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Something is changing on Britain's rooftops.
In the first six months of 2026, the UK recorded 210,000 certified renewable installations, equivalent to one every 74 seconds. Almost 150,000 of those were solar panel installation UK projects. Battery installations climbed to around 36,000 in the same period, nearly double the number recorded during the first half of last year.
Solar is no longer something homeowners are simply talking about doing one day. A growing number are moving it from a future consideration to something they are acting on now. The more interesting question is what they are seeing when they do.
It is not just solar panels either
Around 92% of battery installations in the first half of 2026 were fitted to properties that already had solar, according to MCS data. Homeowners are increasingly combining solar panels and battery storage rather than stopping at panels alone.
The conversation has shifted. It is less about whether solar panels are a good idea in general, and more about a more specific question: how much of the electricity a household uses could it generate and store itself?
That question matters because every unit of electricity a home still needs to buy from the grid is purchased at whatever the prevailing tariff happens to be. From October 2026, electricity under Ofgem's price cap averages 26.32p/kWh, with the typical capped household energy bill around £1,723 a year. Nobody can tell you with any certainty what that figure will be in two, five, or ten years.
Solar does not remove that uncertainty entirely. But generating a portion of your own electricity reduces how much of your total energy use remains exposed to grid prices, now and in the future. You can read more about the financial case in our guide on whether solar panels are worth it in Essex.
The numbers that matter are the ones for your property
Nearly 150,000 solar panels UK 2026 installations tell us that more people are taking the technology seriously. They do not tell you whether solar makes sense for your home specifically.
Your roof orientation is different. Your electricity usage is different. Your available roof space is different. A system that delivers strong returns for one household may be oversized or undersized for another, and the most useful starting point is always a property-specific assessment rather than a generalised estimate.
The question worth asking is not whether are solar panels worth it in general. It is what the numbers would look like for your property. That is a question with a concrete answer.
There is also a timing consideration
Qualifying solar and battery installations currently benefit from 0% VAT under UK government rules. That rate is confirmed until 31 March 2027, after which it returns to 5%. On a combined solar and battery system, that difference is worth several hundred pounds.
That is not a reason to rush into a purchase. But it is a reason to find out sooner rather than later whether solar makes sense for your home solar panels Essex, while the current relief is still in place. There is a meaningful difference between investigating solar and committing to it. The first simply gives you information to act on.
You can read more about solar panels with battery storage and how long solar panels last if you want to understand the technology and long-term returns before making any decisions.
What could your roof generate?
Simcott Renewables carries out property assessments across Essex to show homeowners what a suitable system could look like, what it would generate, and what the numbers could mean for their bills. There is no obligation involved in finding out.
Explore home solar panels and solar and battery bundles to understand what a system includes. When you are ready to find out what your property could generate, get in touch with Simcott Renewables for a no-obligation assessment.