Russell Andrews
Do solar panels add value to your home? Yes. UK research links solar panels with higher sale prices, and a large industry study and a 2024 academic paper both found a clear premium. Their estimates run from 0.9% to over 7% of a home's sale price.
By Russell Andrews. Research checked on 7 October 2026.
How much do solar panels add to the value of a home?
Two substantial UK studies set out what solar panels are worth when a home is sold. They point in the same direction: homes with solar panels sell for more.
The 2021 Solar Energy UK report
The industry body Solar Energy UK published The Value of Solar Property in October 2021. It reported a price premium of approximately 0.9% to 2% for homes with solar panels.
The research was large. The team analysed 5.7 million sales transactions, linking Land Registry records with installation data and Energy Performance Certificates. Their statistical model accounted for other property characteristics, so the premium reflects the solar panels themselves. The researchers set out their approach in a January 2022 article for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The 2024 academic study
A study published in Energy Economics in 2024 found a bigger effect. Its headline estimates were 6.1% to 7.1%, and a second method in the same paper still produced a premium of 3.5%. The researchers matched Zoopla listings from 2012 to 2018 with completed transaction records for England and Wales.
What it could mean for your home
Both studies found a premium, using different data and different methods. Put the figures on a £300,000 home and the range comes to roughly £2,700 to £21,300. The strongest evidence points to solar panels as a real selling point for your property.
Why solar helps a home hold more value
A home with solar panels comes with its own electricity. Solar electricity used at home reduces the amount you need to buy from the grid, and surplus generation can be stored or exported. Energy Saving Trust highlights roof direction and shading as the practical points that shape how much a system generates.
That is the benefit you enjoy while you live there, and it is part of what the research captures. The 2021 report modelled running-cost benefits and property equity separately, so a solar home can offer both: lower costs now and a stronger sale later.
Our residential solar installations are designed around the roof and the household, so the system you add is one a buyer will want to see.
What about adding a battery?
The studies looked at solar panels, so the figures above are solar premiums. A battery builds on them. It stores surplus solar electricity for later use, including after sunset, which makes the system more useful for households whose demand falls outside daylight hours. Our home battery storage options are the natural next step if you want more of your own electricity to go further.
Make sure a buyer sees the full value
When you sell a house with solar panels, a clear handover file helps buyers see what they are getting. Energy Saving Trust's guidance, published on 6 October 2026, highlights system details, ownership documents, warranties and payment arrangements.
A strong file should include:
- The installation date, system size and details of any battery.
- The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate, where available.
- Ownership documents and confirmation of what is included in the sale.
- Operating manuals, warranty terms and maintenance records.
- Details of any electricity export or generation-payment contract.
These reflect the checks Energy Saving Trust recommends for buyers. Your solicitor can review the ownership and transfer documents as part of the sale.
Add a plain-English summary at the front. Explain what equipment is installed, where the controls are and which documents answer common questions. If you include generation records, label the period clearly. A documented history of what the system has produced gives a buyer something concrete to look at.
Thinking of installing before you move?
Solar can work for you twice. While you live in the home, the system cuts what you buy from the grid. When you sell, the research shows buyers pay a premium for it. A solar panel payback period concerns recovering your costs through financial benefits over time, and a sale-price premium sits alongside that as a separate gain, as the 2021 research models them.
Every home is different, so the best next step is a proper look at your roof and your electricity use. To find out what solar could do for the home you live in, request a free quote from our team.