Are Free Solar Panels Still a Thing in the UK?
Mostly no. The famous free-panels era was the rent-a-roof schemes of 2010 to 2015, killed off when the subsidy behind them closed. Today, genuinely free installation exists only through the Warm Homes: Local Grant for qualifying lower income households, applied for via your council. Anyone else offering free solar is selling something, usually a lease or a finance deal wearing a costume.
In This Guide
The free panels era, and why it ended
The free solar panels your neighbour got in 2012 were real, and the business model behind them was simple: the old Feed-in Tariff paid so generously per generated unit that companies could fit panels at no cost to the homeowner, keep the tariff income for themselves, and still profit handsomely. The homeowner got the daytime electricity; the company got the subsidy and a 20 to 25 year lease over the roof.
When the Feed-in Tariff closed to new applicants in 2019, the model died with it. No subsidy, no free panels. What survived is the long tail: thousands of homes still inside those roof leases, which resurface every time one of them is sold, as our selling with solar guide covers in detail.
What free actually exists in 2026
One genuine route, with a narrow gate:
- The Warm Homes: Local GrantEngland only, run by councils, for households with an EPC of D to G and income below the local threshold. Where the home assessment recommends solar, the installation is fully funded. Applied for through your council, never through a cold caller. The full detail is in our grants guide.
- Social housing programmesHousing providers fund installations across their stock through separate schemes; tenants get the panels without the bill.
- For everyone elseThe support is 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 plus export payments, which is help, not free.
Offers dressed up as free
The word free never left the sales scripts, it just changed meaning. The costumes we see, and what is underneath:
| The pitch | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| "Free solar panels for your postcode" | A lead generator harvesting your details for installers who will quote you normally |
| "Solar with no upfront cost" | A finance agreement. Possibly fine, but it is a loan, not a gift, and the interest is real money |
| "Free panels, you buy the power" | A modern lease or power purchase arrangement: their panels on your roof, you commit to buying the output for years |
| "Government scheme ending soon, act today" | Urgency theatre. Genuine schemes have published rules and no countdown clocks |
| "You have been selected for ECO4 funding" | A script that has not noticed ECO4 closed to new applications on 31 March 2026 |
The three-question test
Ask these before signing anything free
- Who owns the panels afterwards?If the answer is not "you, outright", you are looking at a lease, and every lease question from mortgages to roof repairs follows for decades.
- What exactly am I signing?A grant application goes through a council. A credit agreement is regulated lending. A roof lease is a legal interest in your property. All three get called free on the phone.
- Why did they contact me?Genuine schemes do not cold call, and councils do not need your decision tonight. Pressure is the tell, every time.
Why owning beat free even then
Here is the part the nostalgia misses: even in the rent-a-roof heyday, the households who paid for their own systems got the better end. They kept the tariff income the companies were harvesting, owned an asset instead of hosting someone else's, and sold their homes without a lease negotiation. The same logic holds now with better numbers: a £9,995 all-in system with battery pays back in circa 8 years at current rates (illustrative, assumptions in our cost guide), then generates for decades with every pound of value staying in the house. Free was never really free; it was selling your roof's output cheap.
Check the genuine route first
If your household might qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, check with your council before spending anything, and we will tell you honestly if we think you qualify. If not, we will show you what the real numbers look like. Call 0115 773 7575, 8am to 8pm, 7 days.
Book a feasibility assessmentFrequently asked questions
Can I still get free solar panels in the UK?
Only through the Warm Homes: Local Grant if you qualify: England, EPC D to G, income below your council's threshold, and a home assessment that recommends solar. Everything else marketed as free is a lease, a loan or a lead generator. The old subsidised rent-a-roof schemes ended with the Feed-in Tariff.
Why did companies stop giving away solar panels?
The Feed-in Tariff paid them to do it, and it closed to new applicants in 2019. Free panels were an arbitrage on that subsidy: the company kept the generous per-unit payments while the homeowner kept the daytime electricity. No subsidy, no arbitrage, no free panels.
I have free panels from 2012. Was that a mistake?
Not a mistake, just a trade: you got daytime electricity, the company got the tariff income and a roof lease. The lease matters most when selling, when buyers' lenders scrutinise its terms. Get the company's lender-approved pack early, and consider whether buying out the lease suits your plans.
Is no-deposit solar the same as free solar?
No. No-deposit means finance: you own the system and repay a loan, with interest, which can still make sense against energy savings. Free-with-a-lease means the company owns the system on your roof. Different ownership, different risks, and worth being crystal clear which one a salesperson means.
How do I know if a solar grant offer is genuine?
Genuine funding routes are published on gov.uk and applied for through your council, which checks eligibility and appoints the installer. They never cold call, never need a decision today, and never charge an application fee. Anything failing those tests is marketing wearing a grant costume.
Are free solar panels worth it if offered a lease today?
Read the terms like a lawyer, because you are signing a long legal interest over your roof for a discount on electricity. Compare the lifetime value against owning, including what the lease does to a future sale. In our experience the sums rarely favour the lease once everything is counted.
Related reading
- Solar panel grants UK: what actually exists
- Selling a house with solar panels
- 0% VAT on solar panels: the rules
- Paying for solar: finance options explained
- Why are people removing their solar panels?
No costumes, just numbers
We are an MCS certified installer (NIC200223) based in Bulwell, Nottingham. One all-in price, your name on the ownership, and the honest sums before you decide anything. Call 0115 773 7575, 8am to 8pm, 7 days.
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