How much do 10 solar panels cost in the UK?

£6,760 installed, for 10 panels of 400 W (4 kW) at the £1,690 per kWp derived from the Energy Saving Trust's price. They take 19.2 m² of roof, make 4,369 kWh a year in London and save £1,150 a year at 26.32 p/kWh, a payback of 5.9 years. Three quotes replace the average.

How much do solar panels cost for a house in the UK?

The Energy Saving Trust says domestic systems are around 4.5 kW, typically about 12 panels on 20-30 m² of roof; at the £1,690 per kWp derived from its "around £7,600" for that size that is £7,605. That size covers a medium Ofgem household (2,500 kWh a year) with room to spare in London; the power-a-house guide shows the panels for the low, medium and high bands in four cities.

How much do solar panels cost per kWp in the UK?

About £1,690 per kWp installed: the Energy Saving Trust's "around £7,600" for a typical 4.5 kWp system (August 2026) divided by its size and rounded to £1.69 a watt. At that rate the 4.5 kWp system is £7,605, and 3 kWp is about £5,070, 4 kWp is about £6,760, 5 kWp is about £8,450 and 6 kWp is about £10,140. Divide a quote by its kWp to compare it with this figure; the table above prices 6 to 16 panels at this one rate.

Is there VAT or a grant on solar panels in 2026?

HMRC, VAT Notice 708/6 "Energy-saving materials and heating equipment" (updated 31 January 2024): photovoltaic panels installed in residential accommodation are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then "will revert to the reduced rate of VAT of 5%". The £7,600 above is an installed price, so no further discount applies; there is no national grant for panels The cost table above is therefore the installed price with nothing to add and nothing to claim back; a Smart Export Guarantee tariff pays for exported units instead.

How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves in the UK?

5.9 years for the 4.5 kW system in London if every kWh replaces bought electricity at 26.32 p/kWh: £7,605 / £1,294 a year. Glasgow, with 2.88 sun hours against London's 3.48, takes 7.1 years; Brighton 5.2 years. Exporting a share at a lower rate lengthens it; the Energy Saving Trust's own London figure is 9 years with export payments and a home occupied all day.

What do I get for the electricity I export?

Energy Saving Trust: "Typically, you'll get around 12p for every unit that you don't use yourself through the Smart Export Guarantee." At that rate an exported unit is worth under half a used one at 26.32 p/kWh, which is why the payback tool lets you type the share you export and the rate; both start at 0.

Do the panels keep making the same amount every year?

No: output falls about 0.5% a year (NREL; the Trina data sheet warrants 0.55%), so the 25-year table lowers each year's production by that share and year 25 makes 4,358 kWh against 4,916 kWh in year one. Over 25 years at today's price the 4.5 kW system in London saves £30,477, £22,872 more than it cost.

How much do solar panels cost in the UK in 2026?

£7,605 for a typical 4.5 kW system at £1,690 per kWp (the Energy Saving Trust's "around £7,600" for that size, August 2026, divided by its kWp and rounded to £1.69 a watt): £6,760 for 10 panels of 400 W (4 kW), £8,112 for 12. VAT on panels is 0% until March 2027 and there is no national grant, so that is the price you pay. In London the 4.5 kW system makes 4,916 kWh a year, saves £1,294 at the Ofgem cap of 26.32 p/kWh if you use it all, and pays back in 5.9 years. The tables below price 6 to 16 panels, run every UK city and show the 25-year table.

Open the solar payback calculator

How much do 6 to 16 solar panels cost in the UK?

Cost = kWp × £1,690: the Energy Saving Trust’s “around £7,600” for 4.5 kWp divided by its size and rounded to £1.69 a watt, which prices 4.5 kWp at £7,605 here. Output is the London figure (3.48 PVGIS sun hours, 14% losses); savings value every kWh at the Ofgem cap of 26.32 p/kWh; payback = cost / savings. The £ per kWp is one typical system divided by its size, so a quote for another size will not scale exactly: treat the column as a starting point, not a quote. The payback is the same on every row because cost and output both scale with kWp; your quote per kWp and your city move it, the panel count does not.

