✂️ A solar & battery system can cut your annual electricity costs by 103%, on average

📈 Solar panels can increase a home’s value by 3%

💷 The upfront cost is £9,000 for the average three-bedroom household

🏡 Most houses are suitable for solar panels

📅 They work all year round

It’s important to weigh up the benefits and drawbacks of getting solar panels, as you would before any home improvement.

As well as the financial elements, it’s also worth considering their environmental impact, how much they’ll add to your property’s value, and what the planning process will be like.

In this guide, we’ll run through all of these pros and cons and more – and explain how you can make the most of your system while avoiding the biggest pitfalls.

If you would like to see the savings you could get from a solar & battery system, answer a few quick questions below, and we’ll provide an estimate.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels?

Solar panels, like any source of energy, come with upsides and downsides.

Fortunately, there are many more upsides – as you’ll see below – and most households can easily avoid the downsides.

The upsides are also excellent – among the many positives, you can save hundreds of pounds per year, cut your carbon footprint, and increase your home’s value.

There are numerous advantages to going solar, because it’s a source of free, green electricity that often lasts upwards of 30 years.

Here are all the best benefits to getting solar panels.

Solar panels generate electricity that you can use in your home, which reduces the amount of electricity you have to buy from the grid.

This cuts your electricity bills, and if you get a solar battery too, you can save even more – 103%, on average, which means across a year you actually earn more than you spend. 

This might sound too good to be true, but it’s all because of the high performance of modern solar panels and storage batteries, as well as export income. The panels will dramatically reduce the amount of electricity you buy from the grid, and you’ll also earn money by selling your unused electricity to the grid.

This 103% figure is based on a household experiencing average UK irradiance with a 4.4 kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar panel system and a 5.2 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, using 3,500kWh of electricity each year and signed up to the Intelligent Octopus Flux export tariff.

The electricity your system generates and stores can also power heat pumps and electric vehicles, which means you can use your panels to slash your heating and driving costs too.

Solar panels cost thousands of pounds if you pay upfront, so it’s only right that they substantially lower your energy bills.

2. You can sell excess energy to the grid

<div style="text-align: center; font-size: 14px;">
<div style="display: inline-block; border-radius: 8px; overflow-x: scroll; max-width: 100%; margin: 40px auto; text-align: left;">
<table style="background: rgba(0,0,0,0.02);">
  <tr style="background: #4EE5D3; text-align: left; border-radius: 4px;">
    <th style="padding: 12px;">Provider</th>
    <th style="padding: 12px;">Name of tariff</th>
    <th style="padding: 12px;">Rate (p/kWh)</th>
    <th style="padding: 12px;">Customers only?</th>
    <th style="padding: 12px;">Avg annual income**</th>
  </tr>
  <tr style="border-bottom: 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) solid;">
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Octopus</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Intelligent Octopus Flux</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">29.4*</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Yes</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">£350</td>
  </tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) solid;">
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Octopus</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Octopus Flux</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">26*</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Yes</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">£317</td>
  </tr>
  <tr style="border-bottom: 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) solid;">
    <td style="padding: 12px;">E.ON</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Next Export Premium v2</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">21</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Yes</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">£266</td>
  </tr>
  <tr style="border-bottom: 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) solid;">
    <td style="padding: 12px;">OVO</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">OVO SEG Tariff (exclusive)</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">20</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Yes</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">£254</td>
  </tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) solid;">
    <td style="padding: 12px;">EDF</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Empower Exclusive</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">20</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">Yes</td>
    <td style="padding: 12px;">£254</td>
  </tr>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<p><em>* Time of use tariffs pay different amounts depending on the time of day and their location in the UK. For those tariffs, we’ve given the average peak rate.</em></p>
<br>
<p><em>** These figures are based on a home with a 4.4kWp system, a 5.2kWh battery, an annual consumption of 3,500kWh, and typical UK solar irradiance, which exports 34% of its solar electricity. Intelligent Octopus Flux and Octopus Flux also generate additional income by using electricity arbitrage – that is, charging from the grid at cheaper times, then exporting back to the grid at more profitable times. We’ve used lower rates to estimate the income from these tariffs, to be conservative.</em></p>

You can earn hundreds of pounds per year by sending the excess electricity your solar panels produce to the grid.

There will be times, especially during summer, when your panels generate more electricity than your home can use and your battery can hold.

This electricity will automatically be sent to the grid – but if you sign up to a solar export tariff, you can gain some profit instead of giving it away for free. The average household can save around £350 per year via Intelligent Octopus Flux, one of the best export tariffs.

This £350 figure is based on a household experiencing average UK irradiance with a 4.4 kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar panel system and a 5.2 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery.

