Solar Panel FAQs

A typical 4kW residential solar panel system in the UK costs between £6,500 and £8,000 fully installed in 2026. Smaller 3kW systems start around £5,000, and larger 6kW+ systems run £9,000 to £12,000+. Solar panel installations are currently VAT exempt (0% VAT), which makes UK solar materially cheaper than it was a few years ago. Adding battery storage typically adds £3,000 to £6,000 depending on the capacity you choose. See our full pricing tables on individual town pages like Eastbourne, Worthing and Brighton.

A typical household with a 4kW solar panel system saves between £500 and £800 per year on electricity bills. Sussex sits at the high end of UK savings thanks to above-average sunshine. Bognor Regis, officially the UK’s sunniest town, sees households save £600–£800 per year. Adding a battery storage system can push savings further by letting you use more of the solar energy you generate.

Most well-designed solar panel systems in Sussex pay for themselves within 5 to 9 years, depending on location and household energy use. The coastal Arun towns (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) have the fastest payback periods in the UK. Inland towns like Crawley and Horsham typically pay back in 7–9 years. After payback, the electricity is essentially free for the remaining 20+ years.

Yes — particularly in Sussex. With above-average sunshine, current grid electricity prices, and 0% VAT, a well-designed system pays for itself within 5 to 9 years. That leaves 17 to 25+ years of essentially free electricity from panels with a 25–30+ year working life. Combined with Smart Export Guarantee income, rising energy costs, and the option to add a battery later, the financial case is strong.

We can discuss flexible payment options to help spread the cost of your solar installation. Please get in touch to find out about current finance arrangements available for Sussex homeowners.

In most cases, no. Solar panels installed on the roof of a house in England fall under permitted development rights, which means you do not need planning permission. The main exceptions are: listed buildings (where listed building consent is normally required); conservation areas; National Parks and AONBs (including the South Downs National Park and Chichester Harbour AONB); and installations that exceed permitted development limits. We assess all planning considerations for your specific property as part of our free site survey.

Yes, with listed building consent. The key considerations are whether the panels would alter the character or appearance of the building, and whether the installation is reversible. In many cases, sympathetic installations on rear roof slopes or less prominent elevations can be approved. We have experience working with heritage properties across Sussex, including in Lewes, Chichester, Rye and Shoreham Beach.

Many Sussex towns have designated conservation areas — notably Lewes, Chichester city centre, Rye, parts of Brighton and Hove, Worth and Ifield in Crawley, parts of Felpham and Aldwick in Bognor, and Old Shoreham. Solar panel installations in these areas are often still possible, but may require additional planning consent depending on visibility from the public realm. We check the planning status of your specific property during the free site survey.

Yes, but installations within the National Park may require additional planning considerations. Most residential solar PV is still possible, particularly on rear-facing roof slopes. We assess this on a property-by-property basis.

Most residential solar panel installations are completed in a single day. Larger systems, or installations that include battery storage, may take two days. We handle all scaffolding, panel fitting, electrical connections and system commissioning as part of the service.

Our process has five stages: 1) Free site survey — we visit your property to assess your roof, check shading, review your electrical setup, and discuss your energy use. 2) Bespoke system design — we design a system specifically for your property and provide a fixed-price quotation. 3) Installation — our directly employed electricians install the system, typically in a single day. 4) Registration and handover — we register your system with the MCS and your energy supplier for Smart Export Guarantee payments. 5) Aftercare — your system comes with manufacturer warranties (typically 25 years on panels, 10–12 on inverters) and we remain available for ongoing support.

No. Every installer on our team is directly employed by Greener Solar Solutions. We never subcontract our work, which means we maintain full control over quality and safety on every job.

Yes. Greener Solar Solutions is MCS Certified, NICEIC Approved, and TrustMark Registered. MCS certification is the industry gold standard for renewable energy installers in the UK — it means our installations meet the highest technical standards and qualifies you for Smart Export Guarantee payments.

We cover the whole of East Sussex and West Sussex, as well as Surrey, Hampshire and Kent. From our base at Hangar 4, Shoreham Airport we reach Brighton, Hove, Eastbourne, Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea, Horsham, Chichester, Crawley, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Lewes, Uckfield, Hastings, Battle, Rye and the surrounding villages.

The right size depends on your household electricity consumption, the amount of suitable roof space, and your budget. As a rule of thumb: 1–3 person household → 3–4kW system (8–10 panels); 3–4 person household → 4–5kW (10–13 panels); 4+ person household, or EV / heat pump → 5–6kW+ system (13+ panels). We determine the right size during our free site survey using your actual energy usage data.

A typical 4kW system in Sussex generates between 3,400 and 4,400 kWh per year, depending on location. Coastal towns like Bognor Regis, Worthing and Eastbourne are at the top of that range thanks to record UK sunshine hours. Inland towns like Crawley and Horsham sit slightly lower but still well above the UK average.

Yes. Solar panels generate electricity from daylight, not just direct sunshine, so they continue producing energy even when the sky is overcast. Output is lower on heavily cloudy days, but Sussex’s south coast position means you benefit from above-average daylight hours year-round.

Yes. Output is significantly lower in winter than in summer — typically 20–30% of summer output during December and January — but solar panels continue generating useful electricity every day there is daylight. Sussex’s milder coastal winters and clearer skies mean year-round generation is reliable.

