Do solar panels increase home value in the UK?

How much value do solar panels add to a house in the UK?

Two large UK studies have tried to measure whether solar panels add value to your home. Both compared past sales of homes with and without panels, in England and Wales, through Land Registry sale prices for the journal study [1][2]. One found a premium of about 0.9 to 2 per cent; the other 6.1 to 7.1 per cent, with 3.5 per cent the lowest of its checks [1][2]. We do not add a figure of our own: neither study can say what your house would gain.

The figures and methods here come from the published paper. Its final sample and solar-identification procedure differ from the authors' earlier working paper, which is not used for the table [1].

How do the two studies differ?

In what they counted and how. The studies identify solar homes differently: Solar Energy UK counted a home as solar only if the MCS register showed panels installed before the sale; the journal study used listing descriptions that mention "solar" or "pv panel", filtered to remove other uses of the word [1][2]. Solar Energy UK presents its results as a range from two versions of its analysis and calls the figures for its examples indicative only [2]. The sales periods overlap: 2011 to 2021 for Solar Energy UK, 2012 to 2018 in the journal study [1][2]. The journal study found the premium falling over the years but still positive [1].

Neither covers Scotland: Solar Energy UK says so, and the journal study used Land Registry sale prices, which cover England and Wales only [1][2]. Solar Energy UK had no battery data, so its model applies to homes with panels, not panels with a battery [2].

So does having solar panels increase home value? On average in past sales, yes; the two studies differ on how much. Both are averages over many sales, so they say more about the market than about one house; a local estate agent or valuer who knows recent sales near you is the person to ask about yours.

Is it harder to sell a house with solar panels in the UK?

On average, homes with panels sold for more in both studies, though they measured price, not how long homes took to sell, and neither says it separated owned panels from leased ones [1][2]. Leased panels can cause problems. In rent-a-roof deals a provider fitted panels free and kept ownership through a lease of the roof or the airspace above it [4][5]. In England and Wales, a buyer's lender is likely to review that lease against its requirements and, if it falls short, may ask for the lease to be changed or choose not to lend on the property [4]. The Law Society warns sellers that even if their own lender accepted the lease, a buyer's lender might not [5].

The UK Finance and BSA guidance is general: individual lenders can have different or extra requirements [4]. If you are selling a home with leased panels, have the lease to hand. If the buyer's lender raises problems, the Law Society says sellers, buyers and solicitors should refer to the UK Finance and BSA guidance and forward it to the solar panel provider [5].

Do solar panels improve your EPC rating?

Yes, the rating counts what panels generate [7]. EPCs for existing homes are usually produced with RdSAP, the reduced-data version of the government's energy rating method [6]. It calculates a yearly contribution from the panels using their size, tilt, direction and shading. For a house or bungalow with no panels and a roof that is not thatched it can recommend 2.5 kWp of them as an improvement [7].

Whether a better rating lifts the price is a separate question. The government's 2013 study of 325,950 homes in England sold at least twice between 1995 and 2011 found better-rated homes sold for more. Against band G, homes rated F and E sold for about 6 per cent more per square metre, D for 8, C for 10 and A and B for 14 per cent [11]. The study called energy efficiency a weaker influence on price than size, location and type [11].

EPCs are changing, England and Wales. Reformed EPCs for homes will show four headline measures (energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness) in place of the current single cost-based rating. The launch has moved to the second half of 2027, and existing EPCs keep their ten-year validity [8][9]. Today, if a home has no valid EPC, the seller must commission one before it goes on the market and use all reasonable efforts to get it within 7 days, with a further 21 days allowed if that fails [10]. The government intends to require a valid EPC before a home is marketed [8]. These rules apply in England and Wales only [10].

An EPC from before the panels went in will not show them. The government notes homeowners can commission a new EPC voluntarily to see how upgrades have changed it [8].

When might panels not help a sale?

• A lease the buyer's lender will not accept. In England and Wales the lender may ask for the lease to be changed or choose not to lend [4]; in Northern Ireland lenders do not accept a lease of roof space at all [3].
• Missing paperwork. Buyers are told whether panels are owned or leased, when they went in and what agreements come with them, so gaps cause questions [5].
• Fitting panels only to raise the price. The studies are averages of past sales, and the journal study found the premium falling over time [1]. Judge panels on what they save you while you live there: that is in are solar panels worth it.

What to keep for a sale

In England and Wales, sellers answer the Law Society's TA6 property information form, which asks about solar panels [5]. Have these ready:

1. Who owns the panels: a receipt or other proof of ownership if you bought them [12], or the lease and any lender consent if a provider owns them [4][5].
2. When they were installed, and any agreements that come with them [5].
3. The MCS certificate. MCS-certified installers are required to issue it; for a copy, ask the installer first. MCS will produce one only if the installer is no longer MCS certified or no longer trading, and only for the current system owner or their legal representative, with proof of address and a fee [15].
4. Feed-in Tariff or Smart Export Guarantee papers: an energy bill and the supplier agreement, which TA6 asks sellers to attach [5]. For the Feed-in Tariff, the seller tells the FIT company about the sale and the buyer gives it evidence such as the sale agreement [12]. More in feed-in tariff and smart export guarantee.
5. Building regulations evidence. In England and Wales, building regulations normally apply to solar panels fitted on a roof [13][14]; keep the approval or competent person certificate, which TA6 asks about [5].