In brief
DESNZ’s 2025/26 cost data put the middle UK price at £1,595 per kW for systems