Solar panels on tilted frames on a London flat roof, fitted by us

Solar Panel Installation London

Solar panels, priced per panel.
Scaffolding included.

Pitched roofs and London flat roofs, with or without a battery. Price your roof in a minute: the scaffolding and the MCS certificate are already in the figure.

Rated 5.0 on Google
  • 0%VAT until March 2027
  • £3,900From, five panels fitted
  • 1 to 2 daysTo fit most home systems
  • No drillingOn a flat roof, frames held by weight

Accredited, and fitting the brands you know

NICEIC approved contractorGas Safe RegisterMCS certifiedRECC, Renewable Energy Consumer CodeTrustMark, Government Endorsed QualityVaillantClivetSamsungDaikinMitsubishi ElectricBosch

Solar on your roof in three steps

  1. Roof survey

    Shading, the roof itself and the fuse board, checked on one visit.

  2. Priced per panel

    Panels, inverter, scaffolding and certificate, each a line of its own.

  3. Fitted in one to two days

    Scaffold up, panels on, inverter in, commissioned and certified.

What is in the price

  • The panels, fittedPriced per panel, on a pitched roof or on tilted frames on a flat one.
  • The inverterA string inverter, or a hybrid when there is a battery.
  • ScaffoldingIn the figure. On a London terrace it is almost always needed.
  • MCS certificateIssued under NIC-601634, which makes the export tariff claimable.
  • Network notificationThe form your electricity network needs, done for you.
  • No drilling on a flat roofFrames held down by weight, so the roof is not penetrated.

Solar panel cost calculator: what will it cost on your roof?

Four quick questions, then an indicative price built from the panel, inverter and battery rates on our own quotations.

1 of 4What type of property is it?

This sets how much roof there is to work with.

2 of 4How many bedrooms?

A quick guide to how much electricity the house uses.

3 of 4What is the roof like?

Flat roofs get tilted frames held down with weight, so nothing is drilled.

4 of 4Add battery storage?

A battery stores the afternoon for the evening, which is when cooling and cooking happen.

Your indicative estimate

    Priced from the rates on 26 quotations we issued this year, scaffolding and MCS certification included. 0 per cent VAT until 31 March 2027. Your exact fixed price follows a free survey, with no obligation.

    Lock in this price

    Leave a number and we will call to book the survey. The estimate goes with it, so you are not starting again.

    Or call 020 3393 1331 now.

    Request received.

    We reply to most enquiries the same working day. Anything urgent, call 020 3393 1331.

    • 0%VAT until March 2027
    • £3,900From, five panels fitted
    • 1 to 2 daysTo fit most home systems
    • MCSCertified, NIC-601634

    Our own jobs, photographed on the day

    Finished jobs, photographed on the day. Tap any one for the full story.

    All 39 projects
    Air source heat pump with roof-mounted solar in Winchmore Hill N21 Heat pump and solar N21 Winchmore Hill Air source heat pump with roof-mounted solar The panels sit across the rear pitch and the heat pump at the side of the house, which is the pairing that lets the pump run on its own generation through the middle of the day. Read the case study Air source heat pump with solar and battery storage in Tottenham N15 Heat pump, solar and battery N15 Tottenham Air source heat pump with solar and battery storage The whole electrical side on one wall: inverter, battery modules and every isolator in reach, with the conduit dressed in straight runs so a fault years from now can be traced without stripping the wall. Read the case study Solar panels on a brick wall and on the roof in Wimbledon SW19 Solar SW19 Wimbledon Solar panels on a brick wall and on the roof Some panels flat against a brick wall on black rails, the rest in a row along the roof slope with bird spikes along the lower edge and every frame bonded to earth. Read the case study Solar panels on ballasted frames, flat roof in Cricklewood NW2 Solar and battery NW2 Cricklewood Solar panels on ballasted frames, flat roof Low-tilt frames standing on the pebble finish of a new-build flat roof and held down by weight, so nothing is fixed through the waterproofing, with a clear strip left along the parapet to walk and work from. Read the case study Roof-mounted solar array in Brentford TW8 Solar TW8 Brentford Roof-mounted solar array Two panels on the slate roof of a single-storey extension, each with its own microinverter, and bird mesh clipped round the edge so nothing can nest underneath. Read the case study Solar panels on ballasted trays, flat roof in Anerley SE20 Solar SE20 Anerley Solar panels on ballasted trays, flat roof Six panels on the flat dormer roof, tilted on weighted trays rather than bolted down, so the roof covering is not pierced anywhere and the array still faces the sun instead of lying flat. Read the case study Vaillant air source heat pump with solar panels and a battery in Finsbury Park N4 Heat pump, solar and battery N4 Finsbury Park Vaillant air source heat pump with solar panels and a battery The panels on the roof run the heat pump through the day and the battery carries it into the evening, so the house buys far less from the grid. The unit sits on raised feet against the rear wall. Read the case study Fox ESS hybrid inverter and CQ7 battery in Cricklewood NW2 Solar and battery NW2 Cricklewood Fox ESS hybrid inverter and CQ7 battery The battery stands outside on the roof terrace on its own paving base, which these IP65 rated LFP modules are built for, with the inverter and the isolator on the wall above it and the cables dropped in one enclosed run. Read the case study Solar panels on a tiled pitched roof in Anerley SE20 Solar SE20 Anerley Solar panels on a tiled pitched roof The rest of the same array on the tiled slope, laid out around the two roof windows rather than over them, so the loft rooms keep their daylight. Read the case study DC cabling in galvanised steel conduit in Anerley SE20 Solar SE20 Anerley DC cabling in galvanised steel conduit The cables from the roof brought down the rendered wall in galvanised steel conduit, clipped in straight runs into a junction box, instead of loose cable tied to the downpipe. Read the case study
    The full guide: what a London system costs, generation and payback

    Solar panels for a typical London three-bedroom house cost £4,950 to £6,350 installed for a 5.1 kWp system, with 0 percent VAT.

    The 0 per cent rate on installing energy saving materials runs until 31 March 2027, after which it is due to return to 5 per cent unless the government extends it. Air conditioning fitted in a home is zero rated the same way, because a fixed air conditioning unit is an air source heat pump. Commercial installations are charged at 20 per cent.

    What a London system costs

    Solar system cost and output, London
    System sizePanelsInstalled costAnnual generation
    2.3kWp5 panels£3,900 to £5,050about 1,955 kWh
    3.7kWp8 panels£4,450 to £5,700about 3,145 kWh
    5.1kWp11 panels£4,950 to £6,350about 4,335 kWh
    6.4kWp14 panels£5,450 to £6,950about 5,440 kWh
    Add 5kWh battery+£2,040 to £2,335raises self-use to about 75 percent
    Add 10kWh, two units+£4,080 to £4,670raises self-use to about 85 percent

    Includes panels, inverter, optimisers where shading requires them, mounting, DC and AC electrical work, scaffolding, DNO notification, MCS certification and 0 percent VAT. Generation figures are modelled for a south facing London roof at 35 degrees with no significant shading, and your survey gives the number for your actual roof.

    Shading is the whole game in London

    A suburban roof in the Home Counties is a straightforward solar job. A London roof usually is not, because there is nearly always something in the way: a neighbour's chimney stack, a street tree, a rear extension, a taller building on the south side. Shade on one panel can drag down the output of every panel wired in the same string, which is how systems end up producing a fraction of what the sales estimate promised.

    The fix is a design decision, not a product. Where a roof has partial shading we use power optimisers or micro inverters so each panel works independently, and we model the shading across the year rather than at one moment. It costs a few hundred pounds more and it is the difference between a system that meets its estimate and one that does not.

    Which roofs are worth it, honestly

    London roof orientation and whether it is worth doing
    OrientationOutput vs southVerdict
    South100 percentBest case
    South east or south west95 percentVery good
    East or west80 to 85 percentUsually worth it
    East and west split array80 to 85 percentGood, flatter output through the day
    Flat roof, ballasted frames90 to 95 percentGood if the roof can take the load
    North60 percent or lessNot on its own
    Heavily shaded, any aspectVaries wildlyOnly with optimisers, and only after a survey

    Planning permission for solar

    Roof panels on a house are normally permitted development. The conditions are short: the panels must not project more than 200mm from the roof plane, must not sit above the highest part of the roof excluding the chimney, and must be removed when no longer needed.

    In a conservation area, panels must not go on a wall or roof slope that fronts a highway. On a listed building, listed building consent is required whatever the panels look like. Both of those are common enough in London that we check before quoting, and the same check we run for air conditioning covers it.

    Solar with a heat pump or air conditioning

    Solar pairs better with cooling than most people realise, because the sun is at its strongest in exactly the hours your air conditioning is working hardest. A July afternoon is when a London roof generates most and when the cooling load peaks, so a large share of the cooling runs on generation rather than on imported electricity.

    With a heat pump the pairing is different: the heat pump uses most electricity in winter, when solar generates least. That combination is still worth doing, but the honest reason is the annual bill rather than a neat winter match, and a battery does more of the work.

    Solar questions

    How much do solar panels cost in London?

    A typical London three-bedroom house takes a 5.1kWp system, which is £4,950 to £6,350 installed with 0 percent VAT. Adding two batteries takes the total to roughly £9,450 to £11,750.

    Scaffolding is the item that varies most in London, because a three-storey terrace with no rear access costs considerably more to scaffold than a suburban semi.

    Is my roof any good for solar in London?

    South facing is best, but east and west facing roofs in London produce about 80 to 85 percent of a south facing roof and are usually still worth doing. A north facing roof alone is not.

    What actually kills a London roof for solar is shading: a neighbour's chimney, a large tree or a taller building next door. Shading on one panel drags down a whole string unless the system is designed with optimisers, which is why we look at the roof before quoting rather than after.

    Do solar panels need planning permission?

    Usually no. Roof-mounted panels on a house are normally permitted development provided they do not project more than 200mm from the roof plane, do not sit above the highest part of the roof, and are removed when no longer needed.

    In a conservation area they must not be on a wall or roof slope facing a highway. On a listed building you need listed building consent regardless. Flat roof and ground mounted arrays have their own conditions.

    How much will solar actually save me?

    A 4kWp London system generates roughly 3,400 to 3,800 kWh a year. Without a battery you will typically use about 40 to 50 percent of that yourself and export the rest, which at current rates is usually 600 to 900 pounds a year of value.

    With a battery, self-consumption rises to around 70 to 85 percent, which is what moves the payback from roughly nine years to roughly seven. The honest version is that solar in London is a sound long-term investment rather than a quick win.

    Do I get paid for the electricity I export?

    Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee. Every large energy supplier must offer an export tariff, and rates vary a lot between them, so it is worth shopping for the export tariff rather than accepting whatever your current supplier offers.

    You need an export meter, which for most homes means a smart meter, and an MCS certificate for the installation. We issue the MCS certificate as part of the job.

    Find out what your roof will actually produce

    Free survey with a real shading assessment and a written generation estimate for your roof, not a brochure figure for a roof somewhere else.

    Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, Sunday closed

    What are you looking for?

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