Solar Xtra installs solar panels, battery storage and EV chargers across Birmingham, including Edgbaston, Sutton Coldfield, Moseley, Harborne, Kings Heath, Selly Oak and Bournville. A typical 4kW system costs £5,200 to £8,500, pays back in 7 to 9 years, and cuts electricity bills by 35% to 55%. Most homes need no planning permission, with listed buildings and conservation areas the main exception. Free survey, itemised quote, and a 5-year workmanship guarantee.
What solar typically looks like across the city.
Birmingham has a reputation for grey skies, but the numbers tell a different story. The city sits comfortably inside a solar-productive band and has one of the most solar-ready housing stocks of any UK city.
Yes, and by a wider margin than most people expect. Birmingham gets around 1,400 sunshine hours a year and sits at roughly 950 to 1,050 kWh/m² of annual solar irradiance. That is comfortably enough for solar to be a strong financial decision for the majority of homeowners, without the Mediterranean-style weather people sometimes assume solar needs.
Panels generate from daylight rather than direct sunshine alone, so overcast days still produce meaningfully. What actually decides your output is roof orientation, pitch and shading, which is why we survey the property properly rather than estimating from a satellite image.
With over 400,000 residential properties across the city, Birmingham has one of the most solar-ready housing stocks in the country, and adoption reflects that. The city ranks second in the UK for commercial solar installations, behind only London.
This is not a city testing the water on renewables. The infrastructure, the events and the council modelling are all already here.
The airport is installing 12,804 panels on an embankment beside the runway, expected to supply at least a fifth of its own electricity. One of the largest solar projects in the region.
Birmingham hosts one of the UK's largest annual trade events for solar and energy storage, which keeps the city close to how the industry and its technology are actually moving.
Birmingham City Council commissioned its own mapping project with the Centre for Sustainable Energy, which found widespread rooftop adoption could cut the council's annual carbon emissions by more than 4%.
A full decade ahead of several neighbouring boroughs, including Solihull's 2041 commitment.
The council's Climate Change Action Plan targets carbon neutrality for the city by 2030. Despite the well-publicised financial pressures on the council in recent years, planning policy has stayed broadly supportive of residential solar.
For homeowners, that means a genuine civic tailwind behind going solar now rather than waiting. The policy direction is settled, the permitted development route is straightforward for most properties, and the incentives currently in place have published end dates.
Want to know what your Birmingham roof would actually generate?
Book Your Free SurveyWe install across the whole city, from the terraced streets of Kings Heath to the detached properties of Four Oaks. Different areas need different approaches, and we design for what your property actually is.
If you are not sure whether your street falls inside our service area, just ask. There is a good chance we are already installing nearby.
Birmingham has an unusually large stock of listed Georgian and Victorian property, particularly around Edgbaston and Moseley, along with several designated conservation areas.
Listed buildings and conservation-area properties do not automatically rule out solar. They do need proper planning consideration, which sometimes means a full application and sometimes just a more careful design that keeps the roofline looking right.
The design route matters as much as the paperwork. In-roof systems and solar slate tiles both preserve the appearance of a traditional roof, which helps with planning approval and with simple kerb appeal on a period street.
Period property, conservation area, or just not sure?
We'll Check It FreeBirmingham's housing is genuinely varied, and your system should reflect that. A tight terrace roof in Kings Heath needs a different approach to a detached property in Four Oaks.
Roof space is often tight on these properties, so higher-efficiency monocrystalline panels usually make more sense than cheaper polycrystalline ones. You need fewer panels to reach the same output, which matters when every square metre counts.
In-roof systems or solar slate tiles sit flush and keep the roofline looking right. That matters both for planning approval in conservation areas and for straightforward kerb appeal on a period street.
More roof space supports bigger arrays and battery storage without compromise. These properties usually have the consumption to justify the extra capacity, so the system can be sized to the household rather than to the roof's limits.
Panels are mounted on tilted frames to catch the right angle rather than lying flat. Common across parts of the city centre and Digbeth's converted buildings, where the roof is usable but not pitched.
