Solar Panel Installation
in Watford

It depends on direction, shading and roof structure, which a survey confirms. The European Commission's PVGIS model estimates that in Watford a 35-degree roof produces about 1,013 kWh a year per kWp facing south, 965 kWh facing south-east, 943 kWh facing south-west, 816 kWh facing east and 788 kWh facing west, assuming 14% system losses. East- and west-facing roofs therefore still produce roughly 78 to 81% of a south-facing array. The Energy Saving Trust notes that panels work best with no shading from nearby trees or buildings, and these PVGIS figures do not include that kind of shading. On a flat roof in a conservation area, an array needs an application to the council for a prior approval determination before work starts.

Two national measures cut the cost of solar. Installing solar panels and batteries in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate is 5%. You can also be paid for exported electricity under the Smart Export Guarantee, provided the technology and installer are MCS certified and you have a registered smart meter that records exports; Outgoing Octopus, for example, pays 12p per kWh on a variable tariff for Octopus Energy customers. For EV chargers, which are not zero-rated for VAT, the OZEV grant for renters and flat owners pays 75% of the cost of a socket, up to £500, where there is designated private off-street parking. People who own and live in a house cannot apply for that grant.

Call 0800 470 0922 with your full postcode and we will confirm whether we can cover your address. Planning is worth checking early around Watford, because the postcodes cross council boundaries. Postcode data shows WD23, which includes the Bushey Heath, Bushey North, Bushey Park and Bushey St James wards, spans Watford, Hertsmere and Harrow; WD25 includes Abbots Langley parish and parts of Three Rivers, Hertsmere and St Albans districts; and Croxley Green parish falls within the WD18 and WD3 outcodes. Conservation areas and Article 4 directions depend on the council your home is in, so the planning authority for your full postcode should be confirmed before a system is designed.

The Energy Saving Trust says domestic systems are generally around 4.5 kWp and cost around £7,600, and battery storage tends to cost around £5,000 to £8,000. Your price depends on system size, roof access, whether you choose panels or tiles, whether they are integrated into the building, and whether the roof covering needs renewing. Domestic solar panels and batteries are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%. For scale, PVGIS estimates a 4.5 kWp south-facing array in Watford generates about 4,560 kWh a year. At Ofgem's October to December 2026 cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh, and 12p per kWh export on Outgoing Octopus's variable tariff, using 40% of that at home (our assumption) would be worth about £808 a year before any battery. A survey sets your actual price.

The programme is set after a survey, because scaffolding, roof access and system size vary from house to house. Paperwork often sets the order of work. A system within G98, up to and including 16 A per phase (3.68 kW single-phase or 11.04 kW three-phase), is notified to the network operator within 28 days after commissioning, but a larger system goes through G99 before installation, and MCS says adding a battery to solar is likely to exceed 16 A per phase. On a flat roof in a conservation area, an array also needs an application to the council for a prior approval determination before work starts.