Asbestos roof removal and replacement: costs, grants and solar for farms and industrial units

Asbestos roofs on farms, warehouses and industrial units

Thousands of UK barns, sheds, warehouses and industrial units built before 2000 still have asbestos cement roof sheets. Left alone and in good condition, they're usually safe. The trouble starts when the roof is leaking, the sheets are weathered, or you want to fit solar panels.

That's because HSE treats asbestos cement roofs as always fragile: they can't bear a person's weight, and drilling fixings into them is discouraged. So on an asbestos roof, solar usually means dealing with the roof first. For most owners, the real question isn't "can I get solar?" but "what do I do with this roof, and can the solar help pay for it?"

This page is for commercial, farm and industrial roofs. If you run a farm, a warehouse or a factory, the new roof and the solar panels can be designed, priced and fitted as one project.

Asbestos roofs: the short answer

Remove and re-sheet, overclad or encapsulate: your three options

A structural check decides a lot of this. Overcladding and solar both add weight, and older portal frames and purlins were designed to tight margins. Ask for the survey before you compare quotes.

Asbestos roof removal cost and replacement cost in 2026

Roof ranges are contractor and industry figures (Safety Clarity, Nationwide Industrial Roofing, Industrial Roofing Scotland, Robinsons), checked 9 November 2026. There is no official price index for asbestos roofing. Solar: One Energy and DESNZ solar PV cost data.

Worked example: a 1,000m² barn or unit

Using the ranges above (our arithmetic, not a quote): removing the asbestos sheets comes to roughly £40,000-£100,000 and a new roof £90,000-£180,000, so about £130,000-£280,000 for the roof alone. Overcladding the same area instead is roughly £60,000-£90,000. A 100kWp solar system, which needs about 300-400m² of that roof, adds roughly £75,000-£100,000.

Real quotes swing a long way either side. Access, roof height, fragile roof lights, insulation, waste disposal and whether the building stays in use all move the price, and floor area alone tells you about half the story. That's why you need a survey. For the solar side, see our full business solar panel costs guide.

Is there a grant for asbestos removal?

No. There's no UK government grant for asbestos removal, and no grant for asbestos roof replacement either. If an advert promises one, ask exactly which scheme it is and check it on GOV.UK.

Farmers ask about this most. There's no open Defra or RPA grant for farm solar right now. The Improving Farm Productivity round, which paid £15,000 to £100,000 towards solar PV systems (including solar batteries), has closed. Watch for future rounds, and use the tax allowances and the business rates exemption in the meantime. That grant paid for solar equipment, not roofs or asbestos work.

How asbestos roofs actually get paid for

• Bundled into a solar PPA. On bigger roofs with high daytime electricity use, some solar funders will include the roof replacement or overclad in a solar power purchase agreement. You pay nothing upfront, but the roof isn't free: the funder gets the cost back through the price you pay for the electricity over the contract. Many funders turn down poor roofs, so this route suits large, well-used sites best.
• Asset finance or a business loan. Spread the roof and the solar over several years. The bill savings from the solar can offset part of the repayments.
• Cash, with the tax allowances on the solar. If you buy the solar system outright, it can qualify for capital allowances. See our solar capital allowances guide.

Replacing an asbestos roof with solar: doing both in one job

If the roof needs work in the next few years, price the roof and the solar together. Solar panels stay up for decades, so fitting them to an old roof means paying to lift and refit the whole array when the roof finally goes. Doing both at once means:

• One set of access. Scaffolding, edge protection and safety netting are paid for once.
• A roof designed for the panels. The new sheets or insulated panels, fixings and layout are chosen with the array in mind.
• A roof that outlasts the panels' payback. You won't be stripping the array off in ten years.
• One programme. One period of disruption for livestock, stock or production, not two.

Not every asbestos roof should carry solar. If the structure can't take the load, or the roof faces the wrong way, the panels can go on another building, on carports or on the ground. A good installer will tell you that rather than force panels onto the wrong roof.

Asbestos roof rules: what the HSE says

• Duty to manage. If you own or run a non-domestic building, you must find out whether it contains asbestos, assess its condition and manage it. There's no duty to remove it just because it's there.
• Who can remove it. Intact asbestos cement sheets can usually be removed as non-licensed work by a trained contractor. If the sheets will be substantially broken up, it becomes notifiable non-licensed work, which means notifying the enforcing authority, health checks and records. Higher-risk materials, such as asbestos insulating board, need a licensed contractor.
• Fragile roofs. Asbestos cement roofs can't be walked on without proper safety measures, and panels can't be fixed straight onto them.

Read HSE's guidance on non-licensed work, notifiable non-licensed work and the duty to manage.

Asbestos garage or shed roof at home?

This page is for farms, businesses and commercial buildings. For a garage or shed at home, read our homeowner guide to asbestos garage roof removal: 2026 prices for single and double garages, whether you can do it yourself, and which council tips take the sheets. We don't remove asbestos from homes, but a new garage roof is a good moment to look at solar, so check which home energy grants you qualify for.

What to send for an asbestos roof and solar quote

1. Roof details. Rough roof area, building age, sheet type, photos, and any leaks or damaged sheets.
2. Your asbestos survey or register, if you have one.
3. Structure. Building drawings or any structural reports.
4. Electricity use. 12 months of bills, so the solar can be sized to what you actually use.
5. Ownership. Whether you own the building or lease it, and whether it's held by a company, a partnership or you personally.
6. Timing. Whether the building has to stay in use, and any seasons to avoid, such as lambing or peak stock.

We'll pass your enquiry to one suitable roofing and solar installer. You won't be passed round a list or sold on.