Free solar panels? What the offers really are
Adverts offering solar panels at no cost are everywhere, and they all sound alike. Behind the word, though, are very different arrangements. Some are genuine means-tested schemes; most are something else. Here is how to tell which is which.
The short answer
Rarely free, in the ordinary sense. Lower-income homes can get solar at no cost through council or Nest schemes. Most other offers called free are loans, roof-rental deals or ECO4 work, which ends on 31 December 2026. If you pay anything, the law says it is not free.
Facts checked at source on 2 and 3 November 2026 · Solar PV Panels Grants is an independent explainer from SEO-DONS LTD, not a scheme
What sits behind an offer called free
1. A genuine means-tested scheme
In England, councils running Warm Homes: Local Grant can fund solar for homes with an EPC rating of D to G and a household income usually of £36,000 or less, or an eligible postcode or benefit. In Wales, Warm Homes Nest packages for low-income owners and private tenants can include rooftop solar. For eligible households, the work comes at no cost. You apply through the council or scheme, and its own contractors do the work.
2. A loan described as a scheme
Some "free" offers turn out to be finance: no upfront payment, then monthly repayments for years. That may be a reasonable product, but it isn't free. Even the government's own Warm Homes Loan Scheme is a loan you repay in full.
3. Roof rental
Under roof-rental or "rent-a-roof" deals, common in the Feed-in Tariff years, a company owned the panels fitted on your roof and kept the income they earned, usually under a long lease. The household might get some daytime electricity. Many homeowners later found the lease complicated selling or remortgaging. Similar arrangements may still be offered; read any lease with a solicitor before you sign.
4. ECO4 work that is closing
ECO4, the obligation on energy suppliers, funded packages for some low-income homes, and much of the no-cost solar advertising of recent years used it. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, the government has said there will be no successor obligation, and the extension exists only so suppliers can finish existing work. See ECO4 and solar.
Offers called free, compared
| Arrangement | Do you pay? | Who owns the panels? | Who gets the export income? | Main thing to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council or Nest scheme | No, if eligible | You | You | That the council or scheme is real and the contact is genuine |
| Loan or finance | Yes, over time | You | You | The total repayable and the lender's identity |
| Roof rental | Not upfront | The company | The company | The lease: its length, and effect on a sale or mortgage |
| ECO4 | Depends on the package | You | You | That work can actually be completed before the scheme closes |
"Free" has a legal meaning
Since 6 April 2025, Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has listed practices that are banned in all circumstances. One of them is describing a product as "free", "gratis", "without charge" or similar when the consumer has to pay anything other than the unavoidable cost of responding to the offer and collecting or paying for delivery. Another is claiming that a trader or product has been approved or endorsed by a public body when it hasn't.
The Competition and Markets Authority can now enforce these rules directly, with fines of up to 10% of a firm's global turnover or £300,000, whichever is greater.
The Advertising Standards Authority applies its own code alongside. Its guidance on home energy advertising says eligibility conditions belong in the advert itself, and that small print elsewhere will not rescue a misleading headline. It has upheld complaints about a "£7,500 grant" claim shown without eligibility, about claims that work was entirely paid for, and about ECO4 adverts presented as if run by GOV.UK, which implied government endorsement.
Seven checks before you accept any offer
- Who is paying? Ask in writing whether you will pay anything, now or later, including through a loan.
- Who owns the panels afterwards? If not you, read the lease.
- Which scheme, by name? Then find it yourself on GOV.UK, gov.wales or your council's website.
- Who decided you are eligible? A genuine scheme checks income, benefits or EPC rating against published rules.
- Is a fee asked for to "secure" funding? Genuine schemes don't charge one.
- Is the installer certified? Check MCS certification for each measure on the MCS website.
- Are you being rushed? Councils work over weeks. Pressure to sign today is a warning sign.
If the offer isn't free, what is genuinely cheaper?
For households outside the means-tested schemes, the honest alternatives aren't free, but they are real and dated.
0% VAT on installed solar in a home, until 31 March 2027; 5% from 1 April 2027. The relief explained.
The Warm Homes Loan Scheme, with lower interest than ordinary borrowing according to the government, repaid in full. How it works.
Export payments under the SEG, for electricity you send to the grid. How they work.
Getting more than one quote from certified installers, which tends to do more for the price than any offer headline.
What to do if an offer wasn't what it seemed
If you signed up at home or online, you normally have a 14-day cancellation period for the contract, which may also cancel a linked finance agreement. Act quickly, and do it in writing so you have a record. If work has already started at your request, the rules on what you pay are more complicated, so get advice.
Citizens Advice can explain your position and passes reports to Trading Standards. Misleading adverts can be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority. If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank straight away if you have paid anything.
For the wider picture of how misleading grant offers work, see spotting fake grant offers. For what a genuine route looks like from the start, see is there a government grant for solar panels?
Questions about offers called free
Can I get free solar panels in the UK?
Only through a means-tested scheme: Warm Homes: Local Grant in England or Warm Homes Nest in Wales, for eligible lower-income homes. Outside those, an offer of no-cost panels usually means a loan, a roof-rental deal or ECO4 work that is closing.
Is the free solar panels scheme from the government?
There is no government scheme by that name. Offers using the phrase usually refer to ECO4, which ends on 31 December 2026, or to council schemes that you would apply for through the council.
What is roof rental?
An arrangement where a company owns panels fitted on your roof, usually under a long lease, and keeps the income they earn. You may get some free electricity during the day, but the lease can complicate selling or remortgaging the home.
Is it legal to advertise solar as free if I pay something?
No. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, describing a product as free when the buyer has to pay anything beyond the unavoidable cost of responding or delivery is banned outright.
Where do I report a misleading offer?
Citizens Advice can help and passes reports to Trading Standards. Misleading adverts can be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Where these facts come from
- legislation.gov.uk — DMCC Act 2024, Schedule 20 (banned practices) — checked 2 November 2026
- ASA — "Greener homes: building on facts, not fibs" — checked 2 November 2026
- ASA — ruling on ECO4U Ltd (ECO4 adverts styled as government), December 2024 — checked 2 November 2026
- ASA — ruling on Rock Paper Click Ltd ("Government Solar Checker"), November 2019 — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Apply for Warm Homes: Local Grant (England) — checked 2 November 2026
- Welsh Government — Warm Homes Nest scheme annual report 2024 to 2025 — checked 2 November 2026
- Ofgem — Energy Company Obligation (ECO) — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Extending the ECO4 end date: government response — checked 2 November 2026
- Citizens Advice — scams — checked 3 November 2026
Not sure which route, if any, fits your home?
Tell us where you live and what you are looking into. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this explainer, and we answer by email. We are not a scheme and cannot approve anything, but we can point you to the right door.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this explainer.
- We reply by email with the scheme or council page that fits, if there is one.
- Any application is between you and that scheme.