Can you get free solar panels in England?
For most households, no. But some homes can get solar panels or other energy upgrades fully or partly funded, through ECO4 (supplier-funded, open until 31 December 2026) or a council's Warm Homes: Local Grant. Below is every route, who it is for, and what is never free.
The honest answer about free solar panels in England
Free solar panels are not a standard grant in England. A few routes can pay for some or all of an installation for the right household, and several more only cut the price. This is every route as of October 2026.
ECO4, open until 31 December 2026. The Energy Company Obligation is a government scheme that energy suppliers deliver and pay for, aimed at low-income and fuel-poor households. A retrofit assessment decides which measures are funded. Insulation and heating usually come first, and solar panels are never guaranteed.
Warm Homes: Local Grant. Run by councils in England for owner-occupied and privately rented homes rated EPC D to G, where household income is usually £36,000 or less (or someone gets a qualifying benefit, or you live in an eligible postcode). It can fund insulation, solar panels and an air source heat pump, and occupants do not pay. Not every council takes part.
Solar Together. Council group-buying rounds in some areas. You register, an auction among installers sets one price for everyone who registers, and you decide whether to accept. It is a paid purchase, not free.
0% VAT if you pay. Solar panels and batteries installed in homes carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5% from 1 April 2027. The Smart Export Guarantee pays you for electricity you export. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards a heat pump, but it does not pay for solar panels.
What is never free. Roof rental, where a firm owns panels on your roof, leases and finance deals are all paid for one way or another, however they are advertised. Read the contract before you sign anything.
Not sure which route fits? The eligibility check asks about your home and circumstances, and we reply by email with the routes that seem to match. No phone numbers, no pressure.
What is still open, and what has closed
ECO4: open until 31 December 2026
Still running. Energy suppliers fund measures for low-income and fuel-poor households after a retrofit assessment. It is not a grant, you may be asked to contribute, and solar panels are never guaranteed. What ECO4 is and how to apply.
GBIS: ended 31 March 2026
The Great British Insulation Scheme funded single insulation measures. It ended on 31 March 2026. ECO4 did not end with it, and adverts that lump the two together are out of date.
Home Upgrade Grant: closed
The Home Upgrade Grant is closed. Gov.uk now points households to Warm Homes: Local Grant, which councils run in their own areas. Where HUG applicants should look now.
What's genuinely live in 2026
If you pay for solar yourself, or want help with heating, these four guides cover the routes that cut the cost. Each one explains the rules and the catches.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme — £7,500
A £7,500 grant towards an air source or ground source heat pump, rising to £9,000 until 31 March 2027 where it replaces an oil or LPG boiler in a home with no mains gas connection (£5,000 for biomass in limited cases), for homes in England and Wales. You must own the home and replace a fossil-fuel system. It does not pay for solar panels.
0% VAT on solar: until 31 March 2027
Solar panels and batteries installed in homes carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. The rate goes to 5% from 1 April 2027. Before May 2023 it was 5%, so the saving is that 5%, not 20%.
Smart Export Guarantee
Not a grant, an income. Licensed suppliers must offer a rate above 0p for exported solar electricity, and installs generally need MCS certification. The better fixed rates are around 12–13p per kWh; some suppliers pay 3–6p.
Solar Together group buying
Council group-buying rounds in some areas. An auction among installers sets one price for everyone who registers. It is a paid purchase, so compare the offer with independent quotes.
Who might qualify for funded measures in 2026?
Households fall into three broad groups. Knowing which one you are in saves a lot of wasted form-filling.
Low-income and benefit-receiving households. You might be eligible for ECO4 if someone in the home gets a qualifying benefit, such as Universal Credit, Pension Guarantee Credit, Housing Benefit or Child Benefit, and the home you own is rated EPC D to G (E to G if privately rented, with the owner's permission). Warm Homes: Local Grant covers EPC D to G homes where household income is usually £36,000 or less. Insulation and heating usually come first. Eligibility does not guarantee an installation.
Oil, LPG and off-gas homes. If you own your home and replace a fossil-fuel system, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, or £9,000 until 31 March 2027 where the home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection. It does not cover solar panels, which you would buy separately at 0% VAT.
Everyone else. No grant will buy your panels. A 4 kWp system costs about £6,400 at the DESNZ median, with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, and produces around 3,500 to 4,000 kWh a year in England. A Solar Together offer can be compared with independent quotes. Our current schemes guide walks through the full decision.
The "free solar" problem nobody mentions
Search for free solar panels and not every advert that answers is honest. Common patterns are pages promising "100% free solar panels, apply today" that exist to collect your details, roof-lease offers dressed up as grants, and "processing fees" charged to apply.
The warning signs are an urgent deadline, a request for personal details before anyone says which scheme is paying, and a cold call soon after. Genuine schemes are named and their rules are published on gov.uk or ofgem.gov.uk, and nobody legitimate charges a fee to apply. If a caller says they represent your council or an energy supplier, check with that council or supplier directly.
Our guide to free solar panel scams lists the red flags and how to check an installer on the MCS register, or TrustMark for ECO work. Read it before you give anyone your details. Including us.
Free Solar Panels England is an independent information site run by SEO Dons Ltd. We are not a government body, an energy supplier or an installer. If you use the eligibility check, we reply by email.
Free solar panels in England — common questions
Can I still get free solar panels in England in 2026?
For most households, no. Some low-income households can get measures funded through ECO4, which energy suppliers fund until 31 December 2026, but a retrofit assessment decides the measures and solar panels are never guaranteed. Warm Homes: Local Grant, run by councils in England, can fund solar panels for eligible homes rated EPC D to G, usually where household income is £36,000 or less. Everyone else pays, with 0% VAT on solar panels and batteries until 31 March 2027. Solar Together is a council group-buy, so it is a paid purchase too.
Has ECO4 ended?
No. ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026. It is not a grant: energy suppliers decide which measures to fund and how much, and you may be asked to contribute, so only agree once you have a contract. There is no single application form. You contact your local council, if it takes part, or any obligated energy supplier, not just your own. The scheme that ended on 31 March 2026 was the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Who still qualifies for fully funded energy measures?
You might be eligible for ECO4 if someone in the home gets a qualifying benefit, such as Universal Credit, Pension Guarantee Credit, Housing Benefit or Child Benefit, and the home you own is rated EPC D to G. Warm Homes: Local Grant covers owner-occupied and privately rented homes rated EPC D to G where household income is usually £36,000 or less, or someone gets a qualifying benefit, or the home is in an eligible postcode. Insulation and heating usually come first. Run the eligibility check and we reply by email with the routes that seem to fit.
Is anyone offering "free solar panels" right now legitimate?
Treat the phrase with suspicion. Some firms advertise free panels and then move you to a finance agreement, a roof-lease arrangement, or a fee for a survey or application. A genuine offer names the scheme paying for the work, such as ECO4 through a named energy supplier or Warm Homes: Local Grant through your council, and nobody legitimate charges a fee to apply. Check any caller with the council or supplier they claim to represent. 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 4 kWp system costs about £6,400 at the DESNZ median for 2025/26, which is £1,595 per kW for systems up to 4 kW, including VAT where applicable and excluding batteries. The 0% VAT rate runs until 31 March 2027. Across England a south-facing array produces around 890 to 1,020 kWh per kWp a year, so a 4 kWp system gives roughly 3,500 to 4,000 kWh. How long it takes to pay back depends on how much you use yourself and your export tariff, so ask for a written estimate and compare quotes.