All the major electricity suppliers offer export tariffs – often called Smart Export Guarantee rates – but they vary enormously, from 1p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to above 20p per kWh.

Fortunately, your export tariff can be with any company, so it doesn’t have to come from your electricity supplier.

If you signed up to the Feed-in Tariff before it closed to new applications in 2019, you’ll still receive export payments from that scheme, unless you switch to an export tariff.

Solar panels are a clean and renewable source of energy, meaning they don't produce any harmful emissions.

By using solar panels, you can therefore reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet.

With a solar & battery system, your household’s carbon footprint will drop by around 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per year, on average - or 31%. This is based on a database of 32 different solar & battery systems designed by Sunsave, located across England and Wales. Each system in the database uses 430W solar panels and a 5.8kWh battery. 

This will cut your annual household carbon footprint by 31%, as the average UK household's carbon footprint is 3.5 tonnes per year. This figure is based on a government report that households account for 26% of the UK’s carbon footprint, the country’s latest emissions total of 384.2 million tonnes, and the fact that there are 28.2 million households across the nation at the last count.

This drop is so dramatic because 49% of electricity from the grid is powered by fossil fuels, which contribute heavily to your home’s carbon footprint. By using less of it, you’re responsible for a lower rate of emissions.

4. You could benefit from government incentives

There are various solar panel grants available for certain households that want to go solar but can’t afford the upfront cost. These include:

The Home Upgrade Grant. There are currently hundreds of local authorities in England where households can access tens of thousands of pounds in funding if they’re low-income, not connected to the gas grid, and have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G

The Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4). Until 31 March 2026, this scheme will offer solar panels to electrically heated, low-income households with a vulnerable resident who receives a qualifying benefit

0% VAT on residential solar panel installations. This discount applies to all domestic solar panel system installations in the UK up to April 2027 – including standalone solar battery installations

Check out our free eligibility checker to find out if you're eligible for a solar panel grant. 

Due to their stringent requirements, most households won’t be able to access these government incentives. If that includes you, Sunsave Plus may be the answer.

For a fixed monthly fee, our subscription service will provide an all-in-one solar and battery solution that’s tailored to your home, at no upfront cost.

It also comes 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, free replacement parts (including a battery and inverter), downtime cover, and insurance against damage, fire and theft. 

Answer a few quick questions below to sign up for Sunsave Plus, and we'll be in touch.

Sign up for Sunsave Plus

Solar panels generate electricity on every day of the year, in all conditions.

Their output peaks in summer – when you’ll be able to earn lots of money by exporting electricity to the grid – and is lowest in winter.

But even during these darkest months, they’ll still cut your electricity bills.

If you add a solar battery, you can get the most out of the electricity your system produces throughout the year, either by using it in your home or selling it to the grid.

If you're wondering whether a battery would be right for your home, check out our guide to whether solar batteries are worth it.

The chart below shows how a 6kWp solar panel system’s output levels vary across a typical year, as well as the fluctuating consumption patterns of a household that uses 4,000kWh of electricity each year.

Your upfront cost may be steep, but if you get a well-sized system for your home, you should make your money back over time.

You’ll recoup your outlay by importing less electricity and selling your excess electricity to the grid, allowing you to break even on your initial investment in 7.9 years, on average.

This figure comes from an average of 32 different solar & battery system designs from our database, comprising properties from all over England and Wales. Each system is designed with 430W solar panels and a 5.8kWh battery, and is signed up to Octopus Flux.

This means that for the great majority of households, solar panels are worth it.

Solar panels can increase the value of your home by 3%, according to a study by Rightmove in 2023.

They achieve this level of growth by raising your property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating – an energy efficiency grade between A and G that can be seen by all potential buyers.

Solar panels raise a home’s EPC rating by 18 points on average – a whole grade – according to our calculations, which are based on the government’s Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) guidance.

This will allow you to make as much as £10,000 more from selling your property, according to the Sustainable Homes and Buildings Coalition.

8. You’re insured against rising energy costs

The cost of electricity is high now, and it may well rise further in the coming years.

It’s difficult to forecast the future, but past data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that between 2000 and 2020, electricity prices rose by 5.5% per year on average.

This steady increase was brought about by underlying inflation more than by changing wholesale values, which indicates that even if wholesale prices plateau or fall at some point, the cost of your energy will probably still grow at a similar rate over the next two decades.

Solar panels can cushion this blow by lowering your costs and providing you with excess electricity to sell to the grid.

Modern solar panels are manufactured with a hydrophobic coating, which means rainwater rolls right off them.

In the UK, this happens fairly often, which stops dust and dirt from building up on the surface of your system and reducing its output.

