Solar panels in Bristol: are they worth it?

If you live in the artistic, independent, hilly city of Bristol, and you’d like to reduce your electricity bills, solar panels may well be the answer.

From Avonmouth to Whitchurch, Bristol gets more sunlight than the great majority of places in the UK, which gives you a distinct advantage when you’re using solar panels.

In this guide, we’ll explain how much solar panels cost in Bristol, how the city’s weather affects them, and which government grants can aid you in cutting the upfront cost.

At Sunsave we install across the whole of Bristol – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate a quick estimate.

What are the best solar panel installers in Bristol?

1. Sunsave

At Sunsave, our mission is to make solar accessible to all UK households, which is why we’re offering the UK’s first solar subscription service to households all over Bristol.

Sunsave Plus allows you to start saving on your energy bills immediately, without having to pay anything upfront.

You’ll get the best-in-class kit installed on your roof, access to the best export tariffs, and the 20-year Sunsave Guarantee, which includes 24/7 monitoring & maintenance, a free replacement battery and inverter, and downtime cover – all for a fixed monthly fee.

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

2. HelpinU Solar

Like Sunsave – and unlike OVO – HelpinU Solar is a Which? Trusted Trader, meaning you can hire this company with complete peace of mind.

Customers have commended the team for being efficient and tidy, with an emphasis on causing minimal disruption, while the gear is sourced from top-tier companies like JA Solar, Trina, Canadian, Jinko, and Eurener.

HelpinU covers south-west England, and has worked with dozens of councils across the region to install government-funded green measures in the households that need it most.

The company also installs electric car chargers, if you want to use the electricity your solar panels generate to help fuel your vehicle.

3. OVO (S) Gas

OVO launched OVO Solar in 2023, but the company has been installing solar panels on customers' houses for much longer.

This part of the Bristol-based behemoth is a renamed remnant of SSE's energy retail business, which OVO bought in 2020.

The company has been around in various guises since 1992, and retains much of the muscle memory it's gained in that time.

If you use OVO, you'll have the comfort of knowing your installer is likely to last – and you'll be able to access its best export tariff.

How much do solar panels cost in Bristol?

A 3kWp solar panel system typically costs £9,000 to buy and install in Bristol.

If you want to add a 5kWh battery to this system, you’ll usually need to pay another £2,000, for a total cost of £11,000.

However, multiple factors may cause your specific solar panel system’s price to be different, including its size, the installation’s complexity, and the installer you choose.

To learn everything else you need to know, check out our guide to solar panel costs.

How many homes in Bristol have solar panels?

7,545 homes in Bristol have installed solar panels which are certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), as of February 2024.

That means 3.94% of households in one of the UK’s biggest cities have bought a solar panel system.

Though this figure is slightly below the UK average of 4.5%, it’s relatively high for a city of Bristol’s size – for instance, it’s higher than the rate in Portsmouth, Southampton, or Leeds.

Historically, countryside areas have embraced solar panels more enthusiastically than cities for a variety of reasons, including the disproportionate number of flats in cities – but that’s changing, and with good reason.

After all, the sun shines the same in urban and rural places – and Bristol in particular is one of the sunniest locations in the country.

These Bristol-wide figures also only include installations certified by the MCS, so the actual number of Bristolian homes with solar panel systems could be slightly higher.

Are there any grants for solar panels in Bristol?

There are solar panel grants for many different Bristol households, plus initiatives that can help you massively cut the upfront cost.

If you’re not eligible for these schemes but still can’t afford solar panels, check out Sunsave Plus, which is available at no upfront cost. 

For fixed monthly payments over 20 years, you’ll receive the best-in-class kit, full monitoring and maintenance support, and a system that can save you money from day one.

Lendology loans

Bristol City Council has partnered with not-for-profit lender Lendology to offer loans for home improvements, including solar panels.

Homeowners and private landlords can borrow up to £20,000, and pay that back over as many as 25 years. All you need is enough equity in your home to cover the agreed loan.

The current Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 4.2%, and you’ll have to continue paying back the loan if you move home.

For more general information, read our article on solar panel loans.

