How it works
Tell us about your home
Postcode, property type, roughly what you spend on electricity, and how you'd pay. Two minutes.
We pass it to one installer
If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them. They can arrange a survey and quote.
Check the quote against the guide
Compare their price with the 2026 benchmarks below. If it's out of range or the fit is wrong, you can say no.
What a fair solar quote looks like in 2026
Treat the table below as a sanity check, not a price list — every roof is different. It is anchored to the government's own cost series: across domestic solar installations registered with MCS between April 2025 and March 2026, the average installed cost was £1,955 per kW for systems up to 4kW and £1,645 per kW for 4–10kW systems, VAT included. On those figures a 4kW system lands somewhere near £6,600–£7,800, and a 6kW system near £9,900.
Source: DESNZ, Solar PV cost data (published 28 May 2026; Total Installed Capacity basis; domestic installations; Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland). That figure covers the panels, inverter, installation and grid connection and excludes battery storage, so the battery column below is an indicative range from installer quotes rather than an official statistic — ask your installer to price the battery as a separate line.
Prices include scaffolding, the inverter and the MCS paperwork. VAT on solar panels and batteries installed in homes is 0% until 31 March 2027 and returns to 5% from 1 April 2027, so a 2026 quote that adds 20% VAT is wrong (how the VAT relief works).
| Home | System | Solar only | With battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat or small terrace | 2–3kW | £3,500–£6,500 | £6,500–£10,000 |
| Terraced house | 3kW | £5,000–£6,500 | £8,000–£11,000 |
| Semi-detached, 3 bed | 4kW | £6,000–£8,000 | £9,000–£12,500 |
| Detached or high use | 5–6kW | £7,000–£11,000 | £11,500–£17,500 |
Judge the payback on your own roof, not on a national average. Your installer has to give you an MCS performance estimate for your actual roof — orientation, pitch and shading move the output a long way — and that estimate, the price you pay for electricity, and the export rate your supplier offers are what decide when the system pays for itself. Export rates are set by the supplier rather than by Ofgem: the only rule is that a Smart Export Guarantee tariff must be above zero, so it is worth shopping around for one. Worked examples are in the solar panel costs guide.
Ways to pay
Upfront
Cheapest overall. Ask for a fixed-price quote, a named panel and inverter make, and the MCS certificate on completion.
Finance or a monthly plan
Many installers offer 0% or low-rate finance over 5–10 years. Compare the total repayable, not the monthly figure, against the upfront price.
Subscription
Some providers install for no upfront cost and charge a monthly fee for 20+ years. Works for some homes; read the exit terms before signing.
What a good solar quote must contain
Most solar disputes start with a thin quote. Before you sign anything, check the document carries all of this — and if it does not, ask for it in writing rather than over the phone.
- The installer's MCS certificate number, which you can look up yourself on the MCS installer database. MCS certification, or an equivalent scheme, is what suppliers require before they will put a system on a Smart Export Guarantee tariff.
- Named panel and inverter make and model, with quantities — not "premium tier 1 panels". Makes and models can be priced and compared; adjectives cannot.
- The MCS performance estimate for your roof, in kWh a year. It is a standardised calculation using your orientation, pitch and shading, and every saving quoted to you should be derived from it.
- Scaffolding stated explicitly as included or excluded. It is the most common surprise line item on a solar bill.
- Battery capacity priced as a separate line, so you can decide on storage independently of the panels.
- Warranty terms split out. Panels, inverter, battery and workmanship usually carry different lengths, and the workmanship warranty is the one that rests on the installer rather than the manufacturer.
- The total price, the deposit, and what protects it. Consumer-code members such as RECC and HIES have deposit-protection rules; ask which code the installer belongs to and what it covers.
- If you are financing it: the APR, the term, the total amount repayable, and whether the cash price is the same. Compare the total repayable against the cash price — never the monthly figure on its own.
What moves the price on your roof
Two houses on the same street can be quoted hundreds of pounds apart for the same number of panels, entirely legitimately. The usual reasons:
- Access and scaffolding. A three-storey house, a conservatory in the way, or a rear roof with no side access all add days as well as materials.
- Roof covering. Slate and clay are slower and more fragile to work than concrete tiles; a flat roof needs ballast or a mounting frame instead.
- Inverter choice. A single string inverter is the cheapest option; power optimisers or microinverters cost more but recover output on a roof that is shaded or split across several faces.
- Electrical work. An older consumer unit, a long cable run to the inverter, or a meter at the far end of the house all add labour.
- Grid connection. Your installer deals with the network operator — notifying them after a smaller installation, or getting approval before a larger one. An export limit set by the network can change the system design.
- In-roof versus on-roof. Integrated panels that sit flush with the tiles look better and cost more, and usually only make sense if the roof is being recovered anyway.
None of that is a reason to accept a vague price. A surveyor who has been on your roof should be able to explain, line by line, why your quote is the number it is.
How your enquiry is handled
- One installer, not a marketplace. If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them. They are not resold.
- A real quote needs a survey. The installer checks your roof, loft and fuse board before pricing.
- No obligation, at any stage. You can say no at any point, including after the survey or the quote, and owe nothing.
- It costs you nothing. An installer may pay Great British Energy a referral fee if you go ahead, and that fee does not change your price.
- Your consent is recorded with the enquiry. Ticking the box asks us to process your details and pass your enquiry to one suitable MCS-certified installer, exactly as set out in our privacy policy. Marketing email is a separate, optional tick that you can unsubscribe from at any time.
Get your solar quote
One installer, chosen for your postcode. Nothing is shared until you submit.
Questions people ask before requesting a quote
Why one installer instead of several quotes?
Comparison sites typically pass your details to three or four companies, and you spend a week fielding calls. We pass your enquiry to one suitable MCS-certified installer that covers your area and give you the cost benchmarks to judge their price, without the phone barrage.
What does it cost me?
Nothing for the introduction or the quote — you pay the installer for the system itself. An installer may pay Great British Energy a referral fee if you go ahead, and that fee does not change the price you are quoted.
Which installers do you use?
We only pass solar enquiries to MCS-certified installers that cover your postcode, and only one per enquiry. You can check any installer on the MCS register. If an accredited installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them.
Does the quote include VAT?
There is no VAT to add. Solar panels and battery storage installed in homes are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate returns to 5% (HMRC VAT Notice 708/6). A 2026 quote that adds 20% VAT to a domestic solar install is wrong — query it.
What happens to my data?
Your enquiry is stored with a timestamped consent record and shared with one installer under a written agreement that bars resale. Details in the privacy policy.
What if I might qualify for funded work instead?
Funded solar is rare, and limited to households on qualifying benefits in EPC D–G homes, usually alongside insulation and heating measures. If that might be you, this form is the wrong route — start with the solar panel grants guide or the eligibility checker instead. Everybody else pays, finances or subscribes.