Solar Panel Cost UK: Prices by Size, House and Nation (DESNZ Data to March 2026)

Solar Panel Cost Pages

Each page below covers one part of the price.

• Solar Panel Cost by System SizeSolar panel cost by system size in the UK: prices for 2 kWp to 10 kWp systems, panels per size, yearly output, the price with a battery and when bigger pays.
• Solar Panel Cost by House SizeMedian yearly electricity use by number of bedrooms (DESNZ NEED), and the fitted price of named system sizes for 2, 4 and 5 bedroom houses, and the price of each size with and without a 5 kWh battery.
• Solar Panel Cost per kW UK (2025/26 Data)Solar panel cost per kW in the UK by nation and size band, a panel's share of a fitted price, cost per square metre and per kWh, and how it falls with size.
• UK Solar Cost IndexInstalled solar cost per kW over time, from DESNZ data that counts homes and other buildings together: monthly rows for Great Britain and a yearly table by nation and region.
• VAT on Solar PanelsVAT on solar panels is 0% until 31 March 2027, then 5%: tax point rules, batteries, retrofits, Northern Ireland and what the change adds to your cost.
• Solar Panels ScotlandSolar panels in Scotland: cost per kW from DESNZ data, how location changes output, payback and whether solar is worth it, plus grants, loans and quote checks.
• Solar Panels WalesSolar panels in Wales: cost per kW from DESNZ data, how location changes output, payback and whether solar is worth it, plus grants, loans and quote checks.
• Solar Panels Northern IrelandSolar panels in Northern Ireland: why government cost data leaves it out, how to check a quote, output, payback, whether it is worth it, and grants and loans.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in the UK?

Solar panels cost about £8,400 for a 4 kWp home system, fitted (our calculation from the DESNZ mean for domestic retrofit installations, April 2025 to March 2026).

The cost of solar PV for a UK home is the fitted price of a rooftop system: the panels and equipment, the installation, the connection to the electricity supply and any VAT. Solar panels are also called photovoltaic or PV panels. The price depends on the size of the system, and solar system cost by size gives the figure for each size from 2 kWp to 10 kWp.

DESNZ, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, takes these prices from the records of MCS-certified installations. Its April 2025 to March 2026 release covers 265,682 installations, 97% of MCS records. The figures are fitted prices for Great Britain. Northern Ireland is not in the DESNZ data and has its own line in the nation section below.

Every price on this page is built from one unit: the cost per kW.

What Is the Average Cost per kW?

The cost per kW our calculator uses is the DESNZ mean for home retrofit installs, per kWp of panels: £2,109 per kWp for a system of up to 4 kWp and £1,651 per kWp for a system above 4 kWp and up to 10 kWp (DESNZ Solar PV cost data, TIC basis, April 2025 to March 2026).

The table lists the two size bands our calculator prices, up to 10 kWp, and the mean cost per kWp of each.

A larger system costs less per kW, so the second band is the lower one. kWp (kilowatt peak) is the rating solar systems are usually given, says the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The figures above are per kW of total installed capacity (TIC), the panel capacity in kWp. DESNZ also publishes costs per kW of declared net capacity (DNC), the maximum electricity a system could export to the grid at any one time.

The benchmark for one panel and for one kW sits on the page for solar panel cost per kW. Our calculator turns these rates into a price for each system size, as the next section explains.

Solar Panel Cost by System Size: 2 kWp to 10 kWp

On our calculator, a 4 kWp system comes to about £8,400 fitted (our calculation from the DESNZ domestic retrofit mean per kWp, April 2025 to March 2026). The calculator prices a system of up to 4 kWp on the first band's rate, rounded to the nearest hundred pounds, and never prices a system above 4 kWp below a 4 kWp one, so 4, 4.5 and 5 kWp systems show the same price.

This page and the size page cover home systems from 2 kWp to 10 kWp. The 4 kWp size has its own page: 4 kW solar system cost.

Bigger systems cost less per kW: DESNZ finds the median cost per kW of all 10 to 50 kW installs about a third lower than that of 0 to 4 kW installs.

Solar Panel Cost by House Size: 1 to 5+ Bedrooms

Ofgem puts typical use at 1,600 kWh a year for a low-use home, 2,500 kWh for a medium one and 3,800 kWh for a high-use one (typical domestic consumption values from 1 July 2026).

DESNZ NEED data for England and Wales gives median yearly use by number of bedrooms, and the median rises with each extra bedroom. Roof space caps the system size.

The page on what solar panels cost for your house size gives the median yearly use for each bedroom band and the price of named system sizes. The 3-bedroom band has its own page: cost of solar panels for a 3-bedroom house. DESNZ's regional mean cost per kW, for all installations on the DNC basis, differs between Wales, Scotland and London; our calculator uses one Great Britain figure.

Solar Panel Cost by Nation and Region

DESNZ's regional table gives a mean cost per kW, for all installations (homes and non-domestic) on the DNC basis, for Scotland, Wales and each of the nine English regions for April 2025 to March 2026; it gives no single England figure.

The table lists the four nations and where each one's cost per kW comes from.

DESNZ gives no reason for the regional differences, so this page states none. Each nation has its own page: solar panel cost in Scotland, solar panel cost in Wales and solar panel cost in Northern Ireland. The DESNZ figures for Scotland and Wales are fitted prices; DESNZ has none for Northern Ireland.

What Is Included in the Price of Solar Panels?

Yes, the prices on this page include installation: DESNZ figures cover the panels and equipment, fitting, connection to the electricity supply and any VAT, but not a battery or an extended warranty.

