Should you get a solar panel subscription?

With high energy bills and an ongoing climate crisis, the appeal of solar is stronger than ever in the UK - but the high upfront cost is still a barrier for many. Most people would like to generate their own electricity and be more independent from the grid, but with a typical solar & battery system for the average three-bedroom household costing £10,270, it’s easier said than done. 

This is where a solar subscription comes in handy. Households in countries like Germany, the US and the Netherlands have been able to access the power of solar without needing to worry about the upfront cost - and now UK households can benefit too. 

In this article, we’ll run through exactly what a solar subscription is, how it works, the main benefits, and whether your home would be suitable. 

What is a solar subscription and how does it work?

If you're looking to avoid the upfront cost of solar panels, a solar subscription is a handy way around. It enables you to install a solar & battery system at no upfront cost, and instead spread the payments across 20 years. 

The process works the same as if you were paying upfront; the system is designed and tailored to your property, it’s installed by accredited professionals, and it immediately starts saving you money on your electricity bills.

Is it not just another solar roof lease?

There is one very important difference between a solar subscription and a solar roof lease: with a solar subscription, you actually own the solar & battery system. But why does this matter?

A solar roof lease (or ‘rent-a-roof’ scheme) is an agreement between a company and a household, whereby the homeowner has solar panels installed on their roof for free but doesn’t actually own the panels. The household benefits from all the electricity that the panels produce, but the panels are still owned by the company. These arrangements typically last for a 25-year period. 

It sounds great in theory, but in practice it causes issues when someone with a solar lease tries to move home. Mortgage companies normally don’t lend against the property because the solar lease would make it harder for the lender to repossess and resell the house in the event of a mortgage default. 

That’s why, with our solar subscription, we’ve designed it so that you will own the solar & battery system from day one. And if you want to move home, you can pass on your monthly payments to whoever is buying your property from you, subject to status.

What makes Sunsave’s solar subscription unique?

There are two key things that make Sunsave Plus different from every other solar loan: its affordability, and its monitoring & maintenance support.

Affordability

By spreading our subscription across 20 years, we’ve made the monthly payments much more affordable.

And in many cases, it’s possible for your monthly savings to exceed your monthly loan repayments, meaning more money in your pocket each month. 

What’s more, if you ever decide to pay the remainder of the loan in full, you can do this at any time without incurring any penalties.

Monitoring & maintenance support

Every Sunsave Plus solar & battery system comes with the Sunsave Guarantee, which includes 20 years of monitoring and maintenance support, insurance and replacement parts.

It’s very common for solar panel companies in the UK to install a system but then not provide any aftercare, with only a two-year workmanship guarantee as the standard. This can obviously be very frustrating and expensive in the event of your solar & battery system having a problem. 

The Sunsave Guarantee includes:

• A free battery replacement once it performs at less than 70% of its original capacity – which typically happens after 10-12 years
• A free inverter replacement whenever required (usually after 10-12 years)
• Monitoring of the solar & battery system, including alerting you if something isn’t working
• Troubleshooting of any issues
• Support for processing any warranty claims
• Insurance against fire, theft and damage (such as that caused by falling branches, birds, vandalism or hail)
• Downtime cover, so we’ll credit your monthly payments if your system isn’t working for a prolonged period of time

What isn’t included is solar panel cleaning, but solar panels are ‘self-cleaning’ (i.e. washed by rain) so they should rarely need much attention. 

What happens if you move home?

We know that you might not be in your current property for 20 years. And even if you’re planning to be, life might throw something at you that means you need to move. This is why Sunsave Plus has been developed to be as flexible as possible, especially when it comes to moving home.

In countries where solar subscriptions have taken off (such as the US and Germany), passing on the contract has proven to be very popular. For example, the American solar subscription provider Sunrun states that 98% of their customers who moved home during their subscription successfully transferred their contract to the new homebuyer.

If you decide to move home after starting our solar subscription, you have two options:

1. Pass on the contract to the new homebuyer

The first option is to pass on the subscription to the people who are buying your property. As energy bills in the UK continue to grow, a property with a solar & battery system will be in increasingly high demand. 

If you choose to do this, Sunsave will provide a dedicated team who will facilitate the contract transfer. In contrast, most solar leases do not allow you to do this, and your only choice is to pay the full cost of the system. 

Whichever option you choose, we know moving home can be stressful, so you’ll have a dedicated Sunsave customer service representative to help you at every step.

If you're interested to signing up for Sunsave Plus, answer a few quick questions below and we'll put you on the waitlist.

