To get solar panel quotes online in the UK, submit your postcode, annual electricity usage in kWh, roof orientation and rough roof size to a comparison platform or installer. Initial quotes typically arrive within 24–48 hours. The service is free and carries no obligation.
Postcode
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Sets regional irradiance, installer availability, scaffold pricing
Annual electricity usage (kWh)
Any recent bill, or your online energy account
Determines correct system size. The single most important figure.
Roof orientation
Google Maps satellite view, or a compass app
South is optimal; east–west works well with the right design
Approximate roof size
Rough length × width of the usable pitch
Sets the maximum system that will physically fit
Shading
Look at the roof mid-morning and mid-afternoon
Determines whether optimisers or microinverters are needed
If you can only get one of these exactly right, make it annual kWh usage. An installer sizing from bedroom count alone is guessing, and the direction they guess in is usually upward.
Say so upfront. A battery changes the quote by £3,000–£6,500 and changes the system design, so a quote produced without knowing your intention will need redoing.
If you are unsure, ask for the quote both ways. Any competent installer will price it with and without.
Rough guide: battery makes sense if you are out during the day and use most of your electricity in the evening. It makes less sense if you are home during daylight hours and can shift usage to when the panels are generating.
Submitting to multiple platforms feels like diligence. In practice it produces duplicate contact from the same regional installers, because most comparison services draw from an overlapping pool of MCS-certified companies in any given area.
One request to a platform that gives you three quotes achieves the comparison. Five requests achieves a fortnight of phone calls.
Before submitting to any platform, check three things: that MCS accreditation is verified before installers are listed, that the service is free with no charge to unlock quotes or contact details, and what happens if you do not respond to a quote.
The first figure you receive is based on the details you supplied. It is a reasonable estimate, not a contract price.
A firm quote follows a survey, which takes one of two forms:
Remote survey satellite imagery and roof modelling software. Fast, often same-week, accurate enough for straightforward roofs.
In-person survey an installer visits, checks roof condition, loft access, consumer unit and cable routing. Necessary for complex roofs, older properties, or anything where electrical upgrades may be needed.
A significant difference between initial estimate and firm quote is not automatically a red flag — surveys find things. But the installer should be able to name exactly what changed and why.
Three quotes lets you find the median and identify the outlier. Compare on specification and inclusions, not the headline figure.
Home size is a shortcut, not a specification. Installers use it because homeowners know their bedroom count and often do not know their kWh usage — but sizing from bedrooms alone is the main cause of oversized systems.
As a rough starting point:
1–2 bed flat or terrace
1,800–2,500 kWh
3 kW
£5,000 – £6,500
3 bed semi
2,700–3,500 kWh
4 kW
£6,500 – £8,500
4 bed detached
3,500–4,500 kWh
5 kW
£7,000 – £9,500
4+ bed with EV
5,000+ kWh
6 kW+
£8,500 – £11,000
The rule installers actually use:** multiply your annual kWh consumption by 0.25 to get a minimum system size in kW. A home using 3,400 kWh a year lands at roughly 4kW. Supply the usage figure and the sizing stops being a guess.
Roof space can override all of this. A four-bedroom house with a small north-facing rear pitch may only fit 3kW regardless of consumption.
Yes — many MCS-certified installers offer finance, though it is not universal, so flag it at the request stage.
The common structures:
Unsecured personal loan through a third-party lender, typically 5–15 years. Most common route.
Buy now, pay later a deferred-payment period, then the balance or a repayment plan.
0% finance offers occasionally available, usually over shorter terms and often with a higher headline system price.
Three things to check on any solar finance offer: the total amount repayable (not the monthly figure), whether the APR is fixed or variable, and whether there is an early settlement charge if you want to clear it after a few years.
Compare the total repayable against the cash price. A £7,500 system financed over 10 years can total noticeably more, which lengthens effective payback — sometimes past the point where the system is still generating at full output.
Immediately
Confirmation that your request has been received
24–48 hours
Initial quotes from matched MCS-certified installers
3–10 days
Survey scheduled (remote or in person)
1–2 weeks
Firm quotes with full specification
Your call
Accept one, or decline all three
You are under no obligation at any stage. If you decide against solar entirely after receiving quotes, that is a normal outcome and a reputable platform will not chase you.
Stack the factors and the arithmetic becomes obvious rather than suspicious. Installer A quotes budget panels, a string inverter, and excludes scaffold. Installer B quotes premium panels, microinverters, and includes scaffold, a consumer unit upgrade and bird proofing.
Same roof. Same nominal 4kW. Genuinely different installations, and a gap of £2,000 or more that has nothing to do with either company being dishonest.
This is the case for comparing three quotes rather than one — not to find the cheapest number, but to see what the range even is for your property.
MCS verified , Free, no obligation, no charge to unlock quotes. Tell us about your property once and we will match you with up to three certified installers in your area.
Submit your postcode, annual electricity usage in kWh, roof orientation and approximate roof size to a comparison platform or directly to installers. The process takes under five minutes online. Initial quotes typically arrive within 24–48 hours, followed by a survey and a firm quote within one to two weeks. Quotes are free and carry no obligation.
Five things: postcode, annual electricity consumption in kWh from a recent bill, roof orientation, approximate usable roof area, and any shading from trees, chimneys or neighbouring buildings. Annual kWh usage is the most important — it determines correct system sizing, and estimating it from house size is the most common cause of an oversized quote.
Home size gives a starting point: roughly 3kW for a one to two-bedroom property, 4kW for a three-bed semi, and 5–6kW for a four-bedroom home or one with an EV. The more accurate method is to multiply your annual kWh usage by 0.25 for a minimum system size in kW. Available roof space can override both.
Many MCS-certified installers offer finance, usually as an unsecured personal loan over 5–15 years, and sometimes as a deferred-payment or 0% arrangement. It is not universal, so state that you need finance when requesting quotes. Compare the total amount repayable against the cash price rather than comparing monthly payments.
No. Requesting quotes places you under no obligation to proceed, and you can decline all of them. Before submitting details to any platform, check what happens if you do not respond — a reputable service will not pass your number to installers who then contact you repeatedly.
