Lower upfront, faster payback, bills down from day one. Solar-only fits homes that use power during daylight, drive an EV, or want to start now and add storage later.
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Most homes do better with solar and a battery, but for some, panels alone already cover the bulk of the saving. If any of these sound like you, cost up solar-only first.
Generation rises with the sun, peaks around midday, and tails off in the evening. Your home uses what it can, exports the rest under the Smart Export Guarantee, and falls back on the grid after dark.
Sunrise: panels wake up
Generation rises through the morning. Kettle, breakfast, hot water immersion all run on solar.
Midday peak
Output peaks. Your home draws what it needs off the roof, and the surplus exports to the grid for SEG income.
Evening tail-off
Generation drops as the sun sets. Anything still going (cooker, lights) runs on a mix of solar and grid.
Grid takes the night
Without a battery, you import for the evening peak. A time-of-use tariff (Octopus Go) softens this if you have an EV.
Run the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer between 11am and 3pm, when generation is highest.
Set your charger to solar mode (Ohme) so it tops the car up only on surplus. Free fuel on sunny days.
A battery stores midday surplus for the evening peak instead of exporting it cheap. See our solar and battery storage page for how the maths works.
Panels, inverter, mounting, electrical work, scaffolding, MCS registration, and a generation app. Whatever's left in scope at handover is in writing on the day.
Solar-only installs are quicker than a combined system because there's no hybrid inverter to commission and no battery to bench-test. Most jobs finish in 1-2 days.
Tell us about your roof and usage. Our quote tool maps the sun your roof gets across the year from satellite data, so the system is sized to your actual yearly exposure, not a postcode average. No site visit needed at this stage.
An all-in fixed price based on your roof's modelled generation, your usage, and the inverter we size to match. No deposits chased and no surprise extras on the day.
Scaffolding, panels, inverter, electrical work, commissioning and MCS registration in 1-2 days. Faster than a combined install because there's no battery to wire in.
Both setups work. The right pick depends on when you actually use power and how much you want to spend up front. Here's the honest side-by-side.
Lowest entry, fastest payback. Add a battery later when it suits.
Best for: daytime households, EV owners who charge in daylight, landlords, phased buyers, anyone who wants the fastest payback.
Higher upfront, longer payback, full evening cover and 0% VAT on the battery.
Best for: households out during the day, time-of-use tariff users, anyone wanting backup during a grid outage. See combined systems.
Anything you don't use is exported and paid under the Smart Export Guarantee, typically 40-60% of generation on a solar-only system.
The top flat rates usually require you to take your import electricity from the same supplier, so weigh the export rate against the import deal.
You need an MCS-certified installation and an export-capable smart meter to register with your chosen SEG supplier.
Confirm with that supplier that SEG registration is workable at your address before you bank on a headline rate; rollout and DNO times vary by postcode.
Yes. It mostly comes down to which way your roof faces. The table below is the rough rule. Our quote tool figures out the specifics for your roof when you ask for a price.
| Roof orientation | Annual yield | Yearly generation | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | 100% (baseline) | ~3,400 kWh | Best you can get. Highest yield through the year. |
| South-east or south-west | ~95% | ~3,240 kWh | Almost as good as south. You'll barely see the difference. |
| East or west | ~80% | ~2,720 kWh | Still pays off well. East peaks in the morning, west in the evening, so it can fit your daytime usage. |
| North-east or north-west | ~65% | ~2,200 kWh | Noticeable drop, but still worth running the numbers against your actual usage. |
| North | ~55% | ~1,880 kWh | Steep drop. We'd usually point you at another roof face if you have one. |
| Flat roof (0°) | ~88% (tilted frame) | ~3,000 kWh | Works fine. We angle the panels on a tilt frame so they sit at the 10-15° sweet spot. |
Flexible finance
No deposit, monthly payments from 9.9% APR Representative over up to 15 years. With a smaller upfront than a combined system, monthly options usually come in lower too. Subject to status and affordability.
How finance works
See the price up front, with no obligation.
Choose how long you want to spread the cost.
Complete the form in a few minutes. Most people get a decision the same day.
Final terms are confirmed in your formal quote.
No. Get installed first, then pay monthly. An optional deposit lowers payments.
