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The Return
For a 4.5 kW system without battery storage, the size Energy Saving Trust gives as typical for a UK home, here is how the annual benefit breaks down.
Two separate things are happening, and they are not worth the same. Electricity you generate and use in the house is electricity you do not buy, so it is worth the full rate you would otherwise have paid. Electricity you export is sold back at a much lower rate. That gap is the reason using your own generation matters more than exporting it, and the reason battery storage changes the arithmetic.
Around half the electricity generated is used directly in the home, roughly 1,913 kWh, replacing units that would otherwise cost 26.32p each.
The remaining 1,913 kWh goes back to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee, at an assumed tariff of 10.8p per kWh.
Bill savings and export income combined, for a 4.5 kW system.
Based on a 4.5 kW system producing around 4,500 kWh under standard test conditions, derated to roughly 3,825 kWh to reflect real world conditions. The import rate is the electricity unit rate in the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. It carries no VAT, because the government removed VAT from electricity bills for the period 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Ofgem notes that costs in this period cannot be compared directly with previous periods for that reason. The export rate is a conservative assumption within the range of Smart Export Guarantee tariffs available, which runs from around 3p to 25p per kWh depending on supplier. Your own savings will vary with your electricity rate, the export tariff you secure, your usage pattern and the sunlight at your location.
The Cost, 2026
There is no single price for a solar installation. Cost depends on the size of the system, how difficult the roof is to access, whether panels sit on the roof or are integrated into it, and whether the roof covering needs work first.
Government figures give a starting point. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes the cost of every MCS certified installation in the UK. For domestic installations in the 2025/26 financial year:
Smaller systems cost more per kW because scaffolding, labour, certification and the grid application cost roughly the same whether six panels go up or sixteen.
The band most domestic installations fall into, covering roughly ten to twenty four panels depending on panel output.
Energy Saving Trust puts the same system at around £7,600, arrived at independently.
Costs are falling. The average domestic cost per kW dropped from £1,844 in 2024/25 to £1,772 in 2025/26.
The West Midlands is among the lower cost regions in England for solar installation, below the South East, East Midlands and South West, and around 10% below London.
These figures cover panels, inverter, installation and grid connection. They do not include battery storage, which Energy Saving Trust puts at £5,000 to £8,000 on top.
Cost figures from DESNZ Solar PV cost data, 2025/26 financial year, drawn from the MCS Installation Database. Average system size and battery costs from Energy Saving Trust. Your own quote will differ.
The Process
Three short questions, around 60 seconds. No account to create, nothing to upload, no survey to book.
Your details go to a single vetted installer covering your Birmingham postcode. They are not sold on or passed to multiple companies.
The quote comes directly from the installer and is specific to your roof. There is no cost and no obligation to proceed.
Who You Are Matched With
Solar Panels Birmingham is an introduction service, not an installation company. Enquiries are passed to one vetted local installer, and the installation contract is between you and that installer.
The thing that matters most about that installer is MCS certification. The Microgeneration Certification Scheme is the UK standard for small scale renewable installations, and it is not administrative box ticking. Without an MCS certificate you cannot register for the Smart Export Guarantee, so you are never paid for the electricity you export. Most manufacturer warranties on panels and inverters depend on certified installation. And the certificate is the evidence the work met the scheme's technical standard, which is exactly what a buyer's solicitor asks for when you come to sell.
Working locally matters for a more practical reason. Scaffolding a three storey terrace on a narrow street with no off road parking is a different job from a suburban semi with a driveway, and a company that works these streets every week prices that accurately instead of guessing at it.
The Checks
One installer covers Birmingham at any time. They are checked against a fixed set of standards before any enquiry is passed on.
Before You Enquire
Birmingham is a city of Victorian terraces, 1930s semis and post war housing. Roofs here tend to be smaller and more overlooked than the detached properties in most solar advertising. Three questions come up more than any others.
Energy Saving Trust puts a 4.5 kW system at around twelve panels covering 20 to 30 square metres. A typical semi has room. A narrow terrace may not, in which case a smaller system still works, it simply generates less. There is no minimum size.
