How much do solar panels cost in the UK?

Solar panels can massively reduce your electricity bills and carbon footprint, while lessening the impact of any energy price rises – but the upfront cost can be a major hurdle.

In this guide, we'll explain how much solar panels cost, how different factors affect the price you’ll pay, and why it's a worthwhile investment for your home and the planet.

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

How much do solar panels cost?

Solar panel costs per m²

Solar panels cost £643 per m² on average for a seven-panel system, which is typically the best choice for a three-bedroom household.

Since this figure includes installation costs like scaffolding, it drops as you add more solar panels to your project – so however many panels you're planning on buying, you should ideally have them installed at the same time.

Solar panel costs by installation type

What factors make up the cost of solar panels?

The main factors that determine the overall cost of solar panels are:

• The number of solar panels
• Solar panel type and quality
• Complexity of installation
• Inverter type and quality
• Battery storage
• G99 application
• Bird protection

The number of solar panels

The biggest deciding factor behind your system's cost is the number of solar panels.

The more solar panels you buy, the higher the price tag, as you'll have to pay for more brackets and possibly a larger inverter – as well as a bigger solar battery, if you get one.

However, more panels also means proportionally more savings, since most of the associated costs of installation – like scaffolding, labour, and vehicle expenses – don't typically increase by as much as the amount an extra solar panel will save you.

Solar panel type

The two most common types of solar panels are monocrystalline and polycrystalline, and your choice will affect the overall cost. It’ll also affect your system’s efficiency – that is, how much of the light that hits your panels they can transform into electricity.

Monocrystalline panels are more expensive but have a higher efficiency of up to 24%. As each panel is made from a single silicon crystal – hence ‘mono’ – these panels have a black colour and sleek appearance.

Polycrystalline panels are more budget-friendly, but less efficient – usually around 15%. These panels are made from several blended silicone fragments, so have a speckled,  blue-tinged colour, and a slightly less glossy appearance. 

However, even if you settle on getting monocrystalline panels, these can obviously range in quality. Some are far more efficient and more powerful than others, which will have an impact on cost.

Scaffolding and installation

The cost of scaffolding and installation can vary significantly, depending on how accessible your roof is. The harder the roof is to reach, the more expensive the scaffolding setup becomes.

Adding a few panels to your system rarely makes a huge difference to cost, but if your scaffolding changes from something routine to something highly specialised, this can add thousands of pounds to the overall price.

For example, the scaffolding needs to rest on the ground, and if there's a low roof in its way (e.g. from a conservatory or extension), your installer may need to 'bridge' over it, which makes the project more complex and expensive.

At the same time, you may also pay more if your scaffolding is on the bigger side, or if the installers have limited access to your home – for instance, if it’s a terrace house.

There are also specific roof features that can make the layout of your panels more complicated, which can mean more railings, and therefore a higher price.

These features include:

• Velux windows, also known as skylights
• Chimneys
• Pipes, e.g. soil vent pipes or flue pipes
• Dormers
• Gable roofs

For more information, check out our guide to how solar panels are installed.

Inverter

A standard string inverter that’s responsible for the entire solar panel system is less expensive than microinverters, which are installed on every single panel.

Microinverters will ensure that your system is more efficient, but there’s a much larger initial cost. 

For instance, you’ll pay around £1,400 for an inverter that can support up to 12 solar panels, but microinverters cost around £175 per panel, which would be almost £2,100 for 12 panels.

Battery

Opting for battery storage will usually add a chunk to the overall price, as it costs around £2,000 to £3,000 for a 5 kWh battery – but a battery provides several excellent benefits.

Without a battery, all the electricity your solar panels generate must be used at the moment it’s created, otherwise it’s automatically sold to the grid. This makes it tricky for people who aren’t home much during the day to actually make use of their solar panels. 

With a battery, any electricity you don’t use instantly is stored, ready to be called on after the sun goes down. A battery also gives you access to some of the best export tariffs, such as Intelligent Octopus Flux. 

It's also possible to get a storage battery that can provide emergency power during outages, which can come in very useful if you live in an area with an unreliable power supply.

G99 application

You or your installer must submit a G99 application to your region’s Distribution Network Operator (DNO) if your inverter’s maximum capacity is more than 3.68 kW on a single-phase system.

This application makes your DNO aware of the system, so it can take the extra electricity into account while running its part of the grid.

If you’re in the National Grid DNO area, which covers much of the Midlands and Wales, your application will be free – but if you live elsewhere, it’ll typically cost £200-£600.

DNOs generally accept G99 applications, but not always – and a rejection can lead to increased costs if more work is required.

