Guides
📘Guides
Be Wise Apps

Free app from Be Wise

Solar power,minus the confusion.

Solar panels, plug-in solar, home batteries and tariffs in the UK, explained from the very beginning, with the detail experienced owners look for and the rules for your part of the UK.

New to solar? Start here
A home with solar panels, a battery and a grid connection Sunlight falls on solar panels on the roof of a house. Electricity flows into the home, to a battery on the side of the house, and out to the electricity grid shown as a pylon. Solar panels Battery Grid Your home
Start from zeroEvery guide opens with a short version and diagrams anyone can follow
Detail when you want itFigures, standards and rules for experienced owners
Official sourcesGovernment, regulators and the Energy Saving Trust, linked
Made for the UKEngland and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Rules depend on where you live

Planning, plug-in solar and export payments differ between the UK nations. Plug-in solar, for example, is allowed in England, Wales and Scotland but not yet in Northern Ireland. Choose yours and SolarBot will use the right rules.

📍 Where are you?

Choose your part of the UK.

Learn solar, step by step

Ten short guides in a sensible order. Each one starts with a one-minute version and diagrams, then goes into as much detail as you want. Read them in order or jump to what you need.

  1. 1Solar power in 5 minutesWhat panels, inverters and the grid each do, and kW versus kWh.New
  2. 2Which type of solar suits you?Rooftop, garden, plug-in or wired-in, and whether you own or rent.New
  3. 3Plug-in (balcony) solar explainedThe 800W rule, legal kits, savings, and plugging in versus wiring in.
  4. 4Rooftop solar explainedSizing, inverters, the grid, paperwork and export payments.New
  5. 5Home batteries and what size you needHow a battery saves money and how to size one.
  6. 6Tariffs and export paymentsCheap night rates and getting paid for spare power.
  7. 7Do I need permission?Planning, your network operator, landlords and safety.
  8. 8Renting, leasehold and flatsWho to ask and what to put in writing.
  9. 9Choosing a good installerCertification, deposits, warranties and warning signs.New
  10. 10Costs, savings and paybackWhat solar costs and how long it takes to pay back.New

See all guides · Solar FAQs: 89 answers with sources · Glossary

Calculators

Check the numbers for your own home.

Rules where you live

A guide for each part of the UK, with the official sources.

Ask SolarBot

Questions about your own home, in your own words. SolarBot answers using the rules for your part of the UK and tells you when something needs checking.

Find dealers near me

Solar, battery, or solar and battery dealers, by UK county or London borough.

Affiliate offer

Switching energy supplier?

A partner offer giving you credit when you switch to a smart or export tariff using our link is coming soon.

This will be an affiliate link: Be Wise may receive a referral reward if you switch using it. It costs you nothing.

Solar FAQs · What has changed recently · Glossary · Sources · How we check

Be Solar Wise gives general information about the rules in the UK, not legal, electrical or financial advice. Solar and electrical regulations change quickly. Always confirm current requirements with your local planning authority, network operator and a qualified installer before going ahead.

Calculators

Rough estimates for UK homes, to help you check quotes and ask better questions. Nothing you enter leaves your device.

How the estimates are made: about the calculators.

Battery size and payback

Work out a sensible battery size and whether it could pay for itself. Uses the method in our batteries guide.

Are you on (or planning) a time-of-use tariff with a cheap night rate?
Do you have solar panels?

A rough estimate using a 10% reserve and 90% round-trip efficiency. It ignores price changes and battery ageing. General information, not financial advice.

Solar generation estimator

Estimate how much electricity panels could make in a year where you live, and what it could be worth.

More precise estimate for your postcode

Uses the European Commission’s PVGIS solar data for your exact location. Your postcode is sent to our server to look this up, and is not stored.

A rough estimate from typical UK figures (well-sited systems make around 750 to 1,100 kWh a year per kWp). An installer’s survey will give a better figure. General information only.

Inverter size checker

For rooftop solar: compare inverter sizes for your panels, see how much energy each would lose to clipping, and check the grid connection route. Explained in Rooftop solar explained.

Your electricity supply

Clipping figures are rough estimates from a typical UK output pattern. Your installer must also check string voltages and current against the inverter’s limits. General information only.

Plug-in solar savings

Estimate what a plug-in (balcony) kit could make and save. See Plug-in solar explained.

Is someone at home in the daytime?

A rough estimate. The Energy Saving Trust puts a typical compliant kit at around 700 kWh a year and £70 to £100 saved. Exported electricity from plug-in kits is not normally paid for. General information only.

SolarBot
Ask about panels, plug-in solar, batteries, tariffs or permissions anywhere in the UK. SolarBot gives general information, not advice. For anything specific to your property, check with a qualified installer or your local authority.

📍 Find dealers near me

Find solar and battery dealers in your part of the UK.

What are you looking for?

Dealer listings cover England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dealers in your area

Currently no Dealers are advertising here - for now please search for local dealers online.