National grants

There are also two national government grants that are open to Bristol residents, and if you’re eligible for either one, you should look into applying.

Solar panels can cut your electricity bills by hundreds of pounds per year, massively reduce your carbon footprint, and increase your property’s value, but the upfront cost can be high. If you don’t have to pay it, you shouldn’t.

Home Upgrade Grant

The Home Upgrade Grant provides funding to local authorities which enables them to pay for energy-efficient home improvements in low-income households which aren’t connected to the gas grid.

This government-supported scheme is only open to properties with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D, E, F, or G.

If your application is successful, you could be provided with a heavily discounted or free solar panel system.

The most recent funding round saw the government hand Bristol City Council £11.4 million to share with Bath and North East Somerset Council and North Somerset Council.

If you think you might be eligible, get in touch with Bristol City Leap, a partnership between Bristol City Council and green energy company Ameresco to deliver this funding to local residents.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The fourth phase of the government’s Energy Company Obligation continues to compel large energy companies to install energy-efficient home improvements in vulnerable and low-income households.

If your home fits this description and you receive at least one qualifying benefit, you could take advantage of the government’s main programme for reducing domestic emissions.

You could potentially get an energy supplier to install a free solar panel system on your property through this scheme, but only if your home is electrically heated, like 9% of households in England and Wales.

Is Bristol sunny enough for solar panels?

Bristol receives significantly higher levels of sunlight than most of the UK, enjoying 1,253 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) on average per year – 15% above the national average.

This number will vary slightly across Bristol, but it’s an excellent indication.

Bristol’s figure is based on the European Commission's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which provides regularly updated solar irradiance statistics.

In the solar panel industry, sunlight is measured via ‘solar irradiance,’ which assesses the sun’s average intensity in a specific area.

It’s tracked in kilowatt-hours per square metre – that is, how much energy makes it from the sun, through 93 million miles of space, to a specific square metre on Earth.

There are multiple factors that affect solar panel output, but solar irradiance is among the most important.

Naturally, the more intense the sunlight that hits your panels, the higher the kWh/m², and the more solar electricity your installation will produce – leading to higher savings.

How much power can a solar panel system generate in Bristol?

A solar panel system in Bristol can produce enough electricity to cover most of a home’s annual consumption, allowing you to cut your electricity bills by more than half.

We designed the system below for a property in Bristol that consumes around 3,531 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

The design features nine solar panels with a power rating of 430 watts (W), which together form a 3.87 kilowatt-peak (kWp) system – that is, an installation that produces 3,870 kWh per year in ‘standard test conditions’ (which use a solar irradiance of 1,000 W per m²).

As Bristol is a sunny city, the system would generate 3,618 kWh per year – an impressive 93% of the quantity it’d produce in standard test conditions.

Since our design also includes a 5.8 kWh battery, the home’s residents would be able to use 1,845 kWh of their solar panels’ electricity, which is 51% of their overall consumption.

The remaining 1,773 kWh produced by this household’s solar panels would be sent to the grid through an export tariff called Octopus Flux – one of the best export tariffs around.

Please note: you won’t necessarily produce as much solar electricity with your system, since this design is for a specific property that may be different to yours – but it should give you a rough idea of what’s possible in Bristol.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Bristol?

It’s certainly worth getting solar panels in Bristol, in almost all scenarios.

Bristolians enjoy high levels of solar irradiance across the city, particularly compared to the UK average, which enables residents to typically save hundreds of pounds per year.

That’s why 3.94% of households in the city have installed solar panels – and that number is likely to rise dramatically in the coming years. 

If the upfront cost is too high, you could look into getting a Lendology loan or applying for funding from the ECO4 scheme or Home Upgrade Grant.

If none of these options are attractive or realistic, you should consider Sunsave Plus, our all-in-one residential solar and battery solution that’s tailored to your home, and delivered as a monthly subscription at no upfront cost.

It also comes with 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, free replacement parts (including a battery and inverter), and downtime cover. Your system will also be insured by Aviva against damage, fire and theft.

If you’re interested in how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate an estimate.

At Sunsave, we install across the whole of Bristol – so if you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll generate a quick estimate.

Solar panels in Bristol: FAQs