Installed cost, roof area, London output, year-one savings and simple payback for 6 to 16 panels of 400 W at £1,690 per kWp and 26.32 p/kWh
Panels	kWp	Cost	Roof area	kWh a year	Savings a year	Payback
6	2.4	£4,056	11.5 m²	2,622 kWh	£690	5.9 years
8	3.2	£5,408	15.4 m²	3,496 kWh	£920	5.9 years
10	4	£6,760	19.2 m²	4,369 kWh	£1,150	5.9 years
12	4.8	£8,112	23.1 m²	5,243 kWh	£1,380	5.9 years
14	5.6	£9,464	26.9 m²	6,117 kWh	£1,610	5.9 years
16	6.4	£10,816	30.8 m²	6,991 kWh	£1,840	5.9 years

How does the payback change by UK city?

The same 4.5 kW system at £7,605 everywhere; only the sun hours (PVGIS daily irradiation at the optimal tilt, 2005-2020) change the output, the savings and the payback.

A 4.5 kW system in every UK city: sun hours, kWh a year, year-one savings at 26.32 p/kWh, simple payback
City	Sun hours	kWh a year	Savings a year	Payback
London	3.48	4,916 kWh	£1,294	5.9 years
Brighton (South East)	3.9	5,509 kWh	£1,450	5.2 years
Plymouth (South West)	3.7	5,226 kWh	£1,376	5.5 years
Cardiff (Wales)	3.47	4,902 kWh	£1,290	5.9 years
Birmingham (West Midlands)	3.27	4,619 kWh	£1,216	6.3 years
Nottingham (East Midlands)	3.3	4,661 kWh	£1,227	6.2 years
Norwich (East of England)	3.49	4,930 kWh	£1,298	5.9 years
Manchester (North West)	3	4,238 kWh	£1,115	6.8 years
Leeds (Yorkshire)	3.2	4,520 kWh	£1,190	6.4 years
Newcastle (North East)	3.18	4,492 kWh	£1,182	6.4 years
Edinburgh (Scotland)	3.07	4,337 kWh	£1,141	6.7 years
Glasgow (Scotland)	2.88	4,068 kWh	£1,071	7.1 years
Aberdeen (Scotland)	2.98	4,209 kWh	£1,108	6.9 years
Belfast (Northern Ireland)	3.09	4,365 kWh	£1,149	6.6 years

What does the 25-year table look like?

The 4.5 kW system in London: production falls by 0.5% a year, the price stays at 26.32 p/kWh (type an escalation in the calculator to change that), and the last column is cumulative savings minus the £7,605 cost. The payback calculator shows all 25 rows for any size, quote and tariff.

4.5 kW in London, selected years of the 25-year table: production, savings, cumulative savings and net of the cost
Year	kWh	Savings	Cumulative	Net of cost
1	4,916 kWh	£1,294	£1,294	-£6,311
5	4,818 kWh	£1,268	£6,405	-£1,200
10	4,699 kWh	£1,237	£12,651	£5,046
15	4,583 kWh	£1,206	£18,742	£11,137
20	4,469 kWh	£1,176	£24,683	£17,078
25	4,358 kWh	£1,147	£30,477	£22,872

What the tables leave out

Your quote: £1,690 per kWp is one published typical price. Scaffolding, a difficult roof, an inverter upgrade or a battery move it; a battery is not in these figures at all.
Your use: the savings assume every kWh replaces bought electricity. A home empty all day exports more and saves less per kWh; the payback calculator has an export share and rate for that.
Your size: the power-a-house guide and the panel calculator turn your kWh into a panel count before you price it here.
Not included: loan interest, maintenance, an inverter replacement around year 10-15, insurance, or the price cap itself, which Ofgem resets every quarter.

Sources

Installed cost: Energy Saving Trust, "Solar panels". Electricity price: Ofgem, energy price cap unit rates and standing charges, Direct Debit, average across England, Scotland and Wales. VAT and grants: HMRC, VAT Notice 708/6 "Energy-saving materials and heating equipment". Export rate: Energy Saving Trust, "Solar panels". Sun hours: European Commission Joint Research Centre, PVGIS 5.2, PVcalc for the city's coordinates at the optimal slope and azimuth. Panel: A 400 W panel is the middle of the Trina Vertex TSM-DE09 range and the common residential class in 2026; Trina Solar, Vertex TSM-DE09 data sheet, product range 390-405 W. Losses: NREL, PVWatts Version 5 Manual, section 11 System Losses, Table 6. Output decline: NREL, PVWatts Version 5 Manual, section 11. All read 2026-09-20; the full text of each source, with links, is under the calculator when you switch it to UK.

