Solar panel cost in 2026
Solar got cheaper, and the tax break has a deadline. Government cost data shows small domestic installations fell 19% in a single year, while the zero VAT rate that applies to the whole job runs out in March 2027. Here is what a system costs now and what actually changes the number.
Typical cost
About £8,400
a typical 4kW system installed, on 2024/25 government cost data
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Solar prices in 2026
| Job | Typical cost | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 4kW system | About £8,400 | From a mean UK cost of £2,108 per kW for installations up to 4kW in 2024/25. |
| Battery storage added | £5,000 to £8,000 | A 7.5kWh battery costs around £6,500. |
| Panels and battery together | £13,000 to £16,000 | One scaffold and one visit, rather than paying for both twice. |
| Scaffolding and mounting | Usually included | Quotes normally cover labour, the mounting system and the scaffolding. |
Ranges, not quotes. Every job is priced on the property, so treat these as the bracket your quotes should land in rather than a figure to hold an installer to.
What shapes your quote
Roof, not house size
Pitch, orientation and shading set the yield. A south-facing roof with nothing overshadowing it does the work; an east-west split needs more panels for the same output.
Battery or no battery
A battery roughly doubles the spend and is what turns daytime generation into evening use. It is the single biggest fork in any solar quote, so get it priced both ways.
Access
Scaffolding is in most quotes, but a three-storey terrace or a difficult side return adds days as well as cost.
The 0% VAT window
Installation is zero-rated until 31 March 2027 and then returns to 5%. On a £13,000 panels-and-battery job that is roughly £650 of difference.
What you are paid to export
Export payments come from your electricity supplier, not your installer, so they are not part of the installation quote and should not be compared as if they were.
MCS certification
Most electricity suppliers require a certified installation before they will pay you for exported power. Worth confirming before you compare on price alone.
VAT and funding in 2026
There is no direct solar grant for most households, but the tax relief is real and it is time-limited.
- ✓Installing solar panels and battery storage in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027.
- ✓From 1 April 2027 it returns to the reduced rate of 5%.
- ✓Battery storage qualifies in its own right, including when retrofitted without panels, from February 2024.
- ✓In January 2026 the government announced low and zero interest loans for solar under the Warm Homes Plan. Timing has not been confirmed.
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Solar questions, answered
- How much do solar panels cost in the UK?
- A typical 4kW domestic system costs about £8,400 installed, based on a mean UK cost of £2,108 per kW for installations up to 4kW in 2024/25. Adding battery storage takes the total to roughly £13,000 to £16,000.
- Are solar panels getting cheaper?
- Yes. Government cost data shows installations of 0 to 4kW fell 19% between 2023/24 and 2024/25, put down to increased supply and improvements in the technology.
- Do I pay VAT on solar panels?
- Not until 31 March 2027. Installing solar panels and battery storage in residential property is zero-rated until then, after which it moves to the 5% reduced rate.
- Is a battery worth adding?
- It roughly doubles the cost, and it is the difference between using your own generation in the evening and exporting it. Whether it pays back depends on your usage pattern and your export rate, so ask for the quote both with and without.
- Can I get solar quotes on WhatDeal now?
- Yes. Answer a few questions about your home and roof, and up to three trusted, MCS-certified installers quote for the work. Panels, batteries or both.
How many panels a typical home fits
A 4kW system is the UK reference point: ten or eleven panels at around 430W each, needing roughly 20 square metres of unshaded roof. A three bedroom semi usually has that on one pitch; a smaller terrace often takes 6 to 8 panels instead, and the right answer is whatever your roof and your daytime usage can actually absorb.
Orientation matters less than people fear. South is best, but an east-west split loses only around 15% across the year and spreads generation into morning and evening, which suits a working household better than a midday peak it cannot use.
The battery question, in numbers
Without a battery, a typical home uses 35% to 50% of what its panels generate and exports the rest at a fraction of the import price. A battery lifts self-use to 70% or more by shifting daytime generation into the evening.
The arithmetic: a battery adds roughly £4,500 to £7,000, and what it saves depends on the gap between your import rate and your export rate. On a wide gap it can shorten the whole system's payback; on a generous export tariff it can barely move it. Get every quote priced both ways and compare the totals, not the monthly figures.
What you get paid for exporting
The Smart Export Guarantee obliges larger electricity suppliers to pay for the power you export, but the rate is theirs to set, and the spread is wide: from a token 1p to 15p or more per kWh on tariffs tied to your import supplier.
Two practical points. Export payments come from your energy supplier, not your installer, so they belong in your tariff shopping rather than your installation quote. And nearly every supplier requires an MCS certificate before paying out, which is one of several reasons the certification matters more than the brand of panel.
What an installer checks on the survey
Roof condition and remaining life first: panels last 25 years or more, so a roof due for recovering within a decade is worth doing before the panels go on, not after. Then structure and fixings, shading across the day rather than at noon, the DC cable route, and where the inverter and any battery will live.
Scaffolding is part of almost every quote, and access is priced: a three-storey terrace or a difficult side return adds real cost. If a quote arrives without anyone asking about your roof, treat the number with caution.
Solar guides & advice
Browse all guides →How many solar panels do I need?
Typical UK homes fit 6 to 14 panels. How to size a system from your electricity use, what fits on each roof type, and why bigger is not always better.
Read the guide →
Is solar battery storage worth it?
A solar battery adds £4,500 to £7,000. The self-use maths, when a battery shortens payback, when it lengthens it, and the questions to ask before adding one.
Read the guide →
The Smart Export Guarantee, explained
How SEG payments work, why rates range from 1p to 15p or more per kWh, what you need to qualify, and how to pick a tariff that pays properly.
Read the guide →
Are solar panels worth it in the UK?
The real payback maths for UK solar in 2026: what a system saves, what stretches or shortens payback, and the households where the answer is genuinely yes.
Read the guide →
Solar panel maintenance and lifespan: what to expect over 25 years
Panels last 25 to 30 years with almost no maintenance. What degradation really costs, the one mid-life expense to budget for, and the checks worth doing.
Read the guide →
Do solar panels need planning permission?
Most UK solar installations need no planning permission. The permitted development rules, the exceptions, and what to check before installing.
Read the guide →
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Prices and grant rules change. Checked August 2026, and worth confirming the grant details on GOV.UK before you commit to anything.