Compare Solar Installers Across the UK

A solar photovoltaic (PV) system turns sunlight into electricity you can use at home. Panels on your roof generate DC power, an inverter converts it to the AC your appliances run on, and an optional battery stores whatever you don't use straight away.

For a typical 4 to 6kW system, UK households currently save somewhere between £900 and £1,400 a year, combining reduced grid electricity purchases with Smart Export Guarantee payments for anything you export. Your own saving depends on roof orientation, daylight electricity use, and system size.

Not directly, panels only generate while there's daylight. Add a battery and you store the day's surplus to run your home overnight instead of buying it back from the grid.

Most panels are built to run for 25 years or more, and most manufacturers back that with a warranty guaranteeing at least 80% of original output at the 25-year mark. Output drops gradually over that time, it doesn't fall off a cliff.

Most homes don't, rooftop solar is usually covered under permitted development rights. The exceptions are listed buildings, some conservation areas, and installations projecting unusually far above the roofline, check with your local planning authority if any of those apply.

SEG requires licensed electricity suppliers to pay you for solar electricity you export rather than use yourself. Rates are set by each supplier individually and vary a fair amount, so it's worth comparing tariffs rather than assuming your own supplier's is competitive.