Questions people actually ask us
Grouped by what you are trying to work out. Every answer here is the short version, and each section links to the page that covers it properly.
Thinking about solar for your home
What does it actually cost to install solar panels?
Most of our domestic installations land between £5,995 and £8,995 with a battery, and the Energy Saving Trust puts a typical 4.5kWp system at around £7,600. The variables that move the price most are system size, roof type and access, whether scaffolding is needed, and whether you add battery storage.
Are solar panels still worth it in the UK in 2026?
For most suitable homes, yes, but it is not automatic. Solar makes sense if your roof is reasonably unshaded, you plan to stay put for several years, and you use a decent share of what you generate during the day. It makes less sense on a heavily shaded roof, on a roof that will need replacing soon, or if you are expecting the system to pay for itself in three years. We would rather tell you that at survey stage than after installation.
Who qualifies for a grant, and are free solar panels real?
There is no universal grant that every UK homeowner can claim. Targeted schemes exist for lower-income households: the Warm Homes Local Grant in England (running to March 2028, typically for homes rated EPC D to G with household income at or below £36,000) and ECO4, which closes on 31 December 2026. Separately, and with no eligibility test at all, solar and battery installations currently attract 0% VAT, scheduled to end on 31 March 2027.
Why do some people say they regret getting solar panels?
Usually because of the sale rather than the technology. Ofgem research found cost was the most common barrier for people not adopting solar, cited by around 48%, with roughly a quarter saying their home was unsuitable. Regret tends to follow when someone was sold optimistic generation figures, an export tariff they never actually got, or a system on a roof that was never right for it. That is why we would rather quote honestly and lose the job than oversell it.
Already got solar
Can I add a battery to panels I already have?
Yes, in almost all cases. The usual approach is an AC-coupled battery, which leaves your existing solar inverter alone and adds a separate battery inverter. Most retrofits are completed in a single day.
Can I charge a battery cheaply overnight?
Yes, and for a lot of households this is where the real saving sits. On a tariff with cheap overnight rates you can fill the battery when electricity is at its cheapest and run the house from it during the expensive part of the day, whatever the weather has done to your generation. It works with existing solar as well as new installations, which is why a retrofit can pay back faster than people expect.
Can you service a system another company installed?
Yes. It makes no difference who installed it, and it does not matter if the original company has gone out of business, which is a common reason people come to us.
Cleaning, birds and things going wrong
Do UK solar panels actually need cleaning?
Most of the time, no. On a normally pitched roof, rain does the bulk of the work, and manufacturers generally consider panels largely self-cleaning above roughly 15 degrees of inclination. Some systems genuinely do need cleaning, and the honest answer is that it depends on your specific site rather than on a schedule.
My generation has dropped. What is likely wrong?
Most commonly soiling, new shading, bird fouling, an inverter fault, or a failed string. A surprising number of cases turn out to be a monitoring or connectivity fault rather than a generation fault at all, meaning the system is working fine and only the reporting is broken. We check the data before assuming anything is actually wrong.
There are birds nesting under my panels. Can you just remove them?
Not always, and this is important. Wild birds' active nests are legally protected in the UK, and a nest in use with eggs or chicks cannot lawfully be disturbed. If we find an active nest, we will tell you and schedule the work for when it is no longer in use. We would rather explain the delay than break the law on your roof.
Solar for a business or farm
How much does commercial solar cost, and what payback should we expect?
Commercial systems are usually costed per kWp rather than as a flat figure, and typically fall between £600 and £800 per kWp installed, which is how we price our own work. As a benchmark, published industry figures put a 50kW system in the region of £45,000 and a 250kW system around £165,000, with payback commonly quoted at three to five years. We will give you a modelled figure for your specific site and consumption.
Do we need planning permission?
Often not, because many commercial rooftop installations fall under permitted development, but there are real exceptions. Listed buildings, conservation areas, and installations above certain size or height thresholds can all require an application, and ground-mounted arrays are more likely to need permission than rooftop ones. We check this as part of the feasibility work rather than leaving it to you.
What are the ways to pay for commercial solar?
You can buy the system outright. On suitable sites there are other routes too: a lower solar price with a battery we host on site, owning the battery with an agreed share of its trading revenue, or funded solar where a third party owns the system and you buy the electricity it makes. Which fits depends on your consumption, your roof, your tenure and the grid connection, and we compare them for your site in writing.
The paperwork
What is the difference between G98 and G99?
G99 applies to larger installations, above 3.68kW per phase on single phase or above about 11.04kW on three phase, and to commercial or non-type-tested equipment. The key difference is timing: G99 must be approved by your DNO before installation begins, not notified afterwards.
Who is my distribution network operator?
Your distribution network operator is the company that owns and runs the physical wires into your property. It is not your energy supplier, and it does not change when you switch supplier.
You can look yours up by postcode on the Energy Networks Association's website, or just ask us and we will tell you.
Not answered here?
Ask us directly. If it is a question we get more than once, it ends up on this page.