UK solar schemes, grants & incentives

A supplier-funded scheme for lower-income households. It can cover solar PV, but only as a heating measure — for homes with electric heating or a heat pump, not mains gas. Closes 31 December 2026.

Get paid for the surplus electricity your solar panels send back to the grid. There is no single mandated rate — each supplier sets its own, with the better widely-available tariffs around 12–15p per kWh.

The £15 billion ECO4 successor. Some routes — Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Social Housing Fund — are already live. The main low-income household programme is expected to fully open in 2027.

The "free solar" schemes that were common before 2019 are largely dead. Here is what happened, what still exists, and why ownership matters.

Since April 2022, solar installations carry 0% VAT instead of the standard rate. Confirmed to 31 March 2027 — worth about £1,100 on a typical system.

Separate energy programmes run by the devolved governments — Home Energy Scotland interest-free loans, the Welsh Nest scheme, and more. What each nation actually funds for solar.

A £7,500 grant for homeowners in England and Wales installing an air-source heat pump. No income test — open to any homeowner. The grant is applied for by your installer, not by you. Relevant if you are planning solar + heat pump together.

Up to £350 towards an OZEV-approved smart home EV charger. No income test — open to homeowners, renters, and flat owners. Applied by your installer. Pairs well with solar for free EV charging during the day.

Closed to new applicants in March 2019, but around 900,000 UK homes still receive generation and export payments for their 20-year term. What you are owed, the battery rules, and what happens when your term expires.