A fitted price on a solar quote can cover these seven things:

• the panels
• the inverter, which turns the panels' direct current into mains electricity
• mounting rails and roof hooks
• DC and AC cabling and a meter
• scaffolding or other access
• labour
• the MCS certificate and the notification or application to your distribution network operator (DNO), the company that runs the local grid

Installation is a large part of that price. A UK Parliament briefing (POST, "Small-scale solar") says "Installation makes up a large share of the cost", and the Energy Saving Trust puts the time on the roof at "one to two days".

A quote may ask for a deposit. The Renewable Energy Consumer Code says a deposit "should not exceed 25 per cent under any circumstances", that the deposit and further advance payments together may not exceed 60%, and that both must be insured. The DESNZ figure leaves out batteries, extended warranties and other works, so a quote that includes them is not like for like with it.

What Extra Costs Can Appear on a Quote?

Extras appear when your home needs more than a standard fit, for example complex scaffolding, a consumer unit upgrade, bird mesh and panel optimisers.

• Complex scaffolding: a roof that is hard to reach.
• A consumer unit upgrade.
• Bird mesh: a guard round the panel edges where pigeons nest.
• Panel optimisers: units for panels that sit in shade for part of the day.

An itemised quote shows each extra on its own line, so ask for one. Extras are one reason two homes pay different prices.

Why Do Solar Panel Prices Vary From Home to Home?

Solar panel prices vary because a fitted system is panels, an inverter, scaffolding, labour and certification. DESNZ data show three things that move the cost per kW: system size, region, and whether the house is new or existing. The fourth, how easy your roof is to reach, also changes the price (EDF).

Panel type is a fifth factor that moves the price (EDF), and the hub for solar panel brands compares the makes. Prices also move over time.

Are Solar Panel Prices Going Down?

Yes: after inflation, the DESNZ median cost per kW of all 0 to 4 kW installs fell 9% between 2024/25 and 2025/26, to the lowest level on record (DESNZ commentary, published 28 May 2026).

The 4 to 10 kW band fell 8% on the same measure. DESNZ publishes the series once a year, and the next release is due on 27 May 2027. This page gives no forecast.

The month by month movement of installed cost per kW is the subject of the UK Solar Cost Index. One price change with a fixed date is VAT.

What Changes the Price You Pay: VAT, a Battery and Funding

The fitted price is the starting point. Three things change what you pay: the VAT rate at the tax point of the supply, adding a battery, and any grant or loan your household qualifies for.

The VAT Clock: 0% Until 31 March 2027

Home solar panels and batteries carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 and 5% from 1 April 2027 (HMRC VAT Notice 708/6).

DESNZ costs include VAT where it applied, and home installs in April 2025 to March 2026 fell in the 0% period. A 5% rate from 1 April 2027 therefore adds to the figures on this page. Which rate applies to one install depends on its tax point, and the page on the 0% VAT rate on solar explains that rule.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost With a Battery?

Solar panels cost more with a battery, because the DESNZ prices on this page exclude batteries: the battery is a second price, set by its capacity in kWh.

A battery stores solar power for use later. Solar panels work without a battery.

Two pages price it. The first covers the two fitted together: solar panels and battery cost. The second works out the battery alone: solar battery prices and payback.

Can a Grant or Loan Lower the Cost?

Funded solar is for households that meet a scheme's rules.

• Warm Homes: Local Grant. England, through councils, to 31 March 2028. It is for households with an income of £36,000 or less, a means-tested benefit or a qualifying postcode, in a home with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D to G.
• ECO4. The scheme closes to new measures on 31 December 2026.
• Warm Homes Loan Scheme. Live since 27 October 2026, with loans of up to £15,000 for solar and £15,000 for a battery, some at 0%. The installer must be MCS certified. We explain the scheme and do not arrange credit.

How Do You Check a Solar Quote?

To check a solar quote, compare its whole price with our calculator's figure for the same size. As a rough check, divide the quote by the system size in kWp and set the result beside the DESNZ mean for home retrofit installs: £2,109 per kWp up to 4 kWp and £1,651 per kWp above 4 kWp (TIC basis, April 2025 to March 2026). Just above 4 kWp the division does not match our figures, because our calculator never prices those sizes below a 4 kWp system.

1. Ask for an itemised quote with the kWp, the panel model and the inverter model.
2. Divide the price by the kWp (for a system just above 4 kWp, compare the whole price with our calculator instead).
3. Compare the result with the cost per kWp for your size band.
4. Check any line that takes the quote above that figure against the list of extras on this page.

A low price is not the goal if the installer is not MCS-registered or equivalent. For solar up to 50 kW, the installation and the installer must be MCS certified or equivalent for Smart Export Guarantee payments (Ofgem). Energy suppliers sell fixed solar packages too: compare their price per kWp the same way on the page for solar offers from energy suppliers. A tool to check a solar quote does the division for you.

What Happens When You Ask for a Survey?

The survey request form on this site is not open yet, so nobody is referred today.

You will get phone calls. That is how surveys are arranged. We are paid by Leads 2 Trade Limited when a homeowner we refer asks for a survey. You are never charged. It does not change our figures.

We give an estimate, Leads 2 Trade arranges a survey, and installers give the quote. A fair price only matters if the system pays back on your roof.

Is the Cost Worth It for Your Home?

Whether the cost is worth it depends on how the payback compares with the panels' life: the Energy Saving Trust says panels "should last 25 years or more".

Roof direction, shade, yearly use, where you live and the system cost all change the payback. Our calculator gives a north-facing roof a Poor fit verdict. The calculator gives a verdict for one roof, and the verdict page answers the wider question: is solar worth it for a UK home.

More Ways to Work Out Your Solar Cost

Two tools on this site turn the averages on this page into a figure for one home.

• The solar panel cost calculator: what solar costs and saves on your roof, with payback years and a verdict.
• The panel count calculator: how many panels your yearly use and your roof call for.

Solar Panel Cost Questions