Solar PV · Cost
What solar costs in Kent
We don't publish a headline price, because every roof is different. Here's what affects the cost, what a good quote should include, and how to compare two quotes fairly.
Some websites publish a price for solar. It’s always an average, and there’s no such thing as an average roof. Below is a list of the things that change the price of a domestic installation in Thanet and east Kent, so you can look at your own house and get a sense of where it sits. Then get a fixed price from someone who has actually looked at your roof.
What affects the price
Roughly in order of how much difference each one makes.
- System size. The number of panels, which depends on how much usable roof you have and how much electricity you use. Bigger isn’t always better. An array that generates far more than you can use or store just exports most of it at the lowest rate.
- Whether you include a battery. This is the biggest optional item. It’s worth it for some households and not for others, and that comes down to when you use power, not the battery itself.
- On-roof or in-roof. On-roof mounting, with rails fixed over your existing tiles, is the standard and cheaper option. An in-roof system replaces the tiles under the array and costs more, unless you’re re-roofing anyway, in which case it can work out cheaper because you don’t need those tiles.
- Scaffolding. Height, access, whether it has to stand on the pavement, and whether the council needs to license that. A bungalow and a three storey terrace in Ramsgate are very different scaffold jobs.
- The inverter. A standard string inverter, or a hybrid one that can take a battery later. Choosing a hybrid from the start costs a bit more and saves a lot if you add a battery in a couple of years.
- Electrical work at the consumer unit. Sometimes the existing board can’t safely take a generator and needs upgrading first. This is the item most often left off other quotes and discovered on the day. We check it at the survey and price it separately so you can see it.
- The cable run. From the roof to the inverter, and from the inverter to the consumer unit. Short and simple in a semi. Long and awkward from an outbuilding across a garden.
- Mounting for the site. Coastal exposure changes the fixings and the rail calculation. A cliff top roof in Broadstairs takes more wind than one in Canterbury, and the hardware has to match.
- Extras. Bird proofing, monitoring, or an EV charger that can use your surplus generation. All worth having, and all worth pricing as separate lines.
What a good quote includes
A quote you can compare against another one is itemised. It names the panels, the inverter and the battery if there is one, with model numbers. It states the system size in kilowatts peak and gives a generation estimate with the assumptions written down: the direction the roof faces, the pitch, the shading and the location. It says what’s included, what’s excluded, and what happens to the price if something unexpected turns up at the consumer unit.
It has an MCS number on it, because without one there’s no certificate, and without a certificate there’s no export payment. It lists the warranties separately for the panels, the inverter and the workmanship, because they come from three different parties. And it’s a fixed price for the work described.
Comparing two quotes
- Compare the system size first. A cheaper quote for a smaller array isn’t a cheaper quote.
- Compare the inverter. A string inverter and a hybrid aren’t like for like.
- Look for consumer unit work. If one quote includes it and the other doesn’t, ask the second installer whether they checked.
- Check both generation estimates use the same assumptions. A more optimistic estimate isn’t a better system.
- Check both have an MCS number, and look it up on the MCS register. It takes a minute.
Warning signs
- A price given without anyone looking at the roof.
- A discount that expires today.
- No MCS number, or one that doesn’t check out.
- A generation estimate with no assumptions attached.
- A roof lease dressed up as free solar. Have a solicitor read it.
Getting a price for your roof
Pick Solar PV on our contact form and it asks for the things that set the price: your address, so we can look at the roof on satellite view before we visit, whether you want a battery, and how you’d like the panels to sit. A photo of the roof from the ground helps more than anything. From that we arrange a survey, and from the survey you get a fixed, itemised price.
What we fit
The equipment we use is named on every quote, so you can look it up
FAQs
Questions about cost
Why won't anyone give me a price over the phone?
Because the price depends on the roof. Two houses on the same street can need different mounting, different scaffolding and different electrical work at the consumer unit. Anyone who quotes without looking is quoting for an average house, and yours probably isn't one.
Is there VAT on solar?
At the time of writing, residential solar and battery installations in Great Britain are zero-rated for VAT. Your quote should say so clearly. If a quote adds VAT to a domestic installation, ask why.
Do I get paid for the electricity I export?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee, at a rate set by the energy supplier you choose. You need an MCS certificate for the installation to qualify, which is one of the reasons the MCS number on a quote matters.
Is a battery worth the extra cost?
It depends on when you use electricity. If the house is empty all day, a battery stores what you'd otherwise export at a low rate and gives it back in the evening, when you'd be paying full price. That can change the sums a lot. If someone is home all day using power, the case is weaker. We work it out at the survey using your actual usage.
What is the catch with "free solar"?
Usually a roof lease. A company fits panels for free, keeps the export income for twenty years or more, and the lease is registered against your property. That complicates selling or remortgaging, and you only get a fraction of the benefit. Some schemes are legitimate, but have a solicitor read the lease before you sign anything.
Get a price
A fixed price
for your roof
Your postcode and a rough idea of the job is enough, solar or otherwise. You'll hear back from the electricians who'd do the work, not a sales team.