Solar panels for your home
Solar panels for UK homes: what they cost, whether a battery is worth it and how to choose an installer. Compare up to three quotes from MCS-certified installers, free.
- Typical 4 kWp system
- £5,000–£8,000
- Typical payback
- 10–15 years
- 5 kWh battery
- About £4,600
PowerPilot is a free comparison service. We match your enquiry with up to three vetted installers, and you choose. How we work
- MCS register checked
- Insurance confirmed
- Companies House checked
- Never more than three installers
Home solar in brief
Is solar right for your home?
Solar suits most UK homes with a roof facing south, east or west, little shading and a few decent years left in the roof. Panels make power whenever it's light, not just in full sun. Your home uses the solar first; the rest charges a battery if you have one, or goes to the grid and earns a Smart Export Guarantee payment.
It pays best if someone is in during the day, or if you add a battery to use the power in the evening. Planning permission is rarely needed for a house, except for listed buildings and some conservation areas.
What it costs and saves
A typical 3-bed home has a 4 kWp system of about 10 panels, costing about £5,000–£8,000 fitted, with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. It saves about £600 a year and usually pays back in 10–15 years, then keeps working for 25 years or more. See solar panel cost in the UK for prices by size.
Adding a battery
A typical 5 kWh battery costs about £4,600. It lets you use more of your own power in the evening, and on a cheap overnight tariff it can charge from the grid too. On a flat-rate tariff it usually lengthens payback, so get quotes with and without one. See solar battery installers.
Choosing an installer
Your installer must be MCS-certified for you to get export payments; check a consumer code such as RECC or HIES too, and compare three itemised quotes. Every installer PowerPilot introduces has their MCS certification, insurance and Companies House record checked. See MCS-certified installers near you and how to compare solar panel quotes.
What could solar save your home?
A few details about your home and bill. You get a system size, cost, payback and carbon saving to compare quotes against.
How we work this out
- Size: 1–2 bedrooms 3 kWp, 3 bedrooms 4 kWp, 4 or more bedrooms 5 kWp. Your installer sizes it to your roof.
- Generation: kWp × typical yield for your region (South West England 1,000, London and South East 980, East of England 960, Midlands and Wales 930, North of England 880, Scotland and Northern Ireland 840 kWh per kWp a year), then 100% of that for a roof facing south, 95% of that for a roof facing south-east or south-west, 85% of that for a roof facing east or west. Shading moves this too.
- Used at home: mostly out 30%, some days 45%, mostly in 60% of what the panels make. A battery adds 30 points, up to 85%, and never more than 90% of your annual use.
- Saving: power used at home at your unit rate; the rest exported at 8p per kWh. Smart Export Guarantee tariffs range from about 2p to 15p, so shop around.
- Cost: £1,000 plus £1,450 per kWp, and £4,500 for a battery, shown as a ±15% range. Based on Energy Saving Trust figures, with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.
- Payback: mid-range cost ÷ first-year saving. No price rises, panel ageing or time-of-use tariffs are included; a battery pays back faster on a cheap overnight tariff.
- CO₂: generation × 0.207 kg CO₂e per kWh of grid electricity (DESNZ 2024 conversion factors).
Common questions
Anything else, email hello@powerpilot.green or read how PowerPilot works.
How much do solar panels cost for a home?
About £5,000–£8,000 for a typical 4 kWp system, fitted, with 0% VAT. A 5 kWh battery adds about £4,600.
Is my roof suitable for solar panels?
Most roofs facing south, east or west with little shading are. North-facing roofs make much less. The roof should be in good condition, as the panels will be there for 25 years or more; an installer checks this at the survey.
How many panels does a home need?
Most 3-bed homes have 9–11 panels, about 4 kWp. Smaller homes might have 7–8; homes with an electric car or heat pump 14 or more.
Should I add a battery?
It depends on when you use power and your tariff. A battery helps most with high evening use or a cheap overnight tariff. Ask installers to quote with and without one.
What does PowerPilot do?
PowerPilot is a free comparison service. We introduce you to up to three MCS-certified installers who cover your area; they survey and quote, and you choose.
Compare quotes for your home, free
- Tell us about your home Three questions now, contact details after.
- We match up to three installers MCS-certified, insured and covering your area.
- Compare and decide Free to you. No obligation to go ahead.
How we vet installers: MCS certification checked against the MCS register, public liability insurance confirmed, Companies House record and trading history checked, reviews monitored. Installers pay us for introductions; it never changes what you pay. More about PowerPilot