, through the power of bulk buying and negotiating as a collective.
Solar Together is open to homeowners, small or medium-sized businesses, and tenants – as long as they have their landlord's permission.
It’s only available to a certain number of areas at any one time, so keep an eye out.
National grants
There are a couple of national grants that apply to residents in Hampshire – and if you’re eligible, they’re well worth considering.
Solar panels could save you hundreds of pounds per year, and drastically reduce your carbon footprint.
Home Upgrade Grant
The Home Upgrade Grant funds the installation of eco-friendly measures in low-income homes that aren’t connected to the gas grid and have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G.
If you qualify, you may be able to get heavily discounted or even free solar panels.
All 13 of Hampshire’s local authorities have Home Upgrade Grant funding to hand out, after they successfully applied to the second phase of the scheme, which ends in March 2025.
There’s £41.4 million of grants available to Hampshire residents in Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest, Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Southampton, Test Valley, and Winchester.
For those of you in Hart, your grants are being handled by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which has £82.3 million to give out to residents in 48 local authorities.
To apply, just contact your local authority.
Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)
The government’s main initiative for cutting domestic emissions is available to low-income and vulnerable households whose residents are on certain benefits.
ECO4 isn’t a government grant; it instead forces large energy suppliers to install energy-saving measures in underprivileged households.
You may be able to get a free solar panel system through ECO4, but only if your home is electrically heated, like 9% of households in England and Wales.
Is it worth getting solar panels in Hampshire?
It’s definitely worth getting solar panels in Hampshire, in almost all cases.
The levels of solar irradiance are high across the county, especially when compared to the UK average, which means you’ll save even more on your electricity bills than most solar households.
That’s probably why 5.4% of homes in Hampshire have made the decision to go solar.
If the upfront cost is too steep, you may be eligible for Solar Together, ECO4, or the Home Upgrade Grant, all of which can reduce the price.
If not, 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.
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.
Solar panels in Hampshire: FAQs
Can you still get free solar panels in the UK?
You can get free solar panels in the UK, but only if you qualify to receive assistance through the ECO4 scheme or the Home Upgrade Grant.
These initiatives are open to households which are electrically heated or disconnected from the gas grid, respectively.
Either grant can cover the entire cost of your solar installation.
If you’re looking for solar panels that come with zero upfront cost, consider Sunsave Plus, a tailored solar and battery solution that comes with monitoring and maintenance, all for a monthly subscription.
What is the average cost of installing solar panels in the UK?
The average cost of installing solar panels in the UK is £9,000 for a 3 kWp system.
A 5 kWh solar battery will typically raise the overall price to £11,000.
Related Reading
How much do solar panels cost in the UK?
By Josh Jackman
Is it harder to sell a house with solar panels in the UK?
It’s usually easier to sell a house with solar panels in the UK, thanks to the attractive nature of their bill-cutting, carbon footprint-shrinking abilities.
This is reflected in the fact that solar panels increase your home’s value by 3%, on average.
As long as you’ve kept the relevant documents handy, it should be simple to hand over control of your solar panels to your buyer.
Written 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.