For instance, if you need to switch your home to three-phase electricity to get your G99 approved, it’ll cost around £5,700.

Bird protection

If your area is inundated with birds, you may want to get bird protection to avoid them damaging your system by building nests under your panels, defecating on them, or pecking at the wiring.

To keep birds away from the underside of your panels, an installer will typically attach wire or plastic mesh to the edges of your panels or place bird spikes around them.

This process costs roughly £50 per panel, so if you have a 3 kWp system with seven panels, you’ll pay around £350.

Some engineers will instead use devices that play ultrasonic sounds that only birds can hear, or visual deterrents like plastic owls and reflective tape, all of which may cost more.

Bird protection isn’t often necessary – and fortunately, Sunsave Plus comes with insurance, provided by Aviva, that covers damage caused by birds.

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.

* We’ve based these figures on 32 different solar & battery system designs in our database, which includes properties from all over England and Wales.

What solar export tariffs are available?

You can use any of these best export tariffs to sell your excess electricity to the grid.

The earnings are based on a 5.2 kWp solar panel system with a 5.8 kWh solar battery, which will export 56% of the electricity it generates, on average.

We’re also using the average percentage of peak power generated in the UK, which we’ve worked out is 85% – so a 5.2 kWp system would typically produce 4,420 kWh per year.

The money you can gain from using the Intelligent Octopus Flux and Octopus Flux tariffs include the profit you’ll make by relying on smart battery controls to import electricity from the grid when it’s cheapest, and sell it back when its price is highest.

Every large supplier must now provide a solar export tariff, thanks to the government-backed Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), though some – like Octopus – also offer more profitable rates that usually require you to also become a customer.

How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves?

For the average UK household, a solar & battery system typically takes 7.1 years to pay for itself*, though this time period can rise or fall, depending on multiple factors.

These include the initial cost of the system, the panels’ electricity generation, local electricity rates, and the export tariff.

This is also just an average – your payback period will depend on how much energy solar panels can produce on your roof, so it may be considerably shorter if you live in a sunny location and own a roof that's well-suited to solar panels.

Here are several solar & battery designs we’ve created, with their different payback periods.*

If you’d like to learn more, read our guide that explains how long solar panels last after their break-even point.

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

Solar with heat pumps and EVs

Powering your heat pump and electric vehicle with electricity generated by your own solar panels is a fantastic way to save money on your heating and transport costs.

If you’re on any solar export tariff apart from Intelligent Octopus Flux, consuming the electricity your panels produce is always better than sending it to the grid, since other tariffs don’t offer identical import and export prices.

And using your own solar generation is much easier to do when your heating and car run on electricity – though of course, this approach does require you to pay for a heat pump, electric vehicle, and EV charger.

Purchases of both technologies are rising rapidly though, as homeowners move to save money on their energy and fuel bills, while also cutting their carbon footprints.

Why are solar panels so expensive?

Solar panels are expensive because they require a complex installation that generally takes place on your roof.

This process throws up a large number of associated costs that you have to pay if you want your system to work effectively.

As well as the panels, you’ll pay for materials like the inverter, cables, racks, and potentially a solar battery, as well as for business costs including the labour, scaffolding, electrical expertise, and installer overheads.

These are unavoidable costs. The roof is usually the best place for your solar panels, and unless you’re certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), you shouldn’t install the panels yourself.

The cost of solar panels over the years

The cost of solar panels has fallen dramatically over the past few decades.

Customers across the world paid $125.83 (£99.25) per watt in 1975 – meaning a 3 kWp system would've cost you £297,750, with all prices adjusted for inflation.

That figure has plummeted by 99.8% since then, with the average global price of solar now standing at just 26¢ (21p) per watt.

This massive drop is down to increased manufacturing capacity, improved processes, increasingly cheap materials, and skyrocketing demand, as the solar panel has evolved from a quirky piece of promising technology to a transformative addition to the energy mix.

How to keep the costs of solar panels down

If you're looking to save money on solar panels, try these strategies:

• Look into no-upfront-cost solar panels
• See if you’re eligible for a government grant
• Check out your local Solar Together scheme
• Avoid cheap solar panels

Look into no-upfront-cost solar panels

You can get solar panels at no upfront cost with a subscription like Sunsave Plus, which offers all the benefits of going solar without the burden of the initial payment.

With Sunsave Plus, you’ll receive the best-in-class kit, all in one easy package that works seamlessly, looks excellent, and can save you money from day one.

