Solar Panel Installation
Domestic rooftop PV systems on tile, slate, or in-roof. MCS-certified, RECC-backed, 0% VAT. Includes inverter, isolators, monitoring app and SEG registration.
From £4,500 (3kW)Domestic, commercial, farm and holiday-let solar systems — matched with vetted MCS-certified installers covering your postcode. 0% VAT on domestic installs (until April 2027), Smart Export Guarantee setup included, G98/G99 grid applications handled. Cornwall sits among the highest-yielding solar regions in the UK. Request a free quote below.
Cornwall is among the highest-yielding regions in the UK for solar PV. A typical south-facing system here generates roughly 1,000-1,080 kWh per kWp installed each year, comfortably ahead of the UK average and on par with the Sussexes. That's a real advantage — but it only pays out if the install is done properly, on the right roof, with the right inverter, and signed off correctly.
The county throws up its own quirks. Slate roofs are common across Helston, Penzance and the Penwith peninsula — fine for solar but they need slate hooks rather than tile brackets, which a non-Cornish installer might price wrong. Listed buildings cluster around central Truro, Falmouth, Padstow and St Ives, often requiring in-roof integrated panels. Coastal homes from Newquay through to St Ives and the Lizard benefit from bird-proofing — gulls love a warm panel undercroft. Off-mains farms across Bodmin Moor and inland Cornwall are ideal candidates for solar plus battery, especially where the existing supply is single-phase and inflexible.
Grid connection is handled with Western Power Distribution / National Grid Electricity Distribution via G98 (notify-after-install, up to 16A per phase) or G99 (pre-approval required, typically 4-12 weeks). Your matched installer manages this end-to-end. Every installer in our network is MCS-certified and signed up to RECC or HIES — the requirements you need to claim 0% VAT and qualify for the Smart Export Guarantee.
We make it simple to get a real comparison from MCS-certified Cornish installers.
Fill in the quick quote form with your postcode, property type, and rough idea of what you want — domestic PV, battery, commercial, farm or holiday let. Photos help but aren't required.
You get matched with a vetted MCS-certified installer covering your part of Cornwall. They'll arrange a site survey, talk through inverter and panel choice, and produce a written quote — including the SEG application and grid paperwork.
Most domestic installs are completed in one to two days on site. Your installer commissions the system, submits the MCS certificate, handles the G98/G99 paperwork, and registers you for the Smart Export Guarantee tariff of your choice.
Domestic and commercial installation, battery storage, cleaning, repairs, agricultural and holiday-let systems — all delivered by MCS-certified local installers.
Domestic rooftop PV systems on tile, slate, or in-roof. MCS-certified, RECC-backed, 0% VAT. Includes inverter, isolators, monitoring app and SEG registration.
From £4,500 (3kW)Tesla Powerwall, GivEnergy, Enphase and SolarEdge batteries. Pair with new or existing PV. Unlocks time-of-use SEG tariffs and shifts daytime generation to evening use.
Powerwall from £8,500 · GivEnergy from £5,500Bird droppings, lichen, salt spray and dust can cost you 5-15% of generation. Reach-and-wash systems used — no walking on tiles. Annual contracts available.
From £75 per visitInverter faults, isolator failures, MC4 connector issues, monitoring drop-outs. Fault diagnosis usually identifies the issue in one visit. Inverter replacements scheduled to suit.
Diagnosis from £150 · Inverter swaps from £60030kW upwards — warehouses, offices, retail, hospitality. ROI projections, G99 grid applications, three-phase inverter design, capital allowance guidance. Bespoke quote.
Bespoke · 5-12 year payback typicalBarn-mounted and ground-mounted systems for dairy, arable, equestrian and pack-houses. Often 50-200kW+. Pairs well with battery for milking parlour or grain dryer loads.
£30k-£200k+ typical installOffset rising guest electricity costs and stay competitive on listings. Smart export setup so generation either goes to the property or earns SEG income when empty.
Typical system £6,000-£10,000Not sure which package fits? Submit your postcode and a short description — we'll match you with the right MCS-certified installer for the job.
Free & quickDomestic solar PV and battery installations attract 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. Final price depends on roof type, scaffolding, inverter choice and grid connection. Your matched installer provides a firm written quote after a site survey.
Around 8 panels. Suits 1-2 bed homes or low-usage households. Typical range £4,500-£6,500.
Around 10 panels — the sweet spot for most 3-bed Cornish homes. Typical range £6,000-£8,500.
