solarpanelsforcommercialproperty
Free tool

Commercial solar calculator

Estimate the cost, generation, annual saving and payback of solar on your commercial property in seconds. Indicative 2026 figures — a full proposal models your actual half-hourly data.

Your inputs

Indicative estimate

Installed cost (ex-VAT)
£—
Annual generation
— kWh
Annual saving
£—
Simple payback
— yrs
CO₂ saved / year
— t
25-year net value
£—

Indicative only, using 2026 UK benchmarks (£/kWp by scale, 950 kWh/kWp/yr, SEG export ~12p). Excludes tax relief, which shortens payback ~1–2 years. Not a quote.

Get a fixed-price proposal →

How the calculator works

The estimate uses the same 2026 benchmarks we model from. Installed cost runs £700–£1,100 per kWp and falls with scale, so the calculator applies a sliding rate from about £1,050/kWp at 50 kWp down to roughly £720/kWp at 1 MWp. Generation is your system size × 950 kWh per kWp per year (central-UK yield). Saving is the part you use on site valued at your electricity price, plus exported surplus valued at a 12p Smart Export Guarantee rate — which is why self-consumption matters so much. Payback is simple cost ÷ annual saving, before the Annual Investment Allowance and the business-rates exemption shorten it further.

For a let building, who captures that saving depends on the lease — see the split incentive solved. For the full cost picture by system size read the commercial solar cost guide, and for the tax levers the funding and tax page. When you are ready, our installation team turns the estimate into a fixed-price proposal.

FAQs

Calculator questions

How accurate is the commercial solar calculator?

It gives an indicative estimate using 2026 UK benchmarks — roughly £700–£1,100 per kWp installed (falling with scale), 950 kWh generated per kWp per year, and your chosen electricity price and self-consumption. A real proposal models your half-hourly meter data, roof and shading, so treat the calculator as a starting point, not a quote.

What is self-consumption and why does it matter?

Self-consumption is the share of generation you use on site rather than export. It is the single biggest driver of payback, because every self-consumed unit displaces grid power at the full ~24–28p/kWh while exported surplus earns only the Smart Export Guarantee rate (~12–16p). A typical commercial site self-consumes 30–50% on solar alone, 60–80% with a battery, and 90–95% if it runs 24/7.

Does the calculator include tax relief?

The headline payback shown is simple (pre-tax). In practice the Annual Investment Allowance (100% first-year relief up to £1m) and the business-rates exemption to 2035 shorten the effective payback by roughly one to two years. We factor these into a full proposal. See our [funding and tax guide](/grants-and-funding/).

How do I turn the estimate into a fixed price?

Send us your half-hourly meter data and roof details and we will model the system properly and return a fixed-price proposal within 7 working days. The calculator sizes the conversation; the proposal sizes the system.

Accredited and certified for UK commercial work

  • MCS Certified
  • NICEIC Approved
  • RECC Member
  • TrustMark Licensed
  • IWA Insurance-Backed
  • ISO 9001 / 14001

Commercial Solar Across the UK

Own the building? Fund panels via solar asset finance for landlords.

For the full picture across every sector, see our UK commercial solar installation hub.

Own light-industrial space? We also cover solar for industrial units.

Big-box sheds are their own discipline — logistics and distribution solar.

Turn surface parking into generation with solar car parks and canopies.

Pair your array with commercial battery storage.

Decarbonising heat as well? Look at commercial heat pumps.

Sense-check our numbers against independent solar cost data.