Of course, if you take the rainy weather away, solar panels aren’t self-cleaning, but this is only a problem in dusty, arid places – not the UK.

To learn more, check out our guide to solar panel maintenance.

As electric vehicles and heat pumps become the norm, household electricity usage is set to spiral upwards.

The government is aiming for fully electric vehicles to make up 80% of new car sales by 2030, as their popularity continues to grow unabated.

Heat pump sales aren’t increasing quite as rapidly, but the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has ensured they remain on the rise, as the government attempts to meet its target of 600,000 sold per year by 2028.

As the UK gradually electrifies its heating and transport infrastructure, the country’s electricity consumption will grow by 50% between 2020 and 2035, according to consultancy firm McKinsey.

Fortunately, a solar & battery system can power both of these major additions to your life, massively reducing their running costs.

That way, you can use a large amount of electricity every year without paying through the nose.

This is unlike solar thermal panels, which some eco-conscious households consider, but are not compatible with other modern green tech. 

11. You’re protected against power cuts

With a battery, solar panels can supply you with electricity during a power cut, protecting you against hours or even days of chaos and inconvenience.

As well as a battery, which most modern solar installations include, your installer will also need to give your system Emergency Power Supply (EPS) functionality, by setting up a relay that can physically disconnect your home from the grid when a power cut happens.

You can choose any level of EPS, from just power sockets to your whole home.

After they’re done, you’ll just have to set your battery’s minimum level, so you always have a certain amount of electricity available if the grid goes down.

This is less of an issue if a power cut happens during the day, since your solar panels can keep topping up your battery while it supplies electricity to your home.

Modern solar panels typically come with a performance warranty that guarantees a high level of output at 25 or even 30 years.

This means they can potentially keep generating substantial amounts of free electricity for decades after you break even – and in most cases, it’s a conservative estimate.

Monocrystalline panels, which are the sleek, black models that have become the most popular type of solar panel in the UK, are estimated to last at least 40 years when maintained properly.

For more information, check out our guide: how long do solar panels last?

After 30 or 40 years – or longer – your solar panels will stop functioning completely. At this point, you can easily recycle them, for free.

Your installer is legally compelled to arrange for your solar panels to be collected and recycled under EU regulations, which still apply despite Brexit.

If your installer has gone out of business in the decades since they worked on your home, just get in touch with a service like PV Cycle, which will take your panels away and recycle them – again, for free.

Recycle Solar in Scunthorpe is currently the only recycling centre in the UK that’s run on an industrial scale, but more will inevitably be built in the coming decades as the market grows.

There are a few drawbacks to getting solar panels.

We’ll run through them below, along with the best ways to make sure they don’t impact your experience or stop you from getting solar panels in the first place.

The cost of solar panels is high if you pay upfront, with the average currently standing at £9,000 for a typical three-bedroom household.

This includes the cost of the panels, inverter, and installation, with a battery usually adding £2,000, for an overall price of £11,000.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re offering the UK’s first solar subscription, so you can have panels installed at no upfront cost, and start saving on your electricity bills from day one.

Without a service like Sunsave Plus, solar panels are still out of reach for most people, with half of UK households holding less than £5,000 in savings.

Most properties are suitable for solar panels, but some won’t benefit enough to make it worth it.

If your only usable roof is north-facing, it’ll be trickier to build a profitable system, especially if you also live in one of the northernmost areas of the UK.

You can get a ground-mounted system or an installation on a flat roof, but you’ll face higher costs and have to jump through planning permission hoops that most properties will avoid.

Installing solar panels on a flat, a listed building, or in a conservation area also comes with a more complicated planning permission process – but it’s far from unachievable.

If your home has vaulted or profiled ceilings, they may not be suitable, as your installer will need loft space that allows them to safely access the underside of the roof.

And if your roof is subject to unavoidable shading all day, every day, a solar panel system wouldn’t work for your property.

Solar panels generally function less well when the days are shorter and darker, so your system will likely produce less electricity in winter than at other times of the year.

However, solar panels do still work in winter, with modern installations designed to function at temperatures as low as -30°C.

The chart below shows that the average system will generate around 11% of its annual total during winter, in stark contrast to the 38% it’ll produce in summer.

This works perfectly well though, especially if you get a solar battery and sign up to a solar export tariff. You can make the most of the electricity your panels produce in winter, and sell the excess in summer.

Over the entire year, you can cut your electricity bills by as much as 103% – so the seasonal variations in your generation levels won’t hurt your overall savings.

4. There are firm installation requirements

There are several non-negotiable requirements when it comes to solar panels, which somewhat limits the number of people who are able to buy them.

