Solar panels can reduce reliance on the grid and cut electricity bills, but there is another potential benefit to consider: they could make your home more attractive when it comes to selling it.
Buyer interest in energy-efficient homes appears to be growing. Rightmove says mentions of solar panels in property listings increased by almost 40 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, suggesting sellers and estate agents increasingly see them as a feature worth highlighting. With electricity prices also remaining high, the prospect of buying a home that already generates some of its own power can be appealing.
That does not mean installing solar panels will automatically add thousands of pounds to your asking price. Estimates of the potential uplift vary considerably, and factors including the age and condition of the system, whether you own the panels outright, your property’s location and its overall energy efficiency can all influence what buyers are prepared to pay.
Keep reading to find out whether solar panels add value to a house, how they can affect its saleability and what homeowners should consider before installing a system primarily as an investment.
Do solar panels increase home value in the UK?
A good way of tackling this question is thinking about home improvements in general. Ones that are critical, like fixing a leaky roof, are likely to generate good returns since the home will be very unattractive without the work being done.
Similarly, a loft conversion or extension which makes the usable size of the home bigger will increase a home’s value in a fairly reliable way.
But optional improvements like solar panels are harder to quantify. This is for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the idea of owning a home with solar panels is still a fairly new one. It won’t be like weighing up the value of an extra bathroom or a new kitchen for most buyers. Without research, most people won’t know the value of a solar setup.
Secondly, as you can see from our guide here, owning solar panels and managing them well does take a little effort. You need to set them up correctly to get paid for the electricity you don’t use, and you may need to switch tariffs each year. That does take some time and effort.
And although most homeowners spend very little time looking at their own roofs – or even roofs in general – they can divide opinion on aesthetics.
Read more: Compare free solar panel quotes
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, making a firm estimate on any improvement is difficult, and those trying to do so are often trying to sell those improvements and don’t come from a place of neutrality.
You can’t sell the same property twice at the same time, once with panels and once without to show how much value they add. Other, bigger factors such as the state of the housing market or rising or falling interest rates will make a far bigger impact on house prices than a £6,500 to £8,000 solar installation.
However, there are signs that solar panels are becoming a more recognised selling point. Rightmove’s 2025 Greener Homes Report found that mentions of solar panels in property listings increased by 37 per cent year on year. Its consumer research also found that 30 per cent of people believe green upgrades add value to a home, while 19 per cent think they make properties more attractive to buyers.
That doesn’t prove solar panels themselves increase a home’s sale price by a particular amount, but it suggests energy-saving technology is becoming more visible in the property market.
In short, these estimates have very little to back them. Most people will see cheaper electricity bills as a plus, but they may struggle to put a price on that, especially when buying a home is partly about taste and emotion, rather than pure numbers.
Those expecting that an investment of one sum will boost the price of their house by more than that sum will probably be disappointed. That’s because buyers who want a solar array can just get their own.
Fitting them does not cause the mess or inconvenience of a new kitchen or bathroom, and they don’t improve the look or feel of the home either. So you aren’t doing the next owner such a massive favour.
How location within the UK affects solar performance and property value
It's important to remember that solar panels are not equally effective across the UK, and this can affect your ROI on the investment. Factors like roof angle and sun exposure vary by region and, crucially, so does house price growth.
Southern England sees significantly higher solar yields than northern Scotland, thanks to better sun exposure.
Meanwhile, homes in higher-value regions may see more uplift in absolute terms, but percentage-wise, returns are still modest.
Local planning regulations or conservation area restrictions may also limit what kind of installation is allowed.
What else affects the value that solar panels add to a home?
While there’s no guaranteed uplift in property value when getting solar panels, the following factors can make a difference:
- Age and condition of the solar system: newer panels are more efficient and more attractive to buyers.
- Presence of a battery system: homes with battery storage can reduce reliance on the grid even further, improving appeal.
- SEG or legacy FIT tariff details: if the home still benefits from the now-closed (and more generous) Feed-in Tariff scheme, that may increase its value.
- Aesthetic impact: panels integrated flush with the roofline are often more desirable than bolt-on systems.
- Documentation and maintenance: a well-documented system with clear records helps reassure buyers.
Should I add solar panels solely to improve my home’s value?
Installing solar panels may increase your home’s appeal and potentially its value, but you shouldn’t assume that every pound spent on a system will be reflected in the eventual sale price.
Even if there was a good estimate for the improvement in the value of your house that solar panels could make, you ought to think twice before using it for the same reason that movements in the UK’s average house price might not apply to you. That is because your house’s price might not behave like the average house’s price.
You could easily spend £8,000 and see your house price drop, not because of your investment but because demand in your area has fallen or the cost of borrowing has risen.
Here’s the most useful advice: don’t buy solar panels for your home if all you want to do is improve its sale price. Do buy them if you want to cut your energy bills.
Is it harder to sell a house with solar panels?
In most cases, solar panels make a home easier to sell, not harder, provided the system is owned outright and still under warranty. Buyers are increasingly interested in properties with lower running costs, and the promise of free or cheaper electricity for years to come is a strong selling point.
However, selling can be more complicated if the panels are leased or installed under a rent-a-roof scheme, where a third party owns the system. In those cases, buyers may need to take over the agreement, which can slow the sale or deter mortgage lenders. To avoid this, homeowners considering a future sale often choose to buy panels outright or settle any lease before putting their property on the market.
Good documentation – including the installation certificate, warranty details, and energy generation data – can also help reassure buyers that the system is well maintained and adds genuine value.
Read more: Are Octopus solar panels worth it? Expert review
How much do solar panels cost in the first place?
The cost of solar panels depends on the size of the array. The table below will give you some indication, with array costs taken from a survey of installers conducted by The Independent and energy prices from the Energy Saving Trust.
| Home type | Typical system | Current installed cost |
| Two-bed / small home | 3kW | £5,000-£6,500 |
| Three-bed / typical family home | 4-5kW | £6,500-£8,000 |
| Four-bed / higher use | 5-6kW | £7,500-£9,500 |
As a rough guide, The Independent’s latest analysis suggests a typical 4-5kW system costs around £6,500 to £8,000 in 2026. Actual costs vary according to the number and type of panels, roof layout, installer and whether battery storage is included. For more, see our guide to the true cost of solar panels.
When can I see a return on my investment?
A typical solar installation can take around eight to 12 years to pay for itself through lower electricity bills and export payments, although the exact period depends on the upfront cost, how much solar electricity you use yourself, your export tariff and your roof’s generation potential.
To do the maths we are using an address in London, assuming a family of three and typical use – no heat pumps, high daytime usage or electric car charging.
Other assumptions include no shade on the panels and that someone is in, using power for about half the day and an export price of 15p per kilowatt hour (p/kWh). Other than a new inverter, no other maintenance costs are assumed, and no financing costs are assumed. The roof is roughly south-east facing.
Much will depend on what price you get for your exported electricity. Tariffs vary widely. Smart Export Guarantee rates vary significantly between suppliers, and some of the better-paying tariffs have eligibility conditions. It is therefore worth comparing export tariffs when calculating your potential return, rather than assuming a fixed rate for the lifetime of the system.
How energy prices affect the ROI of solar panels
Energy prices have a significant effect on solar-panel payback because every unit of solar electricity you use at home is one you do not have to buy from your supplier.
From 1 July to 30 September 2026, the average electricity unit rate under Ofgem’s price cap is 26.11p/kWh for customers paying by Direct Debit. Higher grid electricity prices can therefore increase the savings available from generating and using your own power.
The Energy Saving Trust has a handy calculator you can use to ascertain your savings from having solar panels and the ROI on your investment.