Free Solar Panels in England — What's Actually True in 2026
The scheme that genuinely funded free solar panels — ECO4 — ended on 31 March 2026. Plenty of advertisers haven't updated their claims. This site tells you what is really still funded, who qualifies, and how to avoid the firms trading on a scheme that no longer exists.
The honest answer about free solar panels in England
For roughly a decade, "free solar panels in England" was a real thing for the right household. Under the Energy Company Obligation — most recently ECO4 — energy suppliers were legally required to fund efficiency improvements for low-income and fuel-poor homes, and for many properties that included a fully funded solar PV installation alongside insulation and heating work. The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) ran in parallel for single insulation measures.
Both schemes closed on 31 March 2026. That date matters, because the internet is still full of pages — and paid adverts — written before it. If a website tells you today that you can "apply now for free solar panels under ECO4", it is out of date at best. At worst, it is harvesting your details to sell to whoever pays most.
What exists now is narrower but genuinely useful. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards a heat pump. Solar panels, batteries and other energy-saving materials carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. The Smart Export Guarantee pays you for the electricity your panels export. Council-run Solar Together rounds use group buying to cut installation prices. And the government's Warm Homes Plan is rolling out successor funding for low-income households, delivered mainly through councils — evolving, postcode-dependent, but real.
We built this site to do one job: match your circumstances to the support that actually exists in 2026, and connect you with a vetted installer or retrofit assessor for a survey or quote where it makes sense. No phone numbers, no pressure — the eligibility check takes about two minutes and we reply by email.
What ended — and what the adverts won't tell you
ECO4 — closed 31 March 2026
The last scheme that funded whole solar installations for eligible households. Work approved before the deadline is still being completed through 2026, but no new applications are possible. What ECO4 was and what replaces it.
GBIS — closed 31 March 2026
The Great British Insulation Scheme funded single insulation measures for a wider income band. It ended alongside ECO4. Insulation support now flows through Warm Homes funding routed via local authorities.
Home Upgrade Grant — closed
HUG2 funded retrofits for off-gas, low-income homes until March 2025, and its work has been folded into the Warm Homes programme. Where HUG applicants should look now.
What's genuinely live in 2026
Four national routes are open right now, plus council-level retrofit schemes that come and go by area. Each guide below explains the rules, the realistic money, and the catches.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme — £7,500
A flat £7,500 grant towards an air source heat pump (or £5,000 biomass in limited cases) for homes in England and Wales. The single biggest live grant — and it pairs well with solar.
0% VAT on solar — until March 2027
Solar panels, batteries and other energy-saving materials are VAT-free when installed in homes. Worth roughly £1,000–£1,500 on a typical installation compared with the old 20% rate.
Smart Export Guarantee
Not a grant — an income. Licensed suppliers must pay you for exported solar electricity. Rates vary enormously between tariffs, so choosing well is worth hundreds of pounds a year.
Solar Together group buying
Council-backed group-purchase rounds that auction your street's demand to pre-vetted installers. Typical savings run well into double figures as a percentage — without the cowboys.
Who still qualifies for funded measures in 2026?
The post-ECO4 landscape splits households into three broad groups. Knowing which one you are in saves a lot of wasted form-filling.
Low-income and benefit-receiving households. The Warm Homes Plan continues to fund retrofit work for households on means-tested benefits or low incomes, particularly in homes rated EPC D or worse. Delivery runs through local authorities, so availability depends on whether your council has live funding. Measures are usually insulation and heating first; solar PV appears in some whole-house packages. This is the closest thing to "free" that still exists.
Off-gas and oil-heated homes. If you heat with oil, LPG or electric storage heaters, you are in the group the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was designed for. £7,500 towards a heat pump changes the economics substantially, and pairing the heat pump with solar panels — bought at 0% VAT — is one of the strongest combinations available in 2026.
Everyone else. No grant will buy your panels, but the stack of 0% VAT, Solar Together pricing and a well-chosen Smart Export Guarantee tariff means a self-funded system in England now pays back in a realistic 7–11 years — and immediately cuts what you draw from the grid. Our current schemes guide walks through the full decision.
The "free solar" problem nobody mentions
When a well-known funding scheme closes, the advertising doesn't stop — it just gets less honest. Since ECO4 ended we have seen lead-generation pages still promising "100% free solar panels, apply today", roof-lease offers dressed up as grants, and "processing fees" charged for applications to schemes that no longer accept applications.
The pattern is predictable: an urgent deadline, a request for personal details before any mention of which scheme is paying, and a phone call within minutes of submitting a form. None of that is how genuine 2026 funding works. Real schemes are named, their rules are published on gov.uk, and nobody legitimate charges you to apply.
We keep a plain-English list of the current tricks and the checks that defeat them — including how to verify an installer's MCS certification in under a minute — in our guide to avoiding free solar panel scams. Read it before you give anyone your details. Including us.
Free solar panels in England — common questions
Can I still get free solar panels in England in 2026?
For most households, no. The route that genuinely paid for whole solar installations — ECO4 — closed to new applications on 31 March 2026, and the Great British Insulation Scheme ended alongside it. What remains in 2026 is a mix of partial support: the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme for heat pumps, 0% VAT on solar panels and batteries until March 2027, Smart Export Guarantee payments for the electricity you export, and council-run Solar Together group-buying rounds that cut the purchase price by a meaningful margin. Some local authority retrofit schemes for low-income households continue under the government's Warm Homes umbrella, but they are postcode-dependent and budgets are limited.
What replaced ECO4?
The government has set out a Warm Homes Plan as the successor framework, with funding routed through schemes such as the Warm Homes: Local Grant delivered by councils. The detail is still evolving — obligations on energy suppliers beyond ECO4 have been announced in principle but not finalised. We track the changes and update this site as rules firm up, which is exactly why our eligibility check asks about your circumstances rather than promising a specific scheme.
Who still qualifies for fully funded energy measures?
Broadly: low-income households in poorly insulated homes (typically EPC D or below), households receiving means-tested benefits, and social housing tenants whose landlords access dedicated retrofit funding. Funded measures in 2026 are more likely to be insulation, heating upgrades or heat pumps than solar panels — solar is sometimes included in whole-house retrofit packages, but it is no longer the headline offer. Run the eligibility check and we will tell you which measures realistically match your situation.
Is anyone offering "free solar panels" right now legitimate?
Treat the phrase with suspicion. Some firms still advertise free panels and then pivot to finance agreements, roof-lease arrangements, or charge survey fees for schemes that no longer exist. A legitimate offer in 2026 will name the actual funding source — Boiler Upgrade Scheme, a named council scheme, a social landlord programme — and will never ask for an upfront payment to "secure a grant". Our guide to avoiding free solar scams lists the red flags in detail.
How much do solar panels cost in England if I have to pay?
A typical 4 kWp domestic system in 2026 costs roughly £5,000 to £8,000 fully installed, helped by the 0% VAT rate that runs until 31 March 2027. A well-sited system in England generates around 3,400 to 3,800 kWh a year. With current electricity prices and Smart Export Guarantee income, payback for a household that uses a good share of its own generation typically lands between 7 and 11 years.