Own your home (unless you get permission from your landlord)

Have a large enough roof that isn’t totally shaded

Get planning permission for a ground-mounted system, listed building, or in a conservation area

Make sure your installer complies with all building regulations – or they could be removed and you could receive an unlimited fine

Some technical experts in the industry estimate that a solar & battery system in the UK will need three maintenance call-outs across a 20-year period - one for the panels, one for the battery, and one for the inverter.

In a Which? survey from 2022, solar owners reported experiencing electrical problems, generation meters breaking, panels producing less electricity, panels producing no electricity, weak electrical connections, cracked/broken glass on panels, and isolator problems. 

All of these issues require you to find a reliable, affordable installer who understands how the system works well enough to fix it.

A government study from 2021 showed that 55% of people in the UK who don’t want (or aren’t sure about) solar panels said maintenance concerns were a key reason.

40% reported that a guarantee scheme would allay these concerns, and fortunately, we’ve created the Sunsave Guarantee – which comes with Sunsave Plus – to do exactly that.

The Sunsave Guarantee ensures that if any part of your system stops working or even drops below an acceptable performance level over your 20-year subscription, we’ll come and fix it.

You can get a free battery replacement as soon as it performs at less than 70% of its original capacity – which typically happens after 10-12 years – and a free inverter replacement, whenever it’s required – which is usually around the same time.

We’ll monitor your system 24/7, alert you if anything goes wrong, troubleshoot the issue, and compensate you for any extended period that your system isn’t working as it should.

Your system will also be insured by Aviva against damage, fire, and theft.

To learn more, check out our guide to how long solar batteries last. 

Next steps

Solar panels have many more benefits than drawbacks – and most of the disadvantages are either resolvable or not particularly impactful.

The upfront cost and maintenance requirements are typically the biggest obstacles, but fortunately, both of these concerns can be solved with Sunsave Plus.

Solar panel pros & cons: FAQs

What is a negative of using solar panels?

How long do solar panels last?

Are solar panels worth it?

The pros and cons of solar panels [UK, 2025]

What's in this guide?

The pros and cons of solar panels

⚡ Solar panel efficiency measures how good a panel is at turning sunlight into electricity

🏡 Domestic solar panels are typically 18-24% efficient

📈 Solar cells are much more efficient than solar panels

🏆 The most efficient type of solar panels are perovskite

🌞 Bifacial solar panels are more efficient than standard solar panels

Solar panels have rapidly increased in efficiency over the past few decades.

Progress has slowed in recent times, but having reached a top efficiency rating of 24%, domestic panels are effective enough to make the most of any space you have on your roof.

In this guide, we'll explain what solar panel efficiency means, why it's important, and how it should inform your solar panel system purchase.

If you’re interested in switching to solar, you can find out how much a solar & battery system could save you by answering a few quick questions below.

What does ‘solar panel efficiency’ mean?

'Solar panel efficiency' refers to the amount of naturally occurring light a solar panel can convert into electricity in standard test conditions, which is a set of environmental factors used across the industry to measure efficiency.

This amount is expressed as a percentage – so if a solar panel is 20% efficient, this means it can turn 20% of the natural light that hits it into electricity you can use.

A solar panel's efficiency is one of its most crucial attributes, as it massively effects how much electricity the system will produce for your home.

To measure a solar panel's efficiency, manufacturers track its output under standard test conditions.

This involves ensuring the cell's temperature is 25°C, exposing the panel to a controlled light source that shines at an intensity of 1,000 watts (W) per m², and creating an air mass of 1.5 to simulate sunshine's long journey to Earth.

The percentage of light that the panel manages to turn into solar electricity is its efficiency rating.

As solar panel efficiency is a measure of output under certain conditions, it naturally follows that a panel's output will be higher or lower depending on the weather – but it's one of the best ways to compare different panels.

People think that you need perfectly sunny weather to make solar panels worthwhile, but this isn’t the case - all solar panels need in order to generate electricity is daylight, not sunlight. There are many other factors beyond location that have an impact on generation, including roof size, pitch, orientation and shading.

What’s the average efficiency of a solar panel?

The average efficiency of domestic solar panels is between 18% and 24%.

You shouldn't generally settle for anything under 21%, especially considering that the higher the efficiency, the more panels you can fit on your roof – and the more money you'll save overall. 

A solar panel's efficiency will vary depending on the brand and the type of solar panel.

Monocrystalline solar panels – the black models used in most installations these days – typically have efficiencies above 20%, while the slightly outdated blue polycrystalline solar panels usually offer efficiency rates of 13% to 16%.

