With energy costs sky high, more and more households in Wales are looking to embrace solar technologies such as solar panels and solar batteries. While the cost of such home efficiency improvements have put them outside the pockets of many households, falling costs of components and the possibility of securing solar panels has put them in reach of many more households. So what funding is available in Wales for those who are looking to reduce their bills and carbon footprint by joining the solar PV system revolution?
Households in Wales may be able to benefit from funding which could cover a significant chunk of their solar PV installation costs. A number of different schemes are available including ECO4 and Nest.
Funded by the main energy companies, the scheme is open to eligible households in Wales, to help them upgrade their homes with energy efficiency measures including heating system upgrades, such as solar, and insulation. Both homeowners and renters could potentially be eligible.
Eligibility for ECO4 funding is based on specific criteria including:
If you are not eligible for ECO funding under the standard criteria, you may be able to get funding under LA Flex, an extensive of the ECO scheme, whereby local authorities in Wales have specific funding to help vulnerable households within their area who do not meet the benefit criteria.
Residents in Wales could receive funding under the Nest Scheme. This Welsh government scheme offers households the opportunity to receive free impartial advice and, if they are eligible, funding for a range of energy efficiency measures, including solar panels, insulation, new boilers, all of which can help households in Wales reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.
This funding is targeted at low-income households in Wales and those living in deprived areas as part of the government’s commitment to climate change, improving energy efficiency, and reducing fuel poverty.
To enquire about Nest funding you can request a call back or contact 0808 808 2244.
If you are yet to be convinced of the benefits of solar then why should you go to the effort of seeking a solar grant? For starters, solar panels give households some protection against rising energy prices by reducing their dependence on the grid.
When you add a solar PV system to your home, you will be generating electricity during the day (and potentially storing it in a battery). This will bring you savings which, over time, will eventually cover the cost of your investment in solar. If you’ve secured a solar grant in Wales, this payback will happen much sooner.
You may be somewhat surprised to learn that Wales experiences more sunshine hours than the UK average, which will boost the performance of your solar PV system.
For example:
For best performance of your solar panels, they ideally should be south-facing to receive more daylight and therefore produce more electricity. It is even possible to benefit from Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments, whereby you are able to sell any excess electricity produced to the national grid.
Going solar will impact on your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint, so it’s a win-win for both your pocket and the environment.
As an incentive to households in Wales to install solar panels, the government has reduced the level of VAT payable on solar products and installations to 0% VAT. This makes solar much more affordable, and if combined with a solar grant, could make solar PV systems much more affordable for many more households in Wales.
Installing solar PV panels and combining it with a battery can bring noticeable savings. Your savings will in part be determined by the amount of time you are home during the day, and therefore using the electricity that is being produced by your solar panels.
You can boost the potential of your solar setup, and therefore your savings, with the addition of a solar battery. This allows you to store electricity that you do not use in the daytime for use later. A battery helps reduce your dependency on the grid, meaning you won’t require as much electricity drawn from the grid in the standard way.
Whether you benefit from SEG, and therefore earn from excess electricity generated by your solar panels, will also impact on your annual savings.
To give you an idea of the savings a solar PV system could bring you, the following figures from the Energy Saving Trust estimate how much a household in Aberystwyth might save, with and without SEG payments (based on fuel prices as of July 2023).
Home occupancy | Annual savings (£/year) without SEG | Annual savings (£/year) with SEG |
Home all day | £425 | £530 |
Home in mornings | £340 | £460 |
Home in afternoons | £305 | £430 |
Out all day until 4pm | £210 | £355 |
Out all day until 6pm | £175 | £325 |
Solar is a significant investment, there is no getting away from that, and that cost can put many people off. If you were able to get solar grant funding, this could pay a significant chunk of your cost up front, meaning you get payback much sooner.
Energy Saving Trust estimates (based on July 2023 fuel figures) suggest that a household in Wales investing in solar power (without a grant) would see payback for their solar investment in the following timescales:
Home occupancy | With SEG | Without SEG |
Home all day | 14 years | 17 years |
Home in mornings | 16 years | 21 years |
Home in afternoons | 17 years | 23 years |
Out all day until 4pm | 20 years | No payback |
Out all day until 6pm | 19 years | No payback |
If you are considering solar panels as an alternative way of powering your home then a solar panel grant or funding can make that a much more affordable option. With a solar panel grant in Wales under the ECO4 scheme, for example, you could cover a significant portion of the cost, although it will not usually cover the entire cost of your solar installation.
Making the move to solar will make a significant dent in your energy bills, and reduce the overall carbon footprint of your household. If you are wanting to make the switch to solar, we can put you in touch with a trusted solar installer who can advise you on solar panels options and help with accessing any available grants.
Find out how much your home could save with free funding and by going green.
How your new solar set up will work for you
Solar PV panels consist of multiple cells made from semiconducting materials, which generate electricity when light shines upon them.
The electricity created can be used, stored in a battery, or exported to the grid to receive money under the Smart Export Guarantee.
Solar panels required light, not solely direct sunlight, in order to generate electricity, meaning they can continue to produce electricity even on cloudy days.
The default source of electricity has traditionally been from the national grid, generated from a range of fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas and oil.
In 2013, a scheme was introduced to the public called the Energy Company Obligation (ECO Scheme). The Energy Company Obligation put the responsibility of improving
Installing solar panels isn’t necessarily cheap but with grants available, and now 0% VAT payable on professional installations, solar becomes a much more affordable option.
*Annual saving/income with the Smart Export Guarantee in for a property in London where the householder is home all day (according to the Energy Saving Trust based on April 2024 fuel prices)
Solar Grants UK is a trading style of Lead Pronto Ltd, a Company registered in England & Wales, company number 11563815.
£10,000 in Free Grants to Install Solar in Your Home