Sunsave Plus also comes with the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee, which provides monitoring and maintenance, free replacements for your battery and inverter, insurance against damage, fire, and theft, and downtime payments if your system doesn’t work.

Thanks to our partnership with Octopus, we can also get you fast-track access to the best export tariffs around – Intelligent Octopus Flux and Octopus Flux – which can boost your savings even further.

See if you’re eligible for a government grant

There are several grants and schemes on offer which can help with the cost of solar panels. For instance, schemes like the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) focus on improvements to energy efficiency for low-income households and some social housing tenants.

The Home Upgrade Grant and PPA schemes also offer other forms of financial support, making solar installations more accessible for certain groups of people.

Check out your local Solar Together scheme

Check if your local area has signed up for the Solar Together scheme.

This community-based programme negotiates group discounts for solar panel installations, making them more affordable for individual homeowners – though you’ll still need to pay an upfront cost.

To find out more, read our full guide to Solar Together.

Avoid cheap solar panels

Second-hand or cheap solar panels are always attractive to cost-conscious customers – but buy them at your peril.

Purchasing them will usually just kick the cost further down the line, since low-cost panels that other people don’t want will almost always be less efficient, less effective, and less long-lasting.

This means you probably won’t break even on them, and will end up buying another set of panels before too long.

If you’re investing in your future, you should do it with high-quality equipment.

What are the costs of maintaining your solar panels?

Solar panel maintenance can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds over your panels’ lifespan, if you don’t have a maintenance payment plan in place.

Industry experts estimate that every year, the average solar & battery system in the UK has a 15% chance of requiring maintenance, across a 20-year period.

You'll need to make three call outs overall on average, and each one can add substantially to your costs – without even going into the hassle of finding a reliable solar engineer every time.

Fortunately, this is a cost you can avoid by opting for Sunsave Plus instead – more on that below.

Solar panel servicing

Solar panels don't have any moving parts, which means they rarely encounter technical problems, though they're still vulnerable to impact damage from the likes of falling branches and debris.

Unfortunately, the inverter is a much weaker part of the system, with more than 10% of solar owners saying it had caused them problems, according to Which?.

Sunsave Plus, on the other hand, comes with a 20-year monitoring & maintenance package called the Sunsave Guarantee.

This unique offering also includes a free replacement inverter and battery, as well as insurance provided by Aviva and downtime cover – all of which means you don’t need to worry about finding someone to fix your panels, should they stop working.

If you don't opt for Sunsave Plus, the MCS recommends that you get an ‘intermediate’ maintenance check from an MCS-certified technician every 10 years, and a ‘full’ maintenance check every 15 years. These checks also include your inverter.

These checks ensure that everything is functioning correctly and safely, potentially saving you from further repair or replacement costs in the long run.

If something does go wrong and you need to call out someone for repairs, this can typically cost around £100, although obviously it depends on the nature of the issue.

Solar panel cleaning

Each of your solar panels will have a hydrophobic coating, meaning rainwater runs off them like a duck’s back – but even better, since the water takes any dust, dirt, and detritus with it.

The main silver lining of living in this wet country is the weather will clean your solar panels so often that you don’t usually need to pay someone to do it.

If you live in a particularly dusty area, or right on the coast – where the air is salty – your solar panels may need to be cleaned more regularly.

You can do this yourself from the ground, using an extendable brush, or you can hire a professional for around £100-£200, with the price depending largely on the number of panels you have.

Some solar installers now offer this service, as do numerous window cleaners around the UK.

Verdict: are solar panels cost-effective?

Solar panels are extremely cost-effective in the great majority of cases.

You’ll typically save hundreds of pounds per year on your electricity bills, break even in around seven years, and prepare your home for a more electrified future, where heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers will be commonplace.

Solar panels will usually save you tens of thousands of pounds over their lifespan, wherever you live in the UK – unless your only usable roof is north-facing.

If you have roof space that faces east, west, or south, you’ll be able to slash your bills and increase your home’s value at the same time, by an average of 3%.

Add in the fact that you’ll typically save a tonne of CO2 per year, and you have a stream of cost-effective benefits.

How to ensure your solar panels are cost-effective

The best way to ensure your solar panels are cost-effective is to reduce your upfront costs and take actions to increase your long-term savings.

You can make this a reality by choosing a high-quality installer with the best equipment and longest guarantee, all at the lowest price point possible. Just follow these steps:

• Hire one of the best, most trustworthy installers
• Ensure they provide excellent, reliable solar panels and batteries
• Instead of paying the full cost upfront, spread your payments over many years
• Find a monitoring and maintenance programme that’ll keep your panels producing the most electricity they can

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.