Yes. You can settle at any time, with interest rebated for the unused term. Useful if your SEG export income builds up faster than expected and you want to clear the balance.
Yes. Clear terms, fixed repayments, no hidden fees, all under FCA consumer-credit rules.
Three schemes do real work on every UKEM solar install: certified quality, a consumer-code-backed contract, and a written estimate of what your system should produce.
MCS certification
RECC consumer code
MCS Performance Estimate
Honest answers on whether solar makes sense without a battery, what you save, and how to add a battery later.
A typical residential solar panel system costs between £5,000 and £12,000+, depending on system size, roof layout, and whether you add battery storage. UKEM installs systems from 6 panels (2.67 kW), with larger systems available where suitable. Get a fixed, personalised price through our online quote tool.
Yes, for plenty of homes. Solar-only has the lowest upfront cost and often pays back within 7 to 10 years, suiting anyone home by day or running an EV on daylight hours. The trade-off is weaker evening cover: surplus exports under the Smart Export Guarantee rather than being stored. If you're out most days and use power mainly in the evening, see our combined solar and battery systems.
Yes. Most retrofits use an AC-coupled battery alongside your existing inverter, fitting in about a day with no roof work. Standalone retrofits typically run from around £4,000 to £12,000+ by capacity. Bundling the battery into your original solar install is usually £1,500 to £4,000 cheaper than retrofitting later. See our battery-only options.
SEG rates currently sit between roughly 3p and 16p per kWh. In June 2026, Ecotricity pays around 16p and EDF around 15p, usually requiring import from the same supplier. Octopus Outgoing pays around 12p with no tie-in, while default tariffs pay 3p to 8p. A headline rate is only useful if your chosen supplier can register your property (export-capable smart meter, export MPAN, and acceptance of your meter type). Check with the supplier before you model payback around export income. See the Ofgem SEG list and our SEG guide. Without a battery, export volume is higher, so a strong rate moves returns when registration is confirmed. Ofgem's latest annual figures show SEG paid households £57m in year five.
The goal is self-consumption: use your generation directly instead of exporting cheap and buying back expensive. Schedule heavy appliances (dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer) between 11am and 3pm when generation peaks. With an EV, set your charger to solar mode for daylight top-ups. Together these can lift self-consumption well above the 30 percent solar-only average, without extra kit.
Yes. Solar panel systems generate electricity from daylight, not direct sunshine, so they still perform on cloudy days. You'll generate more in summer and less in winter, but the annual output is usually strong enough to deliver meaningful savings for UK homes.
Usually no. Most domestic rooftop systems fall under permitted development rights in England, Wales and Scotland. Exceptions include listed buildings, conservation areas, and some flat-roof setups where panels project above height limits. We check your property before your installation is booked so any extra permission is flagged early.
Solar-only installs get a Fox ESS single-phase string inverter: F-series (3, 5 or 6 kW, dual MPPT) for most homes, or G-series (8 or 10 kW with three MPPT trackers) for larger or multi-aspect roofs. Solar and battery systems get a Fox ESS H1 hybrid inverter (3.7 to 6.0 kW) that manages panels and battery together, while the Tesla Powerwall 3 has its own hybrid inverter built in. Fox ESS inverters carry up to a 10-year warranty, and we size the right unit to your roof and usage as part of your fixed online quote.
Most standard installs finish within around one week on site. Larger systems or complex roof layouts can take longer. We handle scaffolding, electrical work, commissioning, and MCS paperwork so the process stays straightforward. Quote-to-install timing depends on survey and DNO approval where needed.
Yes. Panels, inverter, and battery storage are usually bundled into a single fixed-rate APR agreement, so you have one monthly payment for the whole system. Bundling also means 0% VAT applies under the energy-saving materials relief (running until 31 March 2027). Many households structure repayments so the monthly cost lines up roughly with bill savings and Smart Export Guarantee income. See how our finance options are structured.
Usually it nets out close to even. Your electricity bill drops from the first month, and that saving plus Smart Export Guarantee income covers much of the finance payment. Most households see total monthly outgoings land around the same as before. Once finance is cleared, you keep generating for the panels' 25-year-plus lifespan at low running cost.
Read the full solar FAQ, our advice guides, or ECO4 if you may qualify for funded solar. Contact us with any questions.
