The short answer: Yes, you can get a government-backed loan for solar panels. The Warm Homes Loan Scheme, live since 27 October 2026, lets you borrow up to £15,000 for solar PV and up to £15,000 for a home battery. The government pays lenders to cut the rate, so loans are up to 5 percentage points cheaper than a normal loan and some are interest-free. There is no income test. You need to own the home, use an MCS-certified installer and pass the lender’s credit checks. It works anywhere in the UK.
Last verified: 30 October 2026 against the scheme rules (September 2026), the DESNZ factsheet and GOV.UK.
Check the free route first. If your household earns about £36,000 or less, gets a qualifying benefit or lives in a low-income postcode in England, and your home’s EPC is D to G, the Warm Homes: Local Grant may fit solar panels for free through your council. GOV.UK says the same: on a low income, you might get the improvements free instead. Our eligibility checker takes about a minute.
What the Warm Homes Loan covers for solar
| Item | Covered? | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| New roof-mounted solar panels | Yes | £15,000 |
| Adding panels to an existing system | Yes | Within the £15,000 solar cap |
| Home battery, with solar or on its own | Yes | £15,000 (its own cap) |
| Scaffolding, safety equipment, grid connection | Yes, as part of the install | Inside the measure’s cap |
| EV charger | Only with solar or a battery | Inside the measure’s cap |
| Roof replacement or structural repairs | No | — |
| Insulation, windows, doors | No | — |
The whole solar job, including extras such as scaffolding, must cost £15,000 or less (a battery has its own £15,000 limit). The scheme rules say any extra work “must also fall within the relevant measure caps”. For work the scheme doesn’t cover, such as fixing the roof first, the rules say lenders can offer a separate ordinary loan.
Who can get a solar panel loan?
- Homeowners, with or without a mortgage, borrowing for an existing home.
- Private landlords, borrowing personally. If you own several homes, you can apply for a loan for each one.
- Anywhere in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- You must pass the lender’s credit and affordability checks. Some lenders add their own rules, such as asking for an EPC.
The government sets no income limit, no requirement to make other energy-saving upgrades first, and no property-type rules. Tenants can’t take out a loan for a home they don’t own, but their landlord can.
The 10 Warm Homes Loan lenders
These are the lenders on GOV.UK on 30 October 2026. We list them for information only: we don’t earn commission from any lender, and we don’t arrange credit.
| Lender | What DESNZ or the lender says |
|---|---|
| HomeServe Finance | Lending in partnership with E.ON |
| Hometree Finance | “Flexible loans for solar and battery storage” through installer partners, with optional built-in system care |
| The Money Co-Op | A not-for-profit co-operative |
| Propensio | Listed by DESNZ and GOV.UK; ask the lender for product details |
| Secure Trust Bank | Finance through its V12 Retail Finance platform with retail partners |
| Selina Finance | Listed by DESNZ and GOV.UK; ask the lender for product details |
| South Manchester Credit Union | Lending to residents of Central and South Manchester |
| Sunsave Energy | “Low or zero-interest finance” for solar and batteries |
| Tandem Bank | Works with installer partners |
| This Bank | Retail finance through multiple partners |
DESNZ says “some lenders will partner with specific installers only”, while others let you use any MCS-certified installer. So it’s often easiest to ask your installer which lender they work with. Rates, terms and which measures each lender covers are set by the lender: GOV.UK says to contact them directly.
How much would a solar loan cost each month?
DESNZ gives this example: a £10,000 loan at 8% over seven years costs about £155 a month at today’s rates, and through the scheme you could save up to £285 a year on repayments.
| Example only: borrowing £8,000 | Over 5 years | Over 10 years |
|---|---|---|
| At 0% (an interest-free product) | £133 a month | £67 a month |
| Total repaid at 0% | £8,000 | £8,000 |
£8,000 is an example amount, not a typical price. The monthly figures are simple division and leave out any fees. A product with interest will cost more; always compare the APR and the total amount repayable. For real price ranges, see solar panel costs and solar and battery costs.
DESNZ says a heat pump, battery and solar panels together could save a household up to £550 a year on bills, and up to £300 more on a time-of-use tariff. You can also earn from the power you send back to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee.
Beat the VAT rise: 0% until 31 March 2027
Installed solar panels and batteries pay 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. HMRC says the rate goes back to 5% from 1 April 2027, and the Budget on 28 October 2026 confirmed that “as planned”. On an £8,000 system that is £400 more if it’s installed after the deadline. See our 0% VAT guide.
