The Cost of Solar Panels for a 3 Bedroom House
Thinking about solar?
Curious what solar panels could save you? Get a quick estimate based on your home, and see if solar makes sense for you.
In Summary: Are Solar Panels Worth It For A 3 Bedroom House?
Expect the cost of solar panels for a 3 bedroom property to be just under £6,000 without a storage battery, and as high as £11,000 if you want to incorporate a large 15kWh storage battery.
Our storage batteries range from 5kWh-15kWh. The additional cost of installing a solar battery will be between £2,495 (small 5kWh) and £4,995 (large 15kWh).
Even with a small solar storage battery, you’ll become over 70% self-sufficient, so solar panels are absolutely worth it!
To determine exactly what setup offers the best balance of electricity self-sufficiency, energy bill savings and upfront cost, use our clickable solar panel tool here.
Alternatively, speak to our solar panel experts using our contact page here.
How Much Do Solar Panels For a 3 Bedroom House Cost?
Installation Costs Without A Storage Battery
A solar panel installation without a storage battery generally offers the best value for money and the lowest payback period.
To increase your self-sufficiency and ensure excess electricity doesn’t go to waste, incorporating a storage battery is recommended.
A standard system incorporating 12 x 430w high grade monocrystalline solar panels is going to cost £5,893. This equates to a 5.16kWh system, which is the most popular system we install for 3 bedroom properties.
As part of your installation you’ll get everything mentioned above including: 25-year warranty, mounting system, efficient hybrid inverter, 12 x 430w solar panels and labour for installation.
Various upgrades are available, however, these all add to the overall installation cost of your solar panels.
For instance, a 5.16kWh solar panel system incorporating DC panel optimisers bumps the price to £7,230. These optimisers help your solar panels operate individually. So, if one solar panel is shaded and efficiency drops, the efficiency of the whole system won't be affected.
If you want to take it a step further, our Optimised+ system incorporates panel level micro inverters. This bumps the cost of installation for the average 3 bedroom property to £8,568.
A worthy note here is that if you use a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) installer, you'll qualify for the government's 0% VAT scheme on energy saving materials.
We offer MCS certified installations so you can take advantage of the 0% VAT scheme.
Use our clickable solar panel configuration tool to get fixed prices on-screen for your system.
Or, if you've still got questions, speak to our solar panel experts here.
Installation Costs Including A Storage Battery
2 of the most common questions we get asked are:
- Do I need a solar storage battery?
- How much is it likely to cost for a 3 bedroom house?
To make the biggest electricity bill savings, you’ll need to incorporate a storage battery. Otherwise, the excess electricity you generate will be sold back to the grid, only for you to buy it back at a higher rate in the future.
A standard solar panel installation without a storage battery will mean your property is in the region of 20-30% self-sufficient.
Your bills will drop dramatically mainly thanks to a large Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payment; you’ll be selling energy back to the grid.
However, by using a solar storage battery, you can bump your self-sufficiency ratings (and therefore, energy savings) by a huge percentage, as you can see below:
- Small 5.3kWh battery: approximately 70% self-sufficient
- Medium 10.6kWh battery: approximately 80% self-sufficient
- Large 15.9kWh battery: approximately 82% self-sufficient
Prices for solar storage batteries are currently as follows:
- Small 5.3kWh battery: £2,495
- Medium 10.6kWh battery: £3,745
- Large 15.9kWh battery: £4,995
So, which solar storage battery should you buy?
As you can see, the large storage battery for a 3 bedroom house adds on £1,250 onto your installation cost, for very little in terms of additional self-sufficiency. So…
- Buy a small 5.3kWh battery if your focus is on payback period
- Buy a medium 10.6kWh battery if your focus is maximising self-sufficiency
Installations costs for a 3 bedroom house including a solar storage battery are:
- No battery: £5,893
- Small battery: £8,388
- Medium battery: £9,638
- Large battery: £10,888
Use our solar panel configuration tool here. It’s interactive, so you can flick between battery options to determine cost, as well as estimated self-sufficiency ratings and electricity bill savings.
What Factors Affect The Cost of Solar Panel Installation?
Solar panel installation costs for 3 bedroom properties tends to range anywhere from £6,000-£11,000.
Below, we explain the main factors that affect the prices from different UK installers.
The Quality of Your Solar Panels
It goes without saying that you get what you pay for.
Purchase a system with low grade polycrystalline PV panels? You’ll save money upfront, but you’ll be stuck with a system with a low lifespan, as well as poor efficiency ratings.
Instead, pick a system that uses high quality monocrystalline solar panels.
We’ve written a detailed guide to the most efficient solar panels here. Whilst low grade panels operate at 20% efficiency or less, the most efficient solar panels will operate at 22% or higher.
As an example, the LONGi Hi-Mo X6 operates at 23.2%!
We only fit systems with highly efficient panels with a long warranty. Use our tool here to create the perfect setup for your property.
System Output
The bigger your system (kWh), the more installation is going to cost.
As an example, the base installation cost for a 5.16kW system would be in the region of £6,000. Increasing the size of your system to 8kW is likely to add £2,000-£2,500 onto the installation cost. That’s a huge difference!
Essentially, you don't want to overspec your system and end up with a setup that's bigger than you need.
You can use our interactive solar panel tool to ensure your system is designed specifically for your property and you're not paying for a large solar panel setup that you don't actually need.
Roof Integrity
Not every roof is suitable for solar panels. A typical system is going to weigh 300 kg including the mounting system; your roof needs to be able to take that weight.
If the structural integrity of your roof is sub-par, you may need to have it repaired before solar panels are installed. Naturally, this cost is going to be in addition to the solar panel quotes you’ve gotten so far.
Solar Storage Battery Costs
One of the biggest expenses of a solar panel system is the storage battery. We typically advise fitting a small battery (£2,495) as a minimum, as this bumps your electricity self-sufficiency dramatically.
To determine if a solar storage battery is worth the additional cost, use our clickable solar panel tool here.
There, you’ll be able to toggle between options including no battery, as well as using a small, medium or large battery. The figures for self-sufficiency and potential energy savings will update automatically.
Still not sure what system you need?
- Use our clickable solar panel quotation tool here
- Speak to our experts here to get advice
- Or, read our big guide to solar panel installation here