Around 15 panels. For larger homes, EV charging or heat pumps. Typical range £8,500-£11,000.
13.5kWh storage fitted. Typical range £8,500-£10,500 inclusive of Gateway and commissioning.
5-9.5kWh AC- or hybrid-coupled options. Typical range £5,500-£7,500 fitted.
Quoted on survey with 5-12 year ROI projection. G99 application and capital-allowance guidance included.
Our network of MCS-certified installers covers every corner of Cornwall. Select your nearest town.
Honest answers to the questions we get most often from Cornish homeowners and businesses.
A typical 4kW domestic system in Cornwall costs around £6,000-£8,500 fitted, with 0% VAT until April 2027. A 3kW system starts from roughly £4,500; a 6kW system runs £8,500-£11,000. Adding a Tesla Powerwall typically adds £8,500-£10,500; a GivEnergy battery adds £5,500-£7,500. Commercial systems are quoted bespoke. Final price depends on roof type, scaffolding, DNO connection and inverter choice.
Yes — Cornwall is among the highest-yielding regions in the UK, with a typical PV system generating around 1,000-1,080 kWh per kWp installed each year (the UK average is closer to 900 kWh/kWp). Combined with 0% VAT on domestic installs and the Smart Export Guarantee paying for surplus, payback is typically 8-12 years and panels are warranted for 25+ years. Honest caveat: Cornwall is great, not Spain — winter generation is genuinely limited.
The main current incentive is 0% VAT on the supply and installation of domestic solar panels and battery storage — applied at point of sale by your installer (in force until 31 March 2027, after which it returns to a 5% reduced rate). The Smart Export Guarantee pays for surplus electricity exported to the grid. ECO4 funding may be available for low-income households. Your matched installer will explain what applies — we don't handle grant applications directly.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Ofgem scheme that requires licensed energy suppliers to pay homeowners for surplus solar exported to the grid. At time of writing in 2026, standard fixed SEG rates range from around 4p to 15p per kWh — Octopus, EDF and OVO sit at the upper end. Time-of-use tariffs like Octopus Flux can reach 25-30p/kWh during peak windows if you have battery storage. You don't have to take the SEG tariff from your import supplier — you can switch.
A standard domestic install on a tiled roof typically takes one to two days on site, plus scaffolding up the day before. Slate, listed-building, or battery-add work can stretch to three or four days. Grid paperwork is G98 (notify-after-install, up to 16A per phase) or G99 (pre-approval required) — your installer handles it with Western Power Distribution / NGED. G99 can add 4-12 weeks to commercial timelines.
Slate roofs are common across west Cornwall and absolutely fine for solar — they just need slate hooks rather than tile brackets, which adds a little labour but no real cost concern. Granite walls don't usually affect a roof install. Listed buildings in conservation areas (parts of central Truro, Falmouth, Padstow, St Ives) often require planning permission and may need in-roof integrated panels. Your installer will check planning status during survey before quoting.
For most homes, no — domestic solar usually falls under permitted development rights, provided panels don't protrude more than 200mm from the roof slope, aren't installed on the principal elevation of a listed building, and don't sit higher than the highest part of the roof. Listed buildings, conservation areas, and Cornwall's AONB (much of the coast) usually require an application. Ground-mounted arrays over 9m² and most commercial systems also need planning. Your installer will confirm before quoting.
Typical payback in Cornwall is 8-12 years for a self-consumed domestic system, sometimes faster if you have an EV, heat pump or work from home. Adding a battery shortens payback by letting you self-consume more of the daytime generation rather than exporting it. With a 25-year panel warranty and a 10-15 year inverter life, you're looking at 13-17 years of effectively-free electricity after payback — plus protection against future electricity price rises.
MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the recognised quality mark for small-scale renewables in the UK. You need an MCS-certified installer to access the Smart Export Guarantee and to qualify for 0% VAT. MCS certification also requires the installer to belong to an approved consumer code such as RECC (Renewable Energy Consumer Code) or HIES, which provides workmanship warranty and dispute resolution. Every installer in our Cornwall network is MCS-certified and RECC- or HIES-registered.
Yes. We work with installers experienced in 30kW+ commercial rooftop arrays, agricultural barn-mounted systems (often 50-200kW+ for dairies, pack-houses and equestrian businesses), and holiday-let installs designed to offset guest electricity use with smart export. Commercial and agricultural projects usually involve G99 grid applications and a longer feasibility / ROI process — we'll match you with installers who handle that end-to-end.