Solar panel grants and funding in the UK
Search "solar panel grants" and you'll find a lot of pages promising "free solar" that quietly want your details. The honest picture is more useful: there is no universal solar grant in the UK that pays for everyone's panels. Instead there's broad support that everyone gets, and targeted funding for lower-income households. Knowing which is which saves you chasing schemes you can't get, and spots the scams. Here's the real list.
Support everyone gets
Two forms of help apply to any homeowner, regardless of income:
- 0% VAT on panels and installation until 31 March 2027, covered in 0% VAT on solar panels. It's a tax relief rather than a grant, but it lowers the price directly.
- The Smart Export Guarantee, which pays you for the electricity you export. It's income, not a grant, but it's a core part of the return, explained in how the Smart Export Guarantee works.
Means-tested funding
Targeted schemes can fund some or all of a solar install for eligible households, usually based on income, benefits or property energy rating. Eligibility and budgets change, so treat these as "check current status" rather than guaranteed.
| Scheme | Who it's aimed at |
|---|---|
| ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation) | Lower-income and vulnerable households on qualifying benefits; delivered by energy suppliers and can include solar. |
| Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) | Low-income households in off-gas-grid homes, delivered via local councils. |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Mainly insulation rather than solar, but part of the same energy-efficiency push. |
| Home Energy Scotland | Scotland only: grants and interest-free loans for home energy measures. |
If you're on a qualifying benefit or in a low-EPC, off-gas home, these are worth investigating through your local council or the official GOV.UK pages. For most working households, though, the realistic "funding" is the 0% VAT and the export income above.
Group-buying: not a grant, but a discount
Many local councils run Solar Together or similar group-buying schemes, where households register together and a vetted installer offers a bulk-discount price. It isn't free money, but it can lower the install cost and take some of the legwork out of finding a reputable installer, which pairs with the vetting steps in how to choose a solar installer.
What the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not
The most common funding mix-up: the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for heat pumps, not solar panels. There's no direct equivalent flat grant for solar PV. If a salesperson implies you'll get a £7,500 grant towards panels, that's a red flag.
The detail most people miss
For most homeowners, the question "what grant can I get?" is the wrong one. The real economics come from the 0% VAT keeping the price down, the export income, and using more of your own generation, the levers in solar panel payback. Chasing a grant you're unlikely to qualify for can delay an install that already pays for itself, while the VAT relief quietly counts down to its 2027 end.
Frequently asked questions
There's no universal grant. Everyone benefits from 0% VAT and the Smart Export Guarantee; means-tested schemes such as ECO4 and the Home Upgrade Grant can fund solar for eligible lower-income households.
Only through means-tested schemes like ECO4 if you qualify, usually based on benefits or a low energy rating. Unsolicited "free solar" offers are often scams, so use official routes.
The Energy Company Obligation, which requires larger energy suppliers to fund efficiency measures, including solar in some cases, for lower-income and vulnerable households.
No. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for heat pumps, not solar. Solar's main support is 0% VAT and the Smart Export Guarantee, plus means-tested schemes.