Solar Panel & Battery Installers in London

Solar Base Energy is a free matching service for London homeowners. You describe your home on one short form, and we match you with an MCS-certified installer who can quote. We do not install anything ourselves, so the quote and the work come from the installer.

We put the battery first because a battery stores spare daytime solar for use after dark. As a result, you buy less from the grid at the times you need it most. For example, a flat roof in Hackney or a terrace in Lewisham can take panels now and a battery alongside them.

The EU Joint Research Centre's PVGIS tool models a 4 kWp array in central London at about 4,075 kWh a year. That assumes a south-facing roof, a 35 degree tilt and 14% system losses. A 4 kWp system is a common size, since most UK home installs in 2025/26 were 4 kW or smaller, according to DESNZ.

Your own figure will differ, because shade, roof angle and direction all change the output. Therefore, treat 4,075 kWh as a benchmark and not a promise. A good installer models your actual roof and shows you the assumptions.

London is a city of flats. The 2021 Census counted about 3.4 million households in Greater London, and 54.0% lived in flats. Terraced homes made up 21.3%, semi-detached homes 18.6% and detached homes only 6.1%. Many Londoners therefore need to ask who owns the roof before they ask about panels.

In England, most rooftop solar on houses and flats does not need planning permission, although conditions apply. The Planning Portal says the rules changed on 27 August 2026, so ask your installer to confirm them for your home. Listed buildings always need consent.

Conservation areas add limits. Panels on roof slopes are usually fine there, but panels on a wall facing the street are restricted. Your borough council makes the planning decision, while the Greater London Authority sets the wider London Plan.

Most London homes connect to the grid through UK Power Networks, which runs Inner London through London Power Networks. Some western and southern edges fall under other network operators. The postcode checker on the operator's website confirms yours.

Your installer notifies the network operator or applies for approval, depending on the size of the system. G98 and G99 are the operator's connection rules for small generators. Ask the installer which one applies to you and who sends the paperwork.

The Greater London Authority ran Solar Together London with iChoosr, a group-buying scheme for panels, batteries and EV chargers. Its page says the programme was completing its fifth phase, with more than 3,000 homes installed. We cannot confirm whether a new round is open, so check the GLA page before you compare quotes.

Nationally, installing solar panels or a home battery is VAT-free at 0% until 31 March 2027, according to HMRC. From 1 April 2027 the rate is due to revert to 5% under current legislation. Low-income households in lower-rated homes may also ask their borough about the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

Choose an MCS-certified installer, because MCS certification is required to claim Smart Export Guarantee payments. MCS installers work to published standards, which are MIS 3002 for panels and MIS 3012 for batteries. Ask to see the certificate.

Cost matters too. DESNZ data for 2025/26 puts the median at about £1,780 per kW for systems up to 4 kW, so roughly £7,000 to £7,500 for 4 kW before any grants. Quotes vary, so compare at least two.

Space is tight in many London homes, so ask where the battery will go. PAS 63100 guidance points to outdoors or a garage where possible, and not in bedrooms or on escape routes. Furthermore, if the installer belongs to the RECC, its consumer guidance says a deposit should not exceed 25% of the contract price.

If you are weighing a time-of-use tariff, read how Octopus battery storage tariffs work. For hardware, our Tesla Powerwall 3 guide for UK homes explains what the unit offers. Meanwhile, if you drive an electric car, our guide to charging an EV from solar shows how panels and a charger fit together.

You can also read about home battery storage installers and smart tariff set-up for solar homes. For a charger, see solar-ready EV charger installation. Outside the capital, we also cover solar panel installers serving Southampton and battery installers serving Brighton.