Frequently asked questions

How much do 10 solar panels cost in the UK?: £6,760 installed, for 10 panels of 400 W (4 kW) at the £1,690 per kWp derived from the Energy Saving Trust's price. They take 19.2 m² of roof, make 4,369 kWh a year in London and save £1,150 a year at 26.32 p/kWh, a payback of 5.9 years. Three quotes replace the average.
How much do solar panels cost for a house in the UK?: The Energy Saving Trust says domestic systems are around 4.5 kW, typically about 12 panels on 20-30 m² of roof; at the £1,690 per kWp derived from its "around £7,600" for that size that is £7,605. That size covers a medium Ofgem household (2,500 kWh a year) with room to spare in London; the power-a-house guide shows the panels for the low, medium and high bands in four cities.
How much do solar panels cost per kWp in the UK?: About £1,690 per kWp installed: the Energy Saving Trust's "around £7,600" for a typical 4.5 kWp system (August 2026) divided by its size and rounded to £1.69 a watt. At that rate the 4.5 kWp system is £7,605, and 3 kWp is about £5,070, 4 kWp is about £6,760, 5 kWp is about £8,450 and 6 kWp is about £10,140. Divide a quote by its kWp to compare it with this figure; the table above prices 6 to 16 panels at this one rate.
Is there VAT or a grant on solar panels in 2026?: HMRC, VAT Notice 708/6 "Energy-saving materials and heating equipment" (updated 31 January 2024): photovoltaic panels installed in residential accommodation are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then "will revert to the reduced rate of VAT of 5%". The £7,600 above is an installed price, so no further discount applies; there is no national grant for panels The cost table above is therefore the installed price with nothing to add and nothing to claim back; a Smart Export Guarantee tariff pays for exported units instead.
How long do solar panels take to pay for themselves in the UK?: 5.9 years for the 4.5 kW system in London if every kWh replaces bought electricity at 26.32 p/kWh: £7,605 / £1,294 a year. Glasgow, with 2.88 sun hours against London's 3.48, takes 7.1 years; Brighton 5.2 years. Exporting a share at a lower rate lengthens it; the Energy Saving Trust's own London figure is 9 years with export payments and a home occupied all day.
What do I get for the electricity I export?: Energy Saving Trust: "Typically, you'll get around 12p for every unit that you don't use yourself through the Smart Export Guarantee." At that rate an exported unit is worth under half a used one at 26.32 p/kWh, which is why the payback tool lets you type the share you export and the rate; both start at 0.
Do the panels keep making the same amount every year?: No: output falls about 0.5% a year (NREL; the Trina data sheet warrants 0.55%), so the 25-year table lowers each year's production by that share and year 25 makes 4,358 kWh against 4,916 kWh in year one. Over 25 years at today's price the 4.5 kW system in London saves £30,477, £22,872 more than it cost.

How much do solar panels cost in Texas in 2026?
Installed cost for 4 to 15 kW at the EnergySage $ per watt, Texas output and savings at the EIA price, a 7 kW system in every state and the 25-year table.
How much do solar panels cost for a 2,000 square foot house?
About $22,880 before incentives: 22 panels of 400 W (8.8 kW) cover the 12,173 kWh a year an average 2,000-2,499 sq ft home uses (EIA), at 4.5 sun hours.
How many solar panels for 2,000 kWh a month?
2,000 kWh a month is 65.8 kWh a day: 43 panels of 400 W (17.2 kW) at 4.5 sun hours, about $44,720 installed. Every US state and UK city.
How many solar panels to power a house?
Panels for the average US home (EIA 899 kWh a month) from half to twice that use, every US state, and Ofgem's low, medium and high UK homes in four cities.

Last updated 2026-10-03. Estimates from published averages (NREL, EIA, Ofgem, industry cost surveys), each with its source and date: an installer's site survey and shading analysis replace them. Not financial advice.