The Short Answer
On our estimates, a typical 4.5kWp solar panel system costs about £6,500 to £9,000 installed. A smaller 3kWp system is £5,000 to £7,000 and a 6kWp system £8,500 to £11,500. There's no VAT on the installation until 31 March 2027.
The Energy Saving Trust puts payback at roughly 9 to 12 years depending on where you live and how much of the electricity you use yourself. Panels last 25 years or more, but budget for a new inverter partway through.
Solar panel prices by system size
| System | Installed cost |
|---|---|
| 3kWp (smaller roof) | £5,000 to £7,000 |
| 4.5kWp (est's typical size) | £6,500 to £9,000 |
| 6kWp (larger roof) | £8,500 to £11,500 |
What one panel costs, and what 12 cost
The panels themselves are a small part of the bill. When we checked in October 2026, City Plumbing listed standard roof panels of 465W to 485W at about £96.60 to £162.02 each including VAT, panel only. Ten of them come to roughly £966 to £1,620, against £6,500 to £9,000 for a typical installed system on our estimates. The rest is the inverter, the fixings and wiring, safe access to the roof and the installer's labour; the Energy Saving Trust says roof access is one of the things that moves the price.
System size is the number of panels times their wattage. Twelve panels of about 470W make roughly 5.6kWp, close to the 6kWp system in the table, which we estimate at £8,500 to £11,500 installed. That's why I'd compare quotes on the price per kWp rather than per panel.
Payback and export payments
Payback depends on how much sun you get, how much of the electricity you use at home, and what you're paid for the rest. The Energy Saving Trust's examples run from about 9 years in London and Aberystwyth to 11 to 12 in Stirling.
Electricity you don't use can earn money through the Smart Export Guarantee: Ofgem says electricity suppliers pay small-scale generators for what they export to the grid, if the criteria are met, and it lists the suppliers that offer it, so compare their rates. A battery, a heat pump or an electric car all let you use more of what you generate.
Does your roof suit solar?
The Energy Saving Trust says panels work best on a sloping roof angled towards the sun; a flat roof, the garden, a shed or a garage can work too. Trim any trees that shade them. Ground-mounted panels pick up more debris; on a roof tilted at 15 degrees or more, rain does most of the cleaning.
How long they last, and the inverter
Panels should last 25 years or more with little maintenance. The inverter usually needs replacing after around 12 years. Inverter warranties are at least 5 years and can often be extended to 15, though the Energy Saving Trust notes an extended warranty can cost almost as much as a new inverter. I'd get the warranty terms for panels, inverter and workmanship in writing with each quote.
Planning permission
Panels on a house in England are usually permitted development. On a pitched roof they can stand no more than 0.2m out from the roof slope and no higher than the highest part of the roof (chimneys aside); on a flat roof, no more than 0.6m above its highest part. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site they can't go on a wall or roof facing a road, and listed buildings aren't covered.
VAT and grants
VAT: installing solar panels, with their cabling, controls and inverter, is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, and so is a battery (zero-rated since 1 February 2024). From 1 April 2027 the rate is 5%.
Grants: in England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant can pay for solar panels for households on a low income (usually £36,000 a year or less), on certain benefits or in certain postcodes, in homes rated D, E, F or G. There's no general grant for solar otherwise. If you're heating with electricity, see heat pumps, which pair well with solar.
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Solar is priced by the number of panels, the roof and whether you want a battery.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do solar panels cost in the UK?
On our estimates, about £6,500 to £9,000 for a typical 4.5kWp system installed, with no VAT until 31 March 2027.
What is the cost of one solar panel?
About £96.60 to £162.02 for a standard 465W to 485W roof panel on its own, from City Plumbing's listing in October 2026. Installed systems are priced as a whole, because the inverter, fixings, roof access and labour cost far more than the panels.
How much will 12 solar panels cost?
Twelve panels of about 470W make roughly 5.6kWp. We estimate a 6kWp system at £8,500 to £11,500 installed, with no VAT until 31 March 2027.
How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves?
Roughly 9 to 12 years, the Energy Saving Trust says, depending on location, how much you use yourself and your export payments.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels?
Usually not on a house in England, if they stand no more than 0.2m from a pitched roof and no higher than its highest point. Listed buildings and road-facing roofs in conservation areas are different.
Is there VAT on solar panels?
Not until 31 March 2027: installed solar panels and batteries are zero-rated. From 1 April 2027 it's 5%.
Do solar panels need maintenance?
Very little. Keep trees from shading them; on a roof tilted at 15 degrees or more, rain cleans them. Expect to replace the inverter after around 12 years.
How we priced thisView sources (6, 4 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- IndustrySolar PV panels (panel prices), City Plumbing. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- IndustrySolar panels, Energy Saving Trust. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialSmart Export Guarantee (SEG), Ofgem. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 (renewable energy), legislation.gov.uk. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialEnergy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6), HM Revenue & Customs. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialApply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home (England), GOV.UK. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
