How Much Do Solar Panels Cost In The UK In 2026?
A 4 kW home system lands between about £6,400 and £8,400 before a battery, on 2025/26 government data.
Key Takeaways
- 2025/26 government data: £1,595 per kW at the median, £2,109 per kW on average for panels fitted to an existing house (up to 4 kW). Larger systems cost less per kW.
- A battery is extra: under £2,000 up to £10,000, says Which?.
- Panels and batteries supplied and installed in a home carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%.
- Export payments need an MCS-certified installation and installer, plus a meter that records exports.
In This Guide
In the year to March 2026, the median home-size solar system in Great Britain cost £1,595 per kW of panels, fitted and connected. Homeowners putting panels on an existing house paid more, an average of £2,109 per kW on systems up to 4 kW, according to the government’s cost data for 264,742 certified installs. For a 4 kW array, the answer to how much solar panels cost in the UK lands between about £6,400 and £8,400, before a battery.
Your own quote moves around that range with the size of the array, the roof, the inverter, the scaffold and whether a battery goes in. Those lines decide whether a price is fair.
Solar Panel Prices By System Size
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) publishes these costs each May from the MCS database. Each figure covers the panels, the installation, the connection and any VAT, with batteries and extended warranties left out.
The table applies the 2025/26 rates to common sizes. The left column uses the national median for each size band; the right uses the average for panels fitted to an existing house, the closest match to a home you already live in.
| System size | At the national median | At the average for existing homes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | about £4,800 | about £6,300 |
| 4 kW | about £6,400 | about £8,400 |
| 5 kW | about £7,700 | about £8,300 |
| 6 kW | about £9,300 | about £9,900 |
| 8 kW | about £12,400 | about £13,200 |
Our arithmetic from DESNZ’s per-kW figures: 0 to 4 kW at £1,595 median and £2,109 for existing homes, 4 to 10 kW at £1,546 and £1,651. The cost per kW falls as systems grow, so the 4 kW row on the right, priced at the small-system rate, comes out above the 5 kW row.
After inflation, the median cost of a system up to 4 kW fell 7% on 2024/25, in a record year for installs. Which?, quoting Energy Saving Trust estimates, puts a 4.5 kWp system at around £7,600, inside the table.
The Cost Of Solar Panels For A 3 Bed House
A bedroom count tells an installer little. Two 3-bed semis on one street can need different systems if one household works from home with an electric car and the other is out all day, or one roof faces south and the other east and west.
Ofgem puts a medium-use home at 2,500 kWh of electricity a year. Your bills show where your house sits against that, and a heat pump or an electric car pushes it up. The roof then caps the size through its area, direction and shade.
If your survey lands on 3 to 5 kW, the table puts the panels at about £4,800 to £8,400, battery extra. Bring a year of bills to any survey, because a quote sized without them is guesswork.
Solar Battery Cost
The DESNZ figures leave batteries out. Which? puts home batteries at anything from under £2,000 up to £10,000, depending on capacity, type, brand and lifespan, with new lithium-ion models running from around 5 kWh to 15 kWh. Its product prices exclude installation, so expect the fitted price to come in higher.
Capacity drives the cost, so check the usable figure in kWh. Which? notes batteries often carry a 10-year warranty and advises planning for one replacement over the life of the panels. The SolarWatt battery we fit carries a 10 to 12-year product warranty with 70% of its capacity guaranteed at the end.
You can add a battery to existing panels in most cases, if it suits the system, and fitting takes about a day. Our battery storage page covers how we size one from your usage and tariff. We publish no battery-only price, because the battery size, your inverter, the location and any electrical work set the figure.
What Pushes A Solar Quote Up Or Down
Two quotes for the same kW can sit thousands apart. These lines account for the gap.
Scaffold and access
A roof array needs scaffold along the eaves, and its cost rises with the height of the house, the number of elevations and the access. A three-storey house on a steep plot costs more to scaffold than a bungalow. We cover and protect the garden, paths and roofline before it goes up.
Roof covering and condition
Tiles, slate and stone slate take different fixings, and old roofs need a look first. We check the condition at the survey, because slipped slates cost less to fix before the scaffold is booked. Our guide to solar panels on slate and north-facing roofs covers the fixings.
The inverter
The inverter turns the panels’ output into mains electricity. A hybrid inverter can also run a battery, so it costs more than a plain string inverter but saves a swap if storage follows. A shaded roof may need optimisers on individual panels.
Network paperwork
Your network operator has to know about the system, and the inverter’s rating decides the route. A small system needs a notice after fitting; a larger one, or a battery that takes the rating higher, needs an approved application first. We handle both with our install partner, so ask any company whether its price covers this.
Bird mesh
Pigeons like the sheltered gap under an array. Mesh around the edges keeps them out, and fitting it while the scaffold is up saves paying for access twice. The law protects an active nest, so once birds move in, the work waits until it is empty.
The kit
Brands vary in price, output and warranty length. We fit SolarWatt panels and batteries, one brand across the system.
0% VAT On Solar Panels And Batteries Until March 2027
HMRC zero-rates the installation of solar panels in homes from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027. Batteries joined the relief on 1 February 2024, including a battery added to panels you already have. From 1 April 2027 the rate goes back to 5%.
The relief covers kit a company supplies and installs; a retailer’s panels or battery on their own carry standard-rate VAT. The 2025/26 averages above already sit inside the zero-rate period.
Solar panels and batteries we supply and install in your home carry 0% VAT under the energy-saving materials relief until 31 March 2027, so the price on your quote is the price you pay.
