Commercial

Commercial solar for UK businesses

What a commercial rooftop array costs, how the payback maths differs from domestic, and what changes by sector — warehouses, farms, schools and hotels each have a different roof and a different load profile.

Most recently reviewed 2026-08-23 0 of 6 pages written

Cost and return

Commercial payback is driven by daytime load, not by export.

What commercial solar costs

You need a budget figure before taking it to the board.

£45k–£150k typical Not written yet

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Commercial solar payback

Building the business case.

Load shape beats roof size Not written yet

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By sector

Roof type, load shape and available capital differ enough to change the answer.

Solar for farms and agricultural buildings

You have the roof space and want to know the catch.

Not written yet

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Solar for warehouses

Large roof, and you need to know if the maths follows.

Not written yet

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Solar for schools

A governor has asked whether it stacks up.

Not written yet

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Solar for hotels

Good load shape, awkward building.

Not written yet

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Common questions

How is commercial solar payback different from domestic?

It is driven by daytime consumption rather than by export. A business that runs machinery, refrigeration or air conditioning through the working day uses most of what it generates at full retail value, which is why commercial paybacks are frequently shorter than domestic ones despite the larger capital cost.

Does 0% VAT apply to a commercial installation?

No. The zero rate is for domestic installations. Commercial projects are standard-rated, though VAT-registered businesses recover it in the normal way and capital allowances may apply.

What size connection approval will we need?

Anything meaningful at commercial scale needs G99 approval from your distribution network operator before installation, not notification afterwards. Allow several weeks, and treat any timeline that ignores it as unrealistic.

We are not taking commercial enquiries yet

Commercial buyers are a different set from the domestic ones and none is signed, so there is no form here. Tell us where to reach you and we will let you know when there is: along with anything that changes the commercial maths.