2. Repay the loan in full

Alternatively, you can include the value of your solar & battery system in the sale price of your home and make a full early repayment either before the sale or using the proceeds from the sale. There are no additional charges or hidden fees for this and you do not need to repay any future interest or monitoring and maintenance fees.

If you sell the system as part of the home sale process, the incoming homebuyer would have no further obligations. They would own the system outright and immediately start benefiting from energy bill savings.

For more information, check out our detailed guide to early repayment with Sunsave Plus.

What are the benefits of a solar subscription?

Here are the key advantages of getting a solar subscription:

• No upfront cost - you don’t need to have thousands of pounds lying around in order to switch to clean energy
• Total peace of mind - unlike some solar companies who don’t look after their customers once the installation is complete, Sunsave Plus comes with 20 years of monitoring & maintenance support 
• More money in your pocket - your monthly electricity bill savings (plus export income) could exceed your monthly Sunsave payments
• Export tariff payments - send any excess electricity to the grid and get paid for it, potentially worth around £350 each year*
• The monthly fee is fixed for the whole duration of the subscription, meaning you’re protected against energy bill inflation
• It’s not a roof lease and you legally own your system from day one, so you can sign up for whatever export tariff you want
• Increased property value - solar panels can boost your home’s value by 3%, or £11,157
• Reduced carbon footprint - you’ll slash your carbon footprint by around 950kg each year, which is the same as a flight from London to New York
• After 20 years the payments stop, so the savings will increase even further

*This estimate is based on a household experiencing average UK irradiance with a 4.4kWp solar panel system and a 5.2kWh battery, using 3,500kWh of electricity each year and signed up to the Intelligent Octopus Flux export tariff

How much money can you save with a solar subscription?

It’s very tricky to estimate average savings from Sunsave Plus because every household is different, and each solar & battery system is unique. It depends on a wide range of factors, including the suitability of your roof, the location of your property, your annual electricity consumption, what export tariff you’re on, and the size of your system. 

However, in many cases it’s possible to see more money in your pocket each month, despite the monthly Sunsave Plus payments. 

So how does it work, exactly?

• We install your top-of-the-range solar panels and battery at no upfront cost, and you’ll pay us with a fixed monthly fee.
• Your solar panels generate electricity throughout the day, even in winter. If you’re not at home to use it, it goes into your battery.
• All the solar-generated electricity you don’t use will automatically be sold to the grid, so nothing goes to waste. You either use the electricity or get paid for it.

By purchasing less electricity from the grid and receiving export payments, you will see your electricity bill fall. And for many properties, the additional cost of Sunsave Plus will be smaller than the electricity bill saving - which means a net gain. 

For example, a typical four-bedroom property in Essex using 4,000kWh of electricity each year could save money with Sunsave Plus. After installing a 6kWp system and a 5.2kWh battery (and signing up to the Intelligent Octopus Flux tariff), it will save £29 per month. Naturally, the savings will be greater in the summer than in the winter, but it works out to £29 per month on average, and an annual saving of £348. Check out this page for more information about how we calculate this. 

When designing a Sunsave Plus system for your property, we will always try to maximise your monthly savings but we’ll always consider what is actually practical, as well as taking into account your specific needs. If it’s not right for you, we won’t recommend it.

Are you eligible for a solar subscription?

There are a few core eligibility requirements to be aware of if you’re considering our solar subscription. 

• Your Sunsave Plus application can have between 1-2 applicants.
• If it's a single application, you need to be a UK resident between 18 and 60 years old, an owner of the property, and in full-time employment.
• If it’s a joint application, at least one applicant must be in full-time employment, at least one applicant must be aged 60 or younger, and the lead applicant must be an owner of the property.
• You won’t be eligible for Sunsave Plus if you’ve been declared bankrupt or received a county court judgement.

Are solar subscriptions popular around the world?

There are many countries around the world where solar subscriptions have seriously taken off, including the US (e.g. Sunrun), Germany (e.g. Enpal), New Zealand (e.g. solarZero), and Spain (e.g. SolarMente). 

For instance, at the end of 2022 Sunrun reported having nearly 800,000 customers in the US, a whopping 21% increase compared to 2021.

Next steps

Solar is a powerful way to save money  and reduce your carbon footprint, and there’s no reason people should be excluded due to high upfront costs. Many countries around the world have benefited from solar subscriptions, and now the UK has the opportunity to follow suit. 

To join the waitlist for Sunsave Plus, click the button below and provide a few quick details.