No. South facing gives the highest yield, but east or west facing roofs produce around 15 to 20% less, which is a reduction rather than a barrier. North facing roofs are not recommended.
On tighter streets this matters more than orientation. Chimneys, neighbouring properties and trees all cast shade at different times of day. Optimisers reduce the impact by letting each panel perform independently, so one shaded panel does not drag down the rest. The installer carries out a shade assessment as part of the quote.
One more thing worth knowing. Nearly 90% of domestic solar installations in the UK in 2025/26 went onto existing buildings rather than new builds. Solar is a retrofit technology, not something reserved for new estates.
What Happens On The Day
Most domestic installations are finished within a day or two. The work follows the same four stages whatever the property, though a terrace with no off road parking takes longer to scaffold than a semi with side access.
Nothing here happens until you have had the quote and decided to go ahead.
The installer surveys the roof condition and tile arrangement, then sets up scaffolding suited to the property. A suburban bungalow needs less than a three storey terrace.
Selected tiles are lifted so hooks can be fixed into the rafters, then replaced with waterproof flashing. Rails go on, then the panels.
Panels connect to the inverter and the inverter to the property supply. Isolators and an Ofgem approved generation meter are fitted, and the installer coordinates grid connection with the local Distribution Network Operator.
Safety and performance testing, documentation and warranties handed over, and the system registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.
Storing What You Generate
Without a battery, roughly half of what a system generates is used in the house and the rest goes to the grid. A battery stores that surplus so more of it is used rather than sold. Given the figures above, a unit you keep is worth 26.32p and a unit you export is worth around 10.8p, which is the whole argument for storage in one line.
Energy Saving Trust puts battery storage at £5,000 to £8,000 on top of the panel installation. Whether that pays back depends on how much electricity you use and when you use it, which is something the installer works through with you rather than something a website can answer.
A battery can usually be added later where a hybrid inverter was fitted at the outset, since that type is designed to accept storage afterwards without replacing the inverter. If you already have panels and are looking at a retrofit, that is worth saying when you enquire.
The Quote
The quote is free and carries no obligation. It comes directly from the installer, and it is specific to your roof rather than a figure off a price list.
A quote worth comparing sets out the system size in kW and the number of panels, the panel and inverter makes and models, whether the panels sit on the roof or are integrated into it, the scaffolding and access arrangements, the grid connection application, and a total price with MCS registration included. Ask for it itemised. A single number with no breakdown is very difficult to compare against anything else.
Before You Enquire
Yes. There is no charge for the quote and no obligation to proceed after receiving it.
One. Your details are passed to a single vetted local installer covering your postcode, who contacts you directly to arrange the quote. They are not distributed to a panel of companies competing for the job.
Because it is all that is needed to confirm the installer covers you. The full address is taken by the installer when they call, at the point it actually matters, rather than by a form before you have spoken to anyone.
In the large majority of cases, no. Solar panels on houses are usually permitted development.
Permission may be needed if panels protrude more than 200mm from the roof or wall surface and extend above the highest part of the roof, excluding the chimney. Properties in conservation areas and listed buildings require prior consent. Flats and apartments may also need permission where panels would sit on shared property. Birmingham City Council is the authority to check with.
Energy Saving Trust puts a 4.5 kW system at around 20 to 30 square metres, using roughly twelve panels. Smaller roofs take smaller systems, which generate less but still work.
No. A south facing roof gives the highest annual yield, but east and west facing roofs produce around 15 to 20% less. Pitch and shading usually matter more than orientation, and the installer carries out a shade assessment as part of the quote.
For domestic properties the work is usually completed within a day or two. This covers mounting the panels, fitting the inverter and connecting the system to the property's electrical network.
Most enquiries are contacted within one working day.
In many cases yes, particularly where a hybrid inverter was fitted, which is designed to support battery storage being added afterwards without replacing the inverter. Whether that suits your property is something the installer confirms as part of the quote. There is more on battery storage here.
They are passed to one local installer so they can prepare your quote. They are not sold on. ReachAI Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under reference ZB828222. Full detail is in the privacy policy.
Around 60 seconds to complete. No cost, no obligation, and only one local installer will contact you.
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