EcoGloSolar power, made simple
Menu
Guide

Solar in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: what's different

Export payments, VAT, plug-in solar, planning, grants and mortgages compared across the four UK nations.

Checked 9 October 2026 · Sources

Houses on a hillside by the shore, several with solar panels on their roofs
Homes with solar panels at Orphir, Orkney · Photo: Derek Mayes, CC BY-SA 2.0

At a glance

  • Smart Export Guarantee: England, Scotland and Wales — yes. Northern Ireland — no; ask your supplier about an export tariff, such as Power NI's microgeneration tariff.
  • 0% VAT on installed solar and batteries: all four nations until 31 March 2027. (Northern Ireland moved from 5% to 0% on 1 May 2023.)
  • VAT on electricity bills: 0% in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027; 5% in Northern Ireland.
  • Plug-in solar: legal in England, Scotland and Wales since 27 August 2026; not yet legal in Northern Ireland.
  • Planning: each nation has its own permitted development rules — see below.

Scotland

  • Planning: since 24 May 2024, panels on a house are permitted development unless they stick out more than 1 m, the house is listed or in a World Heritage Site, or — in a conservation area — they go on the front or a side facing a road. Check with your council for ground-mounted panels at a house.
  • Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan: its current list of renewables offers loans for solar thermal and hybrid PV-T panels (up to £5,000 each), with an MCS installer. Check with Home Energy Scotland what is available for standard solar panels and batteries.
  • Mortgages: UK Finance says there's currently no lender guidance in Scotland on roof leases for free-solar schemes.

Wales

  • Planning: panels are generally permitted development within limits — for example, sticking out no more than 20 cm on a wall or pitched roof. See planning permission.
  • Warm Homes Nest: free advice and possibly free home improvements, which can include solar panels, for eligible households. Call 0808 808 2244 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm).

Northern Ireland

  • Export: no Smart Export Guarantee. Power NI offers a microgeneration tariff for export on systems up to 50 kW and sets the price each year.
  • Grants: Power NI says there are currently no government grants for domestic solar in Northern Ireland, though the 0% VAT rate applies.
  • Planning: roof panels are permitted development unless, for example, they stick out more than 20 cm on a roof slope facing and visible from a road; stand-alone arrays are limited to 14 m² and 2 m high.
  • Mortgages: lenders don't accept a lease of roof space; a "lease of rights" is needed instead.
  • Costs: government cost figures don't include Northern Ireland.

England

Most of our guides describe the rules in England. See planning permission and grants and loans.

Sources

  1. Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
  2. Energy Saving Trust: Solar panels
  3. HMRC VAT Notice 708/6: Energy-saving materials and heating equipment
  4. HMRC Brief 10 (2026): Temporary zero rate of VAT for domestic electricity in GB
  5. Energy Saving Trust: Plug-in solar panels
  6. legislation.gov.uk: GPDO (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024 (SSI 2024/102)
  7. legislation.gov.uk: GPDO (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2012
  8. legislation.gov.uk: Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (NI) 2015
  9. Home Energy Scotland: Grant and Loan
  10. Welsh Government: Warm Homes Nest
  11. Power NI: Microgen tariff
  12. Power NI: Solar panel grants and funding in Northern Ireland
  13. UK Finance: Solar panels and the Lenders' Handbook
  14. DESNZ: Solar PV cost data

This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Rules and prices change, and some differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — check the sources for your situation.