Quick answer
Government figures for 2025/26 put the UK median at £1,595 per kW for systems up to 4 kW and the North West average at £1,800. That puts 4 kWp at roughly £6,400 to £7,200 before extras. Treat it as a yardstick, not a quote. VAT on installed panels is zero until 31 March 2027.
What the government figures say
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes the cost of small solar installations each year, worked out per kW of capacity from installations recorded with MCS (DESNZ solar PV cost data). For 2025/26 it gives two figures that matter for a Winsford house:
- The UK median: £1,595 a kW in the band to 4 kW, falling to £1,546 a kW in the 4 to 10 kW band.
- The North West mean: £1,800 a kW in the smaller band and £1,627 a kW in the larger.
The median is the middle job when all jobs are lined up by price. The mean is the simple average, which a minority of expensive jobs can pull upwards. That is one reason the regional averages sit above the national medians. Neither is a Winsford figure, because the statistics are not published at town level.
A rounded table, not a quote
Multiplying each size by the two rates gives a rough band. The figures below are rounded to the nearest £100, sit beside the yearly output from the PVGIS model for Winsford, and are offered only as a yardstick for reading real quotes.
| Size | Price band used | Rough cost range | South roof, kWh | East or west roof, kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kWp | up to 4 kW | £3,200 to £3,600 | 1,909 | 1,515 |
| 3 kWp | up to 4 kW | £4,800 to £5,400 | 2,863 | 2,273 |
| 4 kWp | up to 4 kW | £6,400 to £7,200 | 3,817 | 3,030 |
| 5 kWp | 4 to 10 kW | £7,700 to £8,100 | 4,772 | 3,788 |
| 6 kWp | 4 to 10 kW | £9,300 to £9,800 | 5,726 | 4,545 |
Notice the step between 4 and 5 kWp. Because larger systems fall into a band with a lower rate per kW, the range for 5 kWp is not simply a quarter more than for 4 kWp. Real quotes will not follow the table exactly, and nor should they: they reflect the particular roof, the equipment chosen and the firm’s own costs. For the output side in full, see what panels make in Winsford.
What moves a real quote up or down
Two houses with the same size of system can be priced quite differently. The usual reasons are these:
- Access and scaffolding. A three-storey gable, a conservatory below the roof or a narrow passage at the side all take more scaffold.
- The roof itself. Some coverings need more care or different fixings than common concrete tiles, and a hipped roof’s smaller faces take more fitting time per panel.
- Splitting the array. Panels on two faces, as on many semis, need two strings and longer cable runs; semi-detached homes explains.
- The electrics. An older consumer unit may need replacing, and a long or awkward cable route adds labour.
- Extras. Bird mesh, monitoring, panel-level electronics for shade and, above all, a battery add to the price.
- Planning and grid work. A listed building or a G99 application adds time and sometimes fees.
What the statistics cannot tell you
The published rates describe jobs that were done and recorded, across many kinds of house and roof. They do not say what any one firm charges, how prices differ within the region, or how much of the variation comes from batteries and extras rather than panels. They also lag behind the market by a year or so. Use them to spot a quote that is far out of line, in either direction, and to ask a better question about it, rather than as a price to hold a firm to.
Getting quotes that can be compared
Quotes are only comparable if they describe similar systems. Ask each firm to price the same thing first, for example a stated size on the best roof face without a battery, and then to add its own recommendation as a second option. Ask for prices at two sizes, so the cost of the extra panels is visible. Ask how long each price holds, what happens if scaffolding costs change, and whether the grid application is included. Put the answers side by side in a simple table of your own: size, price, price per kW, output estimate, warranties and what is left out.
VAT
Panels and batteries installed in homes carry no VAT until 31 March 2027, under HMRC’s Notice 708/6. From April 2027 the rate is 5%. The firm applies the correct rate on its invoice. If a job is due to finish near the changeover, ask which rate the quote assumes and what happens if the work is delayed into April.
Reading a quote
A good quote is itemised. It names the panels and inverter by type and number, gives the system size in kWp, shows the layout, lists scaffolding and electrical work separately, and includes an MCS performance estimate of yearly output. Work out its price per kW by dividing the total by the size in kW, and set that beside the figures above. Then compare its output estimate with the PVGIS table: a little lower is normal where shade is noted; a figure well above the model needs explaining. Check the firm on the MCS register and at Companies House; choosing an installer has the full list of checks.
Ways to pay
Most Winsford households who fit panels pay for them, in whole or in part. These are the routes available, each with its own conditions:
- Cash the household already has, paid in stages. A modest deposit when the order is placed and the balance after commissioning is the safest pattern. Ask how the deposit is protected.
- The Warm Homes Loan Scheme. A loan rather than a grant, described in a GOV.UK factsheet that sets out who it is for. Anything borrowed has to be repaid.
- Credit through the firm. Some firms offer finance from a lender authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Compare the total amount repayable, not just the monthly figure, and understand the cooling-off period before signing.
- The Warm Homes: Local Grant. Where the household passes its income test and the home is rated EPC D to G, and the household owns or rents privately, the grant can include solar PV until 31 March 2028 (council page; GOV.UK).
- Group buying. The council’s Switch Together scheme gathers households to buy together; its latest registration closed on 25 September 2026, and each household pays for its own system (council page).
Who is eligible for what is set out on grants and schemes.
Costs over the years
The price on the quote is not the only cost. An inverter has a shorter working life than the panels and may need replacing once during their life. A roof repair later may mean taking panels off and putting them back. Some households add a battery after a few years. None of these is a reason to avoid panels, but each is worth asking about: what the inverter warranty covers, whether an extended warranty is offered, and roughly what removal and refitting would involve.
A battery is the largest optional extra, and it changes the price far more than a panel or two. Ask for it to be priced as a separate line, so the cost of the panels on their own is clear, and weigh it on its own merits; batteries in Winsford explains when storage has surplus to work with and where it can safely go.
Deposits and protection
Pay a modest deposit, not the whole price, before work starts. Firms that belong to a consumer code, such as RECC or HIES, have to protect deposits and follow rules on contracts and cancellations. For a contract agreed in your home rather than at the firm’s premises, consumer law normally gives a cooling-off period, and the contract should explain it. Get everything in writing.
Who pays in rented homes
In a privately rented home the landlord normally pays, with grant help possible through an eligible tenant; see private renters and landlords. Social landlords fund work through their own programmes. If the question is about your own house, the who-decides tool gives the output for your roof, and the question form takes anything else.