Yes, with somewhat reduced output. South-facing roofs are optimal for solar generation in the UK. East and west-facing roofs typically generate around 80–85% of a south-facing equivalent. North-facing roofs are generally not recommended. We assess your roof orientation during the free site survey and advise on the best approach.

Yes. We have extensive experience installing solar on seafront and exposed coastal properties across Sussex — from Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Bognor Regis to Brighton and Hastings. For coastal installations we specify panels and mounting systems rated for salt-air exposure, including marine-grade fittings, so corrosion and wind loading are not a concern.

Modern solar panels are extremely durable and typically come with 25-year performance warranties. In practice, panels often continue generating electricity efficiently for 30 years or more. Inverters carry a 10–12 year warranty and may need to be replaced once during the system’s lifetime — that replacement is typically £700–£1,500 depending on system size.

Solar panels require very little maintenance. UK rainfall typically keeps them clean enough to operate within normal efficiency tolerances. A professional clean every 3–5 years can be helpful, particularly for properties near pollen-heavy trees, busy roads, or coastal salt-air exposure. We can advise on cleaning during the free survey or any time afterwards.

A home battery storage system stores surplus solar electricity generated during the day for use later — typically in the morning and evening when household demand peaks but solar generation is low. This significantly increases the proportion of your own solar energy you actually use, rather than exporting it to the grid at a relatively low rate.

A home battery typically costs between £3,000 and £6,000 fully installed, depending on capacity. Most households benefit from a 5–10kWh battery. Common brands include GivEnergy, SolarEdge, Tesla Powerwall and others — we will recommend the right battery for your usage pattern during the survey.

Yes. A battery storage system can be retrofitted to most existing solar panel installations. We assess compatibility during a free site survey and recommend the best battery for your setup.

Standard grid-tied solar PV systems automatically shut down during a power cut for safety reasons. If you want backup power during outages, we can install battery systems with EPS (Emergency Power Supply) or off-grid backup functionality that keep essential circuits running when the grid goes down. Mention this during the survey if it is a priority for you.

For most Sussex households, yes — particularly those who use electricity in the evenings. A battery typically pays for itself in 6–10 years through the savings made on grid electricity you would otherwise have to buy. With current grid prices, that is becoming faster, not slower.

Yes. A smart EV charger can be configured to prioritise charging your vehicle using surplus solar electricity, meaning your motoring costs can drop to almost zero during the sunnier months. This works particularly well in Sussex thanks to the strong sunshine hours, and is popular with Gatwick commuters in Crawley and along the south coast.

A typical home EV charger costs between £800 and £1,200 fully installed. We are OZEV approved as well as MCS Certified, NICEIC Approved and TrustMark Registered.

Yes — and they work particularly well as a pair. Air source heat pumps run on electricity, so pairing them with solar panels (and ideally a battery) significantly reduces your running costs. Heat pumps are installed by our parent company A Greener Alternative Ltd, and we coordinate on combined installations regularly.

The Smart Export Guarantee is a government-backed scheme that pays you for surplus solar electricity you export to the national grid. Your energy supplier pays a set rate per kilowatt-hour exported. Rates typically range from 4p to 15p per kWh depending on the supplier and tariff you choose. While the income is modest compared to the savings on grid electricity you avoid buying, it provides a useful additional financial return from your solar panels.

Your energy supplier. Most major UK suppliers (Octopus, EDF, British Gas, Scottish Power, OVO etc.) offer SEG tariffs. Octopus’s Outgoing tariffs are often the most competitive. You can switch SEG suppliers separately from your import (purchase) supplier.

Yes. Smart Export Guarantee eligibility requires installation by an MCS certified installer. Greener Solar Solutions is MCS Certified, so any system we install qualifies.

After your system is commissioned, we register the system with MCS and provide you with the documentation you need to apply for an SEG tariff with your chosen energy supplier. Payments are typically made quarterly into your account.

Solar panels typically carry a 25-year performance warranty from the manufacturer (guaranteeing a minimum output level after 25 years) and a product warranty of 10–15 years. Inverters carry a 10–12 year warranty. Batteries typically come with 10-year warranties guaranteeing capacity above a defined threshold.

In the unlikely event a panel fails, it is replaced under the manufacturer’s warranty. We handle the warranty claim, removal and replacement on your behalf.

Yes. We are available for inspection, monitoring health checks, panel cleaning, inverter replacement, and any other maintenance you need. We service systems we have installed as well as existing systems installed by other companies.

Across all of East Sussex and West Sussex. Major towns we serve include Brighton, Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

We are based at Hangar 4, Shoreham Airport, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF. You are welcome to call us on 01273 455 695 or visit us by appointment. We are part of A Greener Alternative Ltd, a Sussex-based renewable energy company.

The Sussex coast is one of the sunniest stretches in the UK. Bognor Regis regularly tops the UK sunshine rankings with over 1,900 hours per year. The whole West Sussex coastal plain — from Bognor through Littlehampton and Worthing to Shoreham — and Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast all benefit from a south-facing aspect and minimal cloud cover compared to most of the UK.

Yes — several. Both Chichester District Council and Horsham District Council run Solar Together group-buying schemes that make solar panels and battery storage more affordable for residents. Crawley Borough Council runs an active Home Energy programme. Adur & Worthing Councils signpost residents to a range of energy efficiency grants. We are happy to help you find out which schemes you qualify for.