If you’re lucky enough to live among Somerset’s stunning gorges, unending windswept hills, and beautiful beaches, and you’re looking to cut your electricity bills, solar panels could be the best way forward.

From Simonsbath to Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset enjoys more sunlight than most parts of the UK, which offers solar homes a huge advantage.

In this guide, we’ll run through how much solar panels cost in Somerset, how the county’s weather could impact your savings, and which grants may help you cut the upfront cost.

We install across Somerset, 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 Somerset?

We’ve created a series of rigorous tests to assess more than 2,200 installers across the UK, and these firms have performed the best of any that install in Somerset.

All of them are certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or Flexi-Orb, accredited by HIES or RECC, approved by TrustMark, registered with NAPIT or NICEIC, and have earned a superb customer rating on at least one reputable review site.

The very best companies are also Which? Trusted Traders and offer a solar subscription option, though Sunsave is the only top-rated firm that installs in Somerset and provides a subscription.

To see the top companies in the country, check out our national guide to the best solar panel installers.

1. Sunsave

Our mission is to make solar accessible to all UK households – and that’s why we offer the UK’s first solar subscription.

Sunsave Plus lets you start reducing your energy bills straight away, with no upfront cost.

You’ll receive best-in-class kit, access to the best export tariffs, and the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee. This comes with 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, a free battery upgrade and inverter replacement if necessary, and downtime cover – all for a fixed monthly fee.

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

Our customers are huge fans of our work: they’ve left us more than 300 five-star ratings on Trustpilot, while praising our helpful, communicative approach.

2. JVDC Electrical

James Vowles and Daniel Catley have run JVDC Electrical since they incorporated it in 2015.

The company accepts jobs all over the region, from Bristol down to Taunton, and eastwards to Frome. As well as solar & battery systems, JVDC also fits EV chargers and handles any and all electrical issues.

Vowles, a local boy who grew up in Street, became an apprentice electrician in 2002 after leaving school. He broke out on his own after 10 years, then joined Catley in a partnership that’s proved extremely successful.

The pair are experienced electrical experts, meaning they’ve pretty much seen it all, and should be able to come up with a solution for any electrical setup.

A solar installation is straightforward for them – and they can even fit an off-grid system, if asked.

3. Jowett & Jowett

Many firms claim to be family-run, but Jowett & Jowett takes this to a new level of synergy.

Twin brothers Olly and Bernie Jowett founded the company in 2009, bringing together their combined mechanical and electrical knowledge to form a local powerhouse.

They work with domestic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers to install air and ground source heat pumps, EV chargers, solar thermal panels, boilers, and underfloor heating – and solar & battery systems, of course.

From their base in an industrial park near a window store and a couple of vehicle repair firms, Jowett & Jowett covers the South West all the way from Bristol down to Exeter – and does it well.

The installer’s received rave reviews from customers impressed by the considerate, efficient nature of its engineers.

How much do solar panels cost in Somerset?

A 4.5kWp solar & battery system costs £10,937 to buy and install in Somerset, on average.

This system includes 10 solar panels, each with a 450-watt peak power rating, and a 5kWh battery.

We've factored in the cost of installing a 5kWh battery, as it can massively boost your returns.

A battery allows you to use more solar-generated electricity at home – known as self-consumption – which means you’ll buy less electricity from the grid.

You can also sign up for the best export tariffs and time-of-use import tariffs, and join one of a number of 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.

There are multiple reasons why you may end up paying a different amount for your solar panel system, such as its size, the installation’s complexity, and which installer you pick.

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

At Sunsave, we install all over Somerset– 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 Somerset?

There are solar panel grants available to a limited selection of Somerset households, as well as initiatives that could significantly reduce your upfront cost.

Somerset Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, and now has the goal to become a carbon neutral county by 2030.

This approach is reflected in the number of grants available across the county.

Bright Green Homes

This initiative allows low-income, energy-inefficient households to get a number of home improvements, including solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, and window replacements.

It’s funded by the government's Warm Homes Local Grant, and is available to homes in North Somerset Council and Bath & North East Somerset Council, as well as Bristol City Council, which runs the scheme.

To qualify, you must live in a home with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F, or G, that’s heated by electricity, oil, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), solid fuel, or gas.

You’ll also need to either have a total household income of £36,000 or less, or live in a low-income postcode – which your council can confirm for you.

Grants are handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, and aren't accessible to people in social housing or temporary accommodation.

Lendology loans

Somerset, North Somerset, and Bath & North East Somerset’s councils have all partnered with Lendology – a not-for-profit lender – to provide loans for home improvements like solar panels.

Homeowners and private landlords under Somerset Council can borrow up to £20,000, while people in Bath & North East Somerset can get loans of up to £15,000.

In North Somerset, you can also borrow as much as £15,000 – though only £8,000 can be used for renewable measures. The scheme is also currently closed to everyone in the council except homeowners who get a referral from the local authority.

