Are you considering improving your home with an energy-saving solar panel system?
Regardless of whether you want to save money or are passionate about a greener future, there’s many advantages to installing solar panels.
While many homeowners would jump at the chance to drastically reduce their energy bills, it’s always important to weigh up the benefits of these energy-saving measures against the cost of installing them.
Here’s where Zenith Eco Solutions can help.
Our expert team has extensive experience designing, supplying, and installing energy-saving home improvements, including high-efficiency solar panels for domestic and commercial properties.
Below, we explain the average cost of solar panels for a typical UK home as well as the various factors that can increase the price to install them.
We’ll also explore which UK homeowners are eligible to receive government financial assistance to make certain energy-saving upgrades.
Alternatively, if you’d like to skip straight to receiving a free solar panel quote for your home, don’t hesitate to give us a call today on 0151 332 9220 or use our online contact form to register your interest.
How much do solar panels cost?
Searching for the best solar panel price?
According to Energy Saving Trust, the average cost of a 3.5kWp solar PV system in the UK is £7,000 (Zenith Eco Solutions has systems starting below the £7000 average).
However, the exact cost of installing solar panels in your home will vary depending on the size of the system and your household’s electricity needs.
Other factors that can also have an impact on the cost of solar panels includes whether you choose panels or tiles, opt to integrate the panels into the building, or decide to renew the roof covering at the same time.
As a result, some solar panel systems, especially if they’re bespoke, cost can be considerably more than the average £7,000.
If you’re concerned about the potential solar panel price for your home, then it’s important to do your research.
For example, some UK homeowners may be eligible for free solar panels with the ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) Scheme government grant.
You can use the official ECO4 website to check whether you’re eligible to receive free energy system upgrades, like solar panels.
However, you’re likely to qualify if you own or rent a property that’s heated with electricity and receive income-related benefits.
Such benefits include Child Tax Credits (CTC), Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), and Universal Credit (UC), among many others.
Not to mention, the government has also introduced a temporary measure to make solar panels even more affordable by dropping the VAT to 0%.
This incentive to buy and install solar panels is set to last until March 31 2027 and could save some homeowners thousands of pounds.
If you’d like to receive a more accurate solar panel quote, why not contact our expert team today?
We provide free initial consultations to thoroughly assess your property, learn more about your household energy requirements, and recommend suitable eco-friendly solutions.
How much does solar panel installation cost?
On top of paying for the solar panels themselves and other essential solar PV system equipment however, you’ll also need to take into consideration the solar installation cost.
This refers to the expertise, time, and labour involved in setting up your system and ensuring it’s working as it should.
The price of solar panel installation can be affected by a wide range of factors, such as whether there are difficulties accessing your roof, whether you require a bespoke system design, or whether you have a more complex roof and electrics layout.
Put simply, more challenging layouts tend to require more design and installation work which in turn increases the overall solar installation cost.
However, it can be difficult to determine the exact price for installation as most companies will offer you a complete package price covering both the supply and fitting of the panels.
Concerned about the cost of installing solar panels? Fortunately, there are ways that you can help to lower the cost of installation even if you’re not eligible for financial assistance from the government.
For example, if you already have existing scaffolding in place, you could save up to £4,500 according to MyJobQuote.
As a result, if you already plan on erecting scaffolding to make roof repairs or build a new property, then you won’t have to worry about hiring scaffolding if you install your solar panels at the same time.
Another way that you can make the cost of fitting solar panels more affordable is by using an installation company that offers financing options.
At Zenith Eco Solutions, for example, we offer 0% finance options to help make energy-saving measures more accessible for customers across the UK.
Other installation companies might also offer customers subscription models or solar loans to manage costs.
However, it’s always important to bear in mind each of these financing options will have their own advantages and areas to consider.
If you’re unsure which option is the most appropriate for your project and financial situation, we recommend seeking independent financial advice.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in finding out more about our competitive pricing models or how a bespoke solar panel system might cost for your home, feel free to get in touch with our friendly team today for a no-obligation solar panel quote.
Can I get a solar panel grant?
Although there aren’t any dedicated UK government solar panel grants, it is offering homeowners a wide range of incentives to adopt certain energy-saving measures, like solar panels, as part of a mission to promote renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions.
These incentives include tax relief, the option of selling back excess electricity to the grid (through the Smart Export Guarantee scheme), and even grants to make the initial solar panel price more affordable.
To help you determine whether your household might be eligible to receive one of these solar panel grants, we explore some of the relevant schemes and grants currently available in the UK:
ECO4 Scheme grants
The ECO4 Scheme is an energy-efficiency scheme that was introduced to help tackle fuel poverty, rising energy costs, and carbon emissions.