🤔 Thinking of going solar? Here's why a larger system makes sense ⬇️

What’s the most efficient type of solar panel?

The most efficient type of solar panel in existence is the perovskite-silicon tandem panel.

UK-based manufacturer Oxford PV set the current efficiency record in June 2024 with one of these panels, reaching 26.9%.

And companies including Oxford PV and Chinese brand LONGi have long surpassed the 30% efficiency mark for a single perovskite-silicon cell.

However, there have been numerous challenges and complications associated with producing a stable version of this product, meaning fully fledged perovskite solar panels could still be years away from hitting the market. 

The most efficient commercially available type of solar panel is the monocrystalline silicon panel. Top-tier monocrystalline panels typically have an efficiency rating above 20%, and go as high as 24.1%.

What’s the least efficient type of solar panel?

The least efficient type of available solar panel is the transparent panel. 

These models are usually between 1% and 10% efficient, and only 30-40% transparent at present, which means they're not suitable for domestic properties.

Instead, they're better off on large commercial or public buildings, where the huge number of windows – and high energy usage – will make the investment worthwhile. 

It therefore makes sense that transparent solar panels have so far been used in the UK on properties like Gloucestershire County's Council Hall, London's Barbican Theatre, and Bournemouth University, rather than homes.

Their efficiency rate also isn't too far behind thin-film solar panels, which have an average efficiency of 7% to 13% and typically come with about half as long a lifespan.

The upside of these models is that they’re cheaper than traditional solar panels, easily installed, and made to be flexible, which makes them ideal for caravans and boats.

The UK's first solar subscription

How much has solar panel efficiency improved over time?

Solar efficiency has improved enormously over time, ever since 1883, when American inventor Charles Fritts covered a semi-metallic element called selenium with a thin layer of gold and put it on a New York City rooftop.

Those 1-2% efficient cells were only significantly outdone in 1954, when Bell Labs scientists in New Jersey used silicon to create the first commercially viable solar cell, with an efficiency of 6%. 

Researchers developed this silicon-based technology rapidly over the next few decades, surpassing 20% in 1985 at Australia's University of New South Wales, then 30% just four years later at aerospace company Boeing.

Californian company Spectrolab broke the 40% barrier in 2006, and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems hit the current record of 47.6% in 2022, but turning these increasingly efficient solar cells into similarly efficient panels has proved difficult.

The best solar panel on the market at the moment in terms of efficiency is the Maxeon 7, which is 24.1% efficient.

The chart below is based on a report from the US government-funded National Renewable Energy Laboratory, who have recorded all major breakthroughs in solar cell efficiency since the mid-1970s.

Why aren’t residential solar panels as efficient as lab solar cells?

Solar panels have extra parts – like a back sheet, frame, and glass – that also count towards efficiency ratings

Lab conditions don't reflect real-life installations

Companies will put more time and effort into a lab cell than a panel on the production line 

Some residential solar panels have reached an all-time efficiency high mark of around 24%, which is miles behind the 47.6% record set by lab-based solar cells. This large gap comes down to a few reasons.

The main factor is that a lab cell is made exclusively to turn daylight into electricity, with no concern for its longevity, effectiveness in different conditions, or ability to stay on a roof.

In contrast, solar panels are made with hardware like the frame, backsheet, and tempered glass that connects, protects, and secures them – but doesn't generate electricity.

Efficiency is measured across the entire panel, including these parts, so it's inevitably lower than it is for cells.

Life is also different for cells outside the lab, where they may have to deal with a difficult, even hostile environment that could include hazards like shade, snow, or hail. They aren't in standard test conditions anymore. 

Also, a company that's trying to break an efficiency record in search of positive press will naturally put more effort and money into perfecting a cell than it'll put into a panel on the production line. 

And once they've finished developing these extremely refined cells, trying to mass-produce them to be part of panels without breaking the bank is difficult – which is part of why there are still no perovskite solar panels on the market.

What factors affect a solar panel’s efficiency?

There are multiple factors that will affect your solar panel system's efficiency level.

Before you get your system, its efficiency will be shaped by countless scientific and manufacturing processes.

Once you have panels on your home, here are the attributes that will have the biggest impact:

Just like furniture and windows, all solar panels slowly decline over a period of decades – but what they're made of will massively impact how quickly this process happens.

Monocrystalline solar panels are the slowest to lose their efficiency, with top-tier models giving up just 0.5% of their original efficiency each year.

This means these panels – which are made from a single block of silicon – can keep producing substantial amounts of electricity after 40 years or more, unlike polycrystalline panels, which degrade significantly faster.

Here's what solar panel efficiency means, why it's important, and how it should inform your solar panel system purchase.

Josh Jackman

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