Whatever council you’re in, you’ll have up to 15 years to pay back the loan. You just need enough equity in your home.

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

The interest rate is fixed, Lendology doesn’t charge any early repayment fees, and you’re able to make overpayments at any point.

For more general information, check out our article on solar panel loans.

Solar Together in Somerset

Solar Together is an initiative that allows homeowners and small business owners in a particular area to get a discount on their solar installations through collective buying.

It’s not a government grant though; it's a scheme run by private Dutch company iChoosr, in partnership with local authorities all over England and Wales.

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

The scheme visited the West of England – which includes Bath & North East Somerset – in 2021 and 2023, where it delivered more than 1,700 installations overall.

Customers secured average discounts of 22% in 2021 and 34% in 2023, compared to typical market prices at the time.

The initiative also came to North Somerset in 2023 – when it led to nearly 2,600 solar panels being installed – before returning in 2024.

Solar Together only pops up in a few counties every year, and each edition is time-limited, so you’ll need to wait and see when it comes back to Somerset.

Unfortunately, the scheme also has some significant drawbacks, so it's well worth doing your research before taking this route. To find out more, read our comprehensive guide to Solar Together.

National grants

There are a couple of national grants that households in Somerset can apply for – and if you think you might qualify, it’s well worth having a look.

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 usually high. Grants can make them affordable – or free.

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

Warm Homes: Local Grant

This government programme gives funding to local authorities in England that they can use to boost the energy efficiency and heating systems of eligible households.

The scheme, which began in April 2025 and is due to run until 2028, is aimed at energy-inefficient households that are deprived, low-income, or receive at least one means-tested benefit.

In its latest funding round, the initiative awarded £6 million to Somerset, and £13.5 million to a consortium including Bath & North East Somerset, the City of Bristol, and North Somerset.

So if you’re eligible and live in one of these councils, you could receive as much as £30,000 worth of measures.

This includes £15,000 for energy performance upgrades like a solar & battery system, and another £15,000 for a low-carbon heating system, such as a heat pump or electric storage heater.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

ECO4 is the government’s flagship scheme for cutting residential emissions – and if you’re in a low-income or vulnerable household with a resident who gets a qualifying benefit, you could potentially get some funding.

Unfortunately, the scheme is set to end in December 2026.

Until then, the government will continue to compel large energy suppliers to make energy-efficient upgrades in underprivileged homes, at no cost to the residents.

The programme can get you a free solar panel system, as it has done for more than 65,000 homes – though only if your household is heated with electricity, as 11.2% in England are.

To find out more, read our full guide to the ECO4 scheme.

How many homes in Somerset have solar panels?

32,726 homes in Somerset have had solar panel systems installed, according to the most recent government data.

This means 7.7% of the county’s 424,018 households have gone solar  – which is considerably higher than the national average of 5.8%.

To learn more about the popularity of solar panels in different parts of the country, check out our guide to how many homes have solar panels in the UK.

Is Somerset sunny enough for solar panels?

Somerset is absolutely sunny enough for solar panels. In fact, it gets more sunlight than the majority of the UK, receiving 1,320 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) per year – 8% above the national average.

This figure will vary slightly depending on where you are, but it’s a great indicator.

In the solar industry, amounts of sunlight are tracked via ‘solar irradiance,’ which defines the sun’s average intensity in a specific area.

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

As you might expect, the more intense the sunlight that hits your panels, the higher the kWh/m², and the more solar electricity your system will generate – meaning higher savings for your household.

Typical solar panel output in Somerset

These output figures are all based on a residential installation in the Somerset Levels.

We've chosen a 4.9kWp system because it should produce more than enough electricity to match the average UK household's electricity consumption, which is 3,400kWh per year, and because it was the average system size in 2025, according to the MCS.

When your solar panels generate more electricity than you can use or store in your battery, you can sell this excess energy to the grid via one of the best SEG rates.

While this happens with nearly every UK system during summer, installations in Somerset should be able to benefit from this extra income stream more often.

Please note: you won’t necessarily produce as much solar electricity with your system, since your home will have its own unique characteristics – but it should give you a good idea of what’s possible in Somerset.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Somerset?

It’s absolutely worth getting solar panels in Somerset – even more so than it is in most UK counties.

Somerset receives high levels of solar irradiance, especially compared to the national average, which means its households can save hundreds of pounds per year by switching to solar.

There’s a reason why 7.7% of Somerset’s homes have already gone solar – and that percentage will likely rise in the coming years, as energy bills stay high, and heat pumps and electric vehicles become even more common across the UK.

If you’d like to go solar but you’re put off by the upfront cost, consider Sunsave Plus, our all-in-one residential solar and battery solution that’s tailored to your home, and delivered as a monthly subscription with no upfront cost.

It also comes with the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee, which includes 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, a free battery upgrade, a free inverter replacement if necessary, and downtime cover.

At Sunsave, we install all over Somerset – 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 Somerset: FAQs