Funded by energy suppliers, these government-backed grants can help eligible UK households to start generating their own electricity with solar panels.
You may be eligible to receive financial assistance towards the cost of solar panels if you meet the following criteria:
- You’re a homeowner, landlord or private tenant
- You have a low income or receive income-related benefits (see list below)
- You have electric storage heaters
- Your property has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G
If you receive any of the benefits listed below, you may qualify for ECO4 Scheme support:
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Child Benefits – depends on income threshold
- Housing Benefit (New for ECO4)
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
- Pension Credit Savings Credit (New for ECO4)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Warm Home Discount Scheme Rebate
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
The LA Flex Funding Scheme grants
The LA Flex (Local Authority Eligibility Flexibility) Funding scheme is designed to help those who don’t receive benefits, but are still either living in fuel poverty or are on low income and vulnerable to living in a cold home.
The qualifying criteria to receive this financial assistance is determined by your Local Authority. However, it tends to be given to individuals that aren’t eligible for the ECO4 Scheme, but would still benefit from certain energy-saving measures.
If you believe you could be eligible to take advantage of these grants, why not contact our professional team today to see how we can help?
Even if you’re not eligible to receive free or subsidised solar panels for your home, investing in this energy-saving measure still has many financial benefits that are worth discussing.
How much will I save if I install solar panels?
It’s no secret that solar power is a fantastic source of free, renewable, and sustainable energy.
This means generating your own energy costs you nothing after the initial outlay, and you won’t be relying on the National Grid to keep your home warm either.
According to Earth.org, homeowners with solar panels can save roughly £450 on average in electricity bills per year. Naturally, however, the amount you save will depend on the size of your system (how much electricity you generate from your solar panels) as well as your household electricity usage.
How long will it take for solar panels to pay for themselves?
Despite the high initial cost of solar panels, the long-term savings of installing this energy-saving measure can make it well worth the considerable upfront cost.
For example, if we take the typical cost of installing solar panels to be £7,000 and work on the assumption that the average household saves on average £450 each year, the solar panels would pay for themselves within 16 years.
In fact, with a typical lifespan of between 25 and 30 years, they could pay for themselves almost twice over within this period. Not to mention, according to Money Saving Expert, the average home could also earn up to an impressive £320 a year by selling excess electricity back to the grid via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme.
By signing up to this scheme, you’ll receive a set rate ‘tariff’ from certain energy suppliers for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of unused electricity generated by your solar panels. Depending on the rate and energy supplier you’re with, your solar panels could pay for themselves even faster!
Are solar panels worth it?
For many homeowners, solar panels are well worth investing in. Between saving you money on energy bills to earning you cash through the SEG scheme, their financial benefits are clear.
Plus, with more companies offering low-interest finance solutions and the greater availability of UK grants for energy-saving purposes, installing solar panels is now a much more affordable option for everyone considering solar panels as well as grant-eligible individuals.
Not eligible for financial assistance? Solar panel systems may still be worth it for you if you favour cleaner and greener energy, want to reduce your energy bills, or simply want to become more independent, instead of relying on energy suppliers.
At Zenith Eco Solutions, we understand that the initial cost of installing solar panels can still be significant, preventing homeowners from making that all-important step towards a greener future when they receive their solar panel quote.
Fortunately, our team of energy-saving solution professionals can help. We work collaboratively with our customers to design bespoke solar panel systems that meet both their energy usage and budget requirements.
We can also help you to explore the various low-interest financing options and energy-saving grants available to you, ensuring you receive as much financial support as possible.
Zenith Eco Solutions professional solar panel installation
If you believe the cost of installing solar panels is worth it when weighed up against your own financial situation and personal preferences, then why not discuss your specific solar panel installation requirements with the experts at Zenith Eco Solutions?
By choosing our award-winning team (Commended Regional Solar PV Installer and Contractor of the Year 2024) to support with your domestic or commercial solar panel installation project, you’ll benefit from:
- High-quality solar PV system equipment from leading manufacturers
- Market leading warranties from the likes of Tesla Powerwall, Sigenergy, and Fox ESS
- Unparalleled customer assistance throughout and after the installation process
- Free Insurance-Backed Guarantees for two years are provided on all our work
To learn more about our solar PV system installation services or to receive a free quote, please don’t hesitate to call our helpful team today on 0151 332 9220.
We also welcome email enquiries sent to info@zenithecosolutions.co.uk as well as those submitted using our convenient online contact form. However you decide to get in touch, our team look forward to hearing from you soon.