The Smart Export Guarantee In Brief
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays you for the electricity your panels send to the grid. Suppliers set their own rates and terms, Ofgem requires every rate to sit above zero, and your SEG supplier can differ from the one that sells you electricity.
To qualify, you need a meter that records half-hourly exports, such as a smart meter, and an installation and installer certified under MCS or an equivalent scheme. SEG payments can’t run alongside export payments from the old Feed-in Tariff.
Ask any installer, us included, for the MCS certificate covering your install before you count export payments in the sums. Our guide on whether solar and battery storage is worth it covers the payback side.
How To Read A Solar Quote Line By Line
Line your quote up against this list and ask for anything missing before you compare prices.
- System size in kW, with the panel make, model and count.
- Estimated yearly generation, with the roof direction, pitch and shade it assumes.
- Inverter make, model and rating, and whether it can run a battery.
- Battery make and usable kWh, if included.
- Scaffold and bird mesh, each priced.
- Electrical work: isolators, a generation meter, any consumer unit change.
- Network paperwork: who applies, and when.
- MCS certificate, needed for export payments.
- Warranties for panels, inverter, battery and workmanship, each with its length.
- VAT at 0%.
- The fitter, and the number you call in year two.
A price that leaves out scaffold or paperwork can look cheaper and finish dearer, and one with no generation figure gives you nothing to check the payback against.
Pricing Solar And A Heat Pump Together
Solar and a heat pump pair well within one limit: panels make the least electricity in December, the month a heat pump works hardest, so solar helps most in spring, summer and autumn.
A battery helps in winter. Charged on a cheaper overnight tariff, it can run the heat pump and the house into the evening.
Plan all three together and one survey sizes the inverter, battery and wiring once. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an eligible air source heat pump in England and Wales, and a heat pump installed in a home carries 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 too. Grant claims run through MCS certification and ours is in progress, so ask at the survey for the current position.
Our heat pump installation page sets out the heating side, and the full renewables package puts the heat pump, panels and battery under one design and one fixed quote.
Solar Panel Costs Around New Mills, Stockport And Manchester
We survey homes within about 20 miles of our New Mills base: Manchester, Stockport, Marple, Glossop, Buxton, Whaley Bridge and the Hope Valley toward Sheffield.
The government data puts this corner of the country near the national figure. In 2025/26 the average per kW for systems up to 4 kW came to £1,840 in the East Midlands, which takes in Derbyshire and the High Peak, and £1,800 in both the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, against £1,808 across Great Britain (business installs included).
Within that patch, stone-slate roofs, three-storey terraces and steep valley-side gardens show up in the scaffold and fixing lines. Our pages on solar panels and battery storage in the High Peak and in Stockport cover the local detail, planning included.
Our Survey Sets Your Figure
We publish no solar price, because your roof and your bills decide it. You get the number after one visit:
If your roof is shaded or faces the wrong way, you hear a straight no before you spend a penny. The solar PV installation page covers the full process.
Solar Panel Cost Questions
How much do solar panels cost for a 3 bed house in the UK?
Government data for 2025/26 puts a 3 to 5 kW system at about £4,800 to £8,400, before a battery. Your usage and your roof decide the size.
How much does a solar battery cost?
Which? puts home batteries at under £2,000 up to £10,000, depending on capacity, type, brand and lifespan, before installation. Size, your inverter and any electrical work set the fitted price.
Is there VAT on solar panels in 2026?
Not when a company supplies and installs them in your home. HMRC’s zero rate covers solar panels and batteries until 31 March 2027, then 5% applies. Kit bought on its own from a retailer carries standard-rate VAT.
Is scaffolding included in a solar panel quote?
It should be, priced on the height of the house and the access. Check the quote names it, along with bird mesh and the network paperwork.
Can I get paid for the electricity my solar panels export?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee. You need a smart meter that records exports and an MCS-certified installation and installer, and each supplier sets its own rate above zero.
How much do solar panels cost in the High Peak, Stockport and Manchester?
The government’s 2025/26 averages for systems up to 4 kW run from £1,800 to £1,840 per kW across the East Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire, close to the national £1,808. Stone roofs and steep plots add to the scaffold and fixing lines, and a free survey from our New Mills base prices your own house.
Sources
- DESNZ, Solar photovoltaic (PV) cost data, 2025-26 release (published 28 May 2026), TIC workbook
- HMRC, VAT Notice 708/6, Energy-saving materials and heating equipment
- Which?, Solar panel battery storage (dated 15 May 2026)
- Which?, How much do solar panels cost? (dated 3 Aug 2026)
- GOV.UK, Smart Export Guarantee
- Ofgem, Smart Export Guarantee
- Ofgem, Energy price cap update from 1 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: What you can get
- Electricity North West, Micro-generation and storage connections
- GOV.UK, Wild birds: protection, surveys and licences
Google Reviews From Our Customers
More Guides
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How Many Solar Panels Do I Need, And What Size Battery?
Divide a year of your electricity use by 850 for a starting size, then work out panels, roof space and a battery.
Is Solar Battery Storage Worth It In The High Peak, Stockport And Greater Manchester?
Your bills, roof and tariff decide, plus VAT, planning and install week.
How Much Do Heat Pumps Cost In The High Peak, Greater Manchester, Sheffield And Leeds?
The install price, the £7,500 grant and the running cost against gas, worked out.
Get The Price For Your Own Roof
Book the free survey and the engineer who designs your job checks your roof and reads a year of your bills. The written design, the payback maths and a fixed price follow, and we reply within one working day.