Solar and battery
Solar only, solar with a battery, battery only or plug-in solar for homes across CT7 to CT12. Plain price ranges, honest payback, and the electrical side done properly.
0% VAT on home solar and batteries ends on 31 March 2027. After that the rate is 5% (GOV.UK). Surveys, approvals and installs take weeks, so book early. Get a free quote.
All solar installs are MCS-certified.
The best value for most homes with a roof of their own. A small roof or a rear slope suits 3 kWp. A typical semi suits 4 kWp.
Fitting both at once is usually cheaper than adding a battery later, because the installers are already on site. The battery adds evening power and some backup, and a longer payback.
For homes that already have solar, or that can charge cheaply overnight on a smart meter tariff. Be realistic: these are the longest paybacks on this page.
A panel and small inverter that plugs into a normal socket, up to 800W, no roof needed. Legal in Great Britain from 27 August 2026. A small, simple way to start, with real limits: it will not run the house, and it cannot take a battery.
Prices checked October 2026. Estimates, not quotes.
| System | Installed price (0% VAT) | Saving and export income a year | Rough payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar only3 kWp (about 7 panels) | £3,800 to £5,000 | £740 to £1,100 | 4 to 6 years |
| Solar only4 kWp (about 10 panels) | £4,400 to £6,000 | £980 to £1,460 | 4 to 5 years |
| Solar and small battery4.5 kWp (about 11 panels) + 5 kWh battery | £6,800 to £10,000 | £1,280 to £1,920 | 4 to 6 years |
| Solar and large battery4.5 kWp (about 11 panels) + 10 kWh battery | £8,400 to £13,000 | £1,460 to £2,180 | 5 to 7 years |
| Battery added to existing solar5 kWh battery, existing 4 kWp solar | £2,200 to £3,800 | £180 to £260 | 10 to 17 years |
| Battery added to solar, cheap overnight rate5 kWh battery, existing 4 kWp solar | £2,200 to £3,800 | £360 to £560 | 5 to 8 years |
| Battery only, cheap overnight rate5 kWh battery, no solar | £2,200 to £3,800 | £360 to £540 | 5 to 8 years |
| Large battery only, cheap overnight rate10 kWh battery, no solar | £4,000 to £7,000 | £460 to £700 | 7 to 12 years |
| Plug-in solar kitUp to 800W, no roof needed, no battery | from about £450 | £70 to £100 | about 4.5 to 6.5 years |
Estimates, not quotes. These are our own installed prices, set below the typical published averages (the Energy Saving Trust puts a 4.5 kWp system at about £7,600 and a 5 kWh battery at about £4,600). Savings and payback assume one of the special smart tariffs offered by suppliers such as Octopus Energy, rather than a standard tariff, with a home that uses about 3,000 kWh a year. Your roof, your use and your tariff change the result. Prices checked October 2026.
More panels, faster payback. Scaffold, inverter, wiring and labour are mostly fixed costs, so doubling the number of panels adds far less than double to the installed price, and payback can fall significantly. We will size and lay out your system to get the most output from your roof, to bring your payback down as far as possible. Ask us to quote a larger array alongside the standard one. A larger system on a smart tariff can pay back in under 4 years in some homes. On our own installation we have achieved a payback as low as 3.7 years, and we will optimise your solar and battery installation to get the best result for your home.
GOV.UK VAT Notice 708/6 sets a zero rate for installing solar panels and batteries in homes until 31 March 2027, then the reduced rate of 5% from 1 April 2027 unless it changes. The prices above assume 0% VAT. Fitting solar and a battery together gets both inside the zero-rate window. Check the notice on GOV.UK.
A solar or battery system connects into your home wiring. Where the job needs it, this is the electrical work we do around the system:
Thanet has 27 conservation areas on the national planning data (checked October 2026), including Margate, Margate Seafront, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Ramsgate Royal Esplanade, Montefiore, Pegwell, Westgate on Sea, Birchington and Minster. In a conservation area, nothing may be fitted to a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway, under the planning rules in force from 27 August 2026. A listed building needs listed building consent. Tell us your address and we check the position for your street before quoting.
Close to the seafront, ask for panels certified to the IEC 61701 salt mist test and corrosion-resistant mounting, as European Commission coastal guidance advises. Position equipment out of the direct sea wind where we can.
Semi-detached houses are the biggest group of homes in Thanet, at 29.6% of households (Census 2021). A house with its own roof is the simplest case for solar and a battery.
Kent is in the South Eastern Power Networks area, part of UK Power Networks. Bigger solar and battery systems can need their approval before work starts. We start that early.
Read more in our guide: Solar panels and Thanet planning.
As of October 2026 we estimate about £6,800 to £10,000 for 4.5 kWp with a 5 kWh battery, and about £8,400 to £13,000 with a 10 kWh battery. Solar only runs about £3,800 to £6,000. These are our estimates, not quotes.
All solar installs are MCS-certified. Every solar PV and battery install is carried out MCS-certified, the certificate is issued, and we support your Smart Export Guarantee registration. We also look after the electrical side around it where the job needs it: a consumer unit check, isolation and cabling, and pairing with an EV charger.
Not always. Many home batteries switch off when the grid goes down. Some can run chosen circuits with extra equipment. Ask for this to be on the quote.
On savings alone the payback is long, about 4 to 6 years for the 5 kWh example with new solar, and longer for a 10 kWh battery or a battery added to solar later. It improves evening power and backup.
Yes, with an MCS-certified install you can apply for the Smart Export Guarantee. As of October 2026 Octopus Energy pays 12p per kWh on Outgoing Octopus to its own customers, and 4.1p on its plain SEG tariff to anyone with an MCS-certified system. Other suppliers vary, so compare before you sign.
Panels on a roof are usually permitted development, with limits. In a conservation area nothing may be fitted to a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway, and a listed building needs listed building consent. Tell us your address and we check the position for your street before quoting.
Yes, in Great Britain, for approved kits of up to 800W, from 27 August 2026. You must register the kit before use, a renter needs written permission from the landlord, and a kit cannot take a battery. Plug-in kits do not normally earn export payments.
Sources. GOV.UK VAT Notice 708/6; Ofgem price cap and Smart Export Guarantee; Octopus Energy (Outgoing Octopus, SEG tariff and install prices); Energy Saving Trust (solar panels, battery storage, plug-in solar); GOV.UK plug-in solar announcement (26 August 2026); legislation.gov.uk SI 2026/896; Planning Portal; planning.data.gov.uk conservation-area data; UK Power Networks; ONS Census 2021. Last reviewed 12 October 2026. Estimates only, not quotes. 0% VAT applies until 31 March 2027, then 5%.
Tell us your address and your last 12 months of electricity use. We reply with clear options and prices.