The prices
| Kit | Array | Now, at 0% VAT | From 1 Apr 2027, at 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Balcony 800 | 0.8 kWp · 2 panels | £1,380 | £1,448 |
One kit, one price. A one-panel variant was drafted and dropped — see the kits for why.
What you are actually paying for
Of the £1,380 for the 800, £450 before VAT is the visit and £930 is the kit. Here is what the visit buys.
- A surveyor looking at your railing and deciding whether it can carry the wind load
- Mounting the panels and the microinverter
- An electrician making a fixed connection into your consumer unit, rather than a lead through a door
- An electrical installation certificate — the document a landlord or factor asks for
- The G98 notification to your network operator
What it really costs, once VAT is in the picture
Until 27 August 2026 there was a simpler answer to “why not do it myself”: connecting a generator through a plug was not lawful here. It is now, for a compliant device, so the case for a fitted price has to stand on its own. It does, and the reason is VAT.
Zero-rating applies to a system installed by the supplier. A kit bought over the counter and fitted by the buyer is standard-rated at 20%. So the comparison is not £1,380 against the kit price — it is £1,380 against the kit price with VAT added.
| Solar Balcony 800 | Buy the kit, fit it yourself | Fitted by us |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | £929.52 + 20% VAT | £929.52, zero-rated |
| The visit | — | £450, zero-rated |
| You pay | £1,115 | £1,380 |
Figures from our published cost model at today’s VAT rates. Assumes you would pay our product line for the same hardware retail.
So the survey, the wind-load assessment, the mounting, the fixed connection, the certificate and the G98 filing come to about £264 — not £450. That is a different decision from the one the install line makes it look like.
It is still your decision. If you are confident about your railing, happy to run a lead, and do not need a certificate for a factor, buying a compliant kit and plugging it in is a perfectly legitimate thing to do since the law changed. See what changed on 27 August.
The VAT deadline is real, and it cuts both ways
Installed energy-saving materials are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, reverting to the reduced rate of 5% on 1 April 2027. For the 800 kit that is the difference between £1,380 and £1,448 — about £68.
It is worth knowing about and it is not worth panicking about. £68 is not a reason to rush a decision that depends on a factor’s consent, and anyone using that deadline to hurry you is telling you something about themselves.
The zero rate applies to a system installed by the supplier. A kit bought over the counter and fitted by the buyer is standard-rated at 20% — which is the whole of the arithmetic above, and the reason a DIY price comparison is not as favourable as it first looks.
What is not in the price
Consent fees. Some factors and freeholders charge for a licence to alter, particularly in England and Wales. Ask them early so it goes in your budget rather than surprising you.
Making good beyond the ordinary. If your balustrade needs a through-fixing and the permission you have does not cover it, that is a conversation before the work rather than an extra on the invoice.
Honesty about these figures
Every number on this page is traceable to our published cost model. There is exactly one price because there is exactly one kit — no “from” teaser, no configurator that adds a third to the total by the time you reach the end, and no second kit priced on a guess to make the first look generous.