Worth thinking about if kerb appeal matters to you as much as the savings. A well-matched all-black monocrystalline system tends to sit visually well against the slate and tile roofs typical of Bournville, Moseley and Edgbaston, rather than reading as an obvious add-on bolted to the front of the house.
Three panel types, each suited to a different situation. We recommend the right one for your specific roof rather than fitting whatever we happen to have in stock.
Made from a single silicon crystal, these are the most efficient panels available. Because they generate more power per panel, they are the natural choice where roof space is limited, which describes a lot of Birmingham's terraced and semi-detached stock.
Made from multiple silicon fragments melted together, giving a bluish and slightly less uniform look. Slightly less efficient but more budget-friendly, and a solid option if you have generous roof space and want to keep costs down without a big compromise on output.
Lightweight and flexible, useful for specific applications where standard rigid panels do not fit well. Less efficient and shorter-lived than crystalline panels, so uncommon on standard residential roofs, but worth knowing about if you have an unusual installation need.
Not sure which panel type suits your roof?
Ask at Your Free SurveyExpect to pay roughly £4,500 to £12,500 installed depending on system size, with most Birmingham households landing somewhere in the middle of that range.
All prices include 0% VAT on solar and battery installations, which is in effect until at least 31 March 2027. There is no VAT to add on top of the figures above.
The final number on your quote comes down to a handful of real variables, all of which we itemise rather than bundling into one figure.
Get quotes from more than one installer for the same spec. Identical systems can genuinely vary by £1,000 to £2,000 between Birmingham installers, which is a wider gap than most people expect. It is worth the extra half hour.
A well-installed 4kW system in Birmingham typically pays for itself in seven to nine years, then keeps generating reliably for 25 years or more after that. That means well over a decade of essentially free electricity once the system has paid itself off.
Typical installed costs for Birmingham businesses. Commercial projects are quoted after a site audit, since roof structure and access vary far more on commercial premises than on homes.
Want an itemised quote instead of a price range?
Book Your Free SurveySeveral schemes reduce what you actually pay, and some have published end dates. We confirm exactly which apply to your property and circumstances during your free survey.
No VAT applies to the installation of solar panels or battery storage systems across Great Britain. This is already reflected in every price range on this page, so there is nothing to add on top of the figures quoted.
Licensed energy suppliers are required to pay you for surplus electricity you export back to the grid, turning generation you cannot use at the time into income rather than waste.
If you receive certain benefits and your home has an EPC rating of D to G, you may qualify for a fully funded solar installation under the ECO4 scheme.
Small and medium-sized businesses based in, or relocating to, the Birmingham City Council or Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council area can apply for grant funding towards energy and resource efficiency improvements, solar panels included.
Through the Net Zero Grant Programme, for energy efficiency work including commercial solar.
The commercial picture here is genuinely strong. Birmingham ranks second in the UK for commercial solar installations, and the Net Zero Grant Programme offers meaningful support for eligible SMEs on top of the standard incentives.
We design and install commercial systems across offices, warehouses, schools, colleges, universities, farms and industrial units. Get in touch for a free commercial energy audit before you commit to any spend.
Four routes to paying for a system. We model each one against your actual numbers so you can compare properly rather than guessing which works out better.
Spread the cost across panels, batteries and EV chargers rather than paying everything upfront, so the savings start before the payments finish.
Residential & CommercialYou own the system from day one and keep every unit it generates. The best lifetime return of any option, if the upfront cost works for you.
Best Lifetime ReturnSpreads the cost across the lease term without ownership of the system. Useful where the capital is better deployed elsewhere in the business.
CommercialNo upfront spend at all. You simply pay for the power the system produces, at a rate agreed in advance rather than whatever the grid charges.
No Upfront CostWant to know which schemes you actually qualify for?
Check Your EligibilityFive stages, one team, and no point where you get handed off to someone else. Here is exactly what happens from your first enquiry to the day your system starts generating.
Get in touch by phone or form. We ask about your electricity costs, usage and available roof space, and take an initial look at the property via satellite before booking anything in person.
A surveyor visits to properly assess your roof, external space and the best layout for panels, inverter and cable run. It is also your chance to ask every question before committing.
We design around your real consumption data and roof, then give you a clear itemised quote with panels, inverter, battery and labour broken out separately rather than bundled into one number.
Most residential installs finish in one to two days. Scaffolding, deliveries and start dates are confirmed the week before, and our scheduling team stays in touch throughout.
On the final day we walk you through how your system works and set up monitoring. Your full documentation pack follows within a few days.
Everything you will need if you ever sell the property, make a warranty claim, or apply for an export tariff. Kept together in one pack rather than emailed piecemeal.
Most residential solar installations in Birmingham fall under permitted development, meaning no planning application is needed at all.
A few technical limits apply to installations that go ahead without an application. We design to these as standard, so they rarely become an issue.
Listed buildings, scheduled monuments and world heritage sites do require permission. Conservation areas may add extra restrictions depending on how visible the installation would be from the street.
None of that rules solar out. It usually means a more careful design, using in-roof panels or solar slate tiles that preserve the roofline, and sometimes an application alongside it.
Every solar or battery system needs to be registered with your local Distribution Network Operator, either before or after connection depending on size. This is a mandatory step, not an optional one.
Covers smaller systems, which includes most Birmingham terraced and semi-detached installs. A straightforward notification submitted once the system is in, with no waiting period beforehand.
Applies to larger systems and needs DNO approval before work begins, which can add lead time on bigger arrays. Worth factoring in if you are looking at a 6kW or larger system.
Solar Xtra manages this whole process for you. You should not need to think about it at all. We build any G99 lead time into your installation date from the start, so the schedule you are given is the schedule you get.
Every roof is assessed properly at survey stage covering orientation, pitch, structural condition and any shading from chimneys, trees or neighbouring buildings, rather than estimated from a satellite photo.
If your roof has shading or multiple angles, a single shaded panel on a standard string inverter can drag down the whole array. Micro-inverters, or a string inverter paired with panel-level optimisers, let each panel perform independently. Worth discussing at survey if your roof is not a simple unshaded single pitch.
Pitched tile and slate roofs use standard mounting brackets. Flat roofs use tilted frames to angle the panels correctly. Metal roofs need their own specific fixings. Each roof type changes the mounting cost, which we itemise rather than averaging out.
For new or replacement roofs, in-roof panels replace the tiles entirely and sit flush with the roofline. Solar slate tiles are available where a traditional slate appearance needs preserving, which is genuinely useful across Birmingham's listed and period property.
Shaded roof, awkward pitch, or period property? We design around it.
Book Your Free SurveySolar generates. What you add alongside it decides how much of that generation you actually keep and use.
It depends on when you actually use electricity. If you are mostly out during the day, a battery stores your generation for the evening, when your panels are not producing but your household is using most power.
If you are home all day using power as it is generated, you may get less benefit from a battery. Beyond storing surplus solar, many batteries can also charge from the grid on a cheap off-peak tariff and discharge during expensive peak hours.
Solar Xtra is a certified Myenergi Zappi installer. The Zappi is the UK's only home EV charger with genuine solar-diversion technology, and its ECO+ mode charges your car exclusively from surplus solar rather than drawing from the grid.
On a sunny day with a 4kW system, that can mean an extra 20 to 30 miles of free driving range. EV ownership across Birmingham is rising quickly as petrol and diesel sales approach their 2035 end date.
We also install air conditioning for Birmingham homes and businesses, with single-room systems starting from around £1,200 installed.
Modern units cool efficiently in summer and heat efficiently in winter, producing 3 to 4kW of heat for every 1kW of electricity used. Paired with solar, your daytime cooling costs can drop close to zero.
If your roof needs replacing within the next five to ten years anyway, combining that work with your solar installation typically saves £1,500 to £3,000 on shared scaffolding alone. It also means you are not paying twice, once to remove panels for the re-roof and again to refit them afterwards.
A West Midlands team you can actually reach before and after installation, not a call centre passing your details on.
Every system is designed by qualified engineers based on your actual roof and usage data, not a sales target or a fixed package someone needs to shift.
From listed Edgbaston terraces to Sutton Coldfield detached homes, we design around what your specific property actually needs rather than applying one template citywide.
No inflated savings claims and no bundled numbers you cannot check. Panels, inverter, battery, labour and scaffolding are all priced separately.
Verifiable accreditation rather than logos on a page, backed by more than fifteen years of installations across the West Midlands.
Covering the quality of the installation itself, on top of the standard manufacturer product warranties on your panels, inverter and battery.
Every quote starts with a proper roof and shading assessment carried out in person, not a satellite estimate and a phone call.
Everything we install across the city, for homes and commercial premises alike.
The questions we are asked most often on Birmingham surveys.
Yes. Birmingham gets around 1,400 sunshine hours a year and sits well within a solar-productive irradiance band at roughly 950 to 1,050 kWh/m². That makes it a strong location for solar investment despite the city's reputation for grey skies. Panels generate from daylight rather than direct sun alone.
Typically £4,500 to £12,500 installed depending on system size, with the common 4kW system running £5,200 to £8,500. VAT is 0% until at least March 2027, which is already included in those figures. Your quote itemises panels, inverter, battery, labour and scaffolding separately.
Most homes do not, since solar falls under permitted development. Listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled monuments and world heritage sites are the main exceptions. We check your status at survey stage and handle any application on your behalf if one is needed.
It does not rule solar out. It usually means a more careful design, using in-roof panels or solar slate tiles that preserve the roofline, and sometimes a planning application. Relevant across Edgbaston and Moseley in particular, where the listed Georgian and Victorian stock is concentrated.
Monocrystalline is the most efficient and best for tight roofs, polycrystalline offers better value where roof space is generous, and thin-film is for specialist applications only. We recommend the right one for your specific roof rather than fitting whatever is in stock.
Yes. 0% VAT on solar and batteries until March 2027, the Smart Export Guarantee for surplus you export, ECO4 for eligible households on certain benefits with an EPC of D to G, and the Net Zero Grant Programme worth up to £100,000 for eligible Birmingham businesses.
It depends on your usage pattern. Being mostly home in the evenings benefits more from a battery than being home all day using power as it is generated. Most inverters are battery ready, so you can add one later rather than deciding now.
Based on your actual roof orientation, tilt, shading and household usage rather than a generic assumption. As an example, a south-facing 12-panel array on a 35° tilt with no shading, against a household using 4,000 kWh a year, produces a very different figure to an east-facing shaded roof. We show you exactly what any number we give you is based on.
The mandatory grid connection notification with your Distribution Network Operator. G98 covers smaller systems up to 3.68kW per phase and is submitted after installation. G99 covers larger systems and needs approval before work starts. We manage the whole process for you.
We assess structure, pitch and shading properly at survey. If shading is an issue we design around it using optimisers or micro-inverters rather than ignoring it, since one shaded panel on a standard string inverter can drag down the whole array.
Typically one to two days for a residential system, including testing, commissioning and a full handover. Scaffolding, deliveries and start dates are confirmed the week before so you know what is happening and when.
Yes, and most Birmingham customers combine at least two of the three. There are real cost savings from installing them as one project rather than separately, since the scaffolding, labour and electrical work are shared rather than repeated.
Yes, across offices, warehouses, schools, colleges, universities, farms and industrial units. Funding options include outright purchase for the best long-term return, leasing to spread the cost, or a Power Purchase Agreement with no upfront spend at all.
Manufacturer warranties on panels and inverters, plus our own 5-year workmanship guarantee and ongoing support for monitoring, troubleshooting and warranty claims. The team who installed the system is the team who handles any issue with it.
Start with a free, no-obligation survey. We properly assess your roof, model your real usage, and give you an itemised quote with no pressure to buy. From there we handle system design, DNO notification and installation, so the whole process runs through one accountable local team.