How to get a Warm Homes Loan for solar panels
- Check the free grants first if you’re on a lower income: the Warm Homes: Local Grant or, for people on benefits, free solar panels on benefits.
- Get quotes from MCS-certified installers. Ask each one whether they offer a Warm Homes Loan, which lender it’s with, the APR, the term and the total repayable.
- Or apply to a lender directly, or ask your mortgage provider about further borrowing. DESNZ says some loans give “up to thirty years to repay”. If a loan is secured on your home, your home may be repossessed if you don’t keep up repayments.
- Check the paperwork says the loan is funded through the Warm Homes Loan Scheme. GOV.UK says the product will say so.
- Keep your records: quote, finance agreement, invoice, proof of purchase and MCS certificate. Homes can be picked at random for an audit, and that doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
Can you use it with other funding?
- Warm Homes: Local Grant: not for the same panels. GOV.UK says you can’t use a Warm Homes loan and other government funding for the same improvement. You could, for example, use the grant for insulation and the loan for solar.
- Installer or retailer interest-rate discounts: allowed on top of the scheme’s rate cut, according to the scheme rules.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: for heat pumps, not solar. See the Warm Homes Loan for heat pumps.
Watch out for solar finance scams. You apply to a lender or installer, never to the government. Only take finance from a lender on the GOV.UK list, check the agreement names the Warm Homes Loan Scheme, and never sign on the doorstep. Report suspected scams to Warm Homes Counter Fraud: WHLScounterfraud@energysecurity.gov.uk. If you can’t sort out a complaint with a lender, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service; for an installer, go to MCS.
Solar panel loans: common questions
Can I get a Warm Homes Loan for solar panels?
Yes. Solar PV is one of the main measures the Warm Homes Loan Scheme covers. You must own the home, it must be a home in the UK, the panels must be fitted by an MCS-certified installer, and you must pass the lender’s credit and affordability checks.
How much can I borrow for solar panels?
Up to £15,000 for solar PV, according to the DESNZ factsheet and scheme rules. The scheme rules set this as a limit on the total cost of the job, so the whole solar installation must cost £15,000 or less. A home battery has its own cap of up to £15,000. The scheme rules say related work, such as scaffolding and the grid connection, has to fit inside the same cap.
Are Warm Homes solar loans interest-free?
Some are. DESNZ says ten lenders are “initially offering loans, some interest free”, and that the scheme gives “an up-to-5 per cent reduction in interest rates” compared with ordinary loans. Sunsave describes its product as “low or zero-interest finance”. Each lender sets its own rate, so compare the APR and the total amount repayable.
Can I add a battery to my existing solar panels with the loan?
Yes. The scheme rules cover “both standalone battery installations and those paired with solar PV”, with a cap of £15,000 for the battery.
Can I add more panels to an existing solar system?
Yes. The scheme rules cover “new roof-top mounted solar panels, including the addition of solar panels to an existing installation.”
Does the loan cover an EV charger?
Only as part of a solar or battery installation. The rules say an EV chargepoint “is an eligible ancillary cost” with solar PV or a battery, but not a standalone measure, and the installer and chargepoint must be OZEV approved.
Does the Warm Homes Loan pay for roof repairs before solar?
No. The scheme rules say it “will not fund replacement roofing or other structural work that may be required prior to solar being installed.” A lender may offer a separate, ordinary loan for that.
Is there an income limit?
No. The scheme rules say the government “will not impose any income-based eligibility thresholds”. The lender checks your credit and whether you can afford the repayments.
Can landlords get a solar panel loan?
Yes. The rules allow lending to private landlords on a personal basis, and owners of more than one property can apply for a loan for each one. Not every lender offers loans to landlords, so check first. Tenants can’t borrow for a home they don’t own.
Is there a free solar panel grant instead?
For some lower-income homes in England, yes: the Warm Homes: Local Grant can fund solar panels through your council. There is no national solar grant for everyone. You can’t use a Warm Homes Loan and other government funding for the same improvement.
Is Great British Energy Guide a lender?
No. We are an independent guide. We don’t lend, arrange credit or earn commission from lenders. If you ask for a quote, we pass your enquiry to one MCS-certified installer, and you can ask them which Warm Homes Loan lenders they work with.