Overview
- The Energy Saving Trust prices a typical 5.5kW system at about £8,400, with combined bill savings and export income of roughly £600–£1,000 a year.
- Estimated payback is often seven to nine years, though new quotes can stretch to around 11 years depending on location, tariffs and usage patterns.
- Under the Smart Export Guarantee, export rates vary sharply from about 1p–6p on some standalone deals to time‑varying offers paying up to 32p/kWh at peak times.
- A homeowner profiled by The Times has earned £8,694 since installing panels in 2014 under legacy tariffs and further cut bills with a £2,500, 5kWh battery after VAT on retrofits was removed.
- Solar supplied about 5% of UK electricity in 2024, and households can boost returns by shifting appliance use to sunny hours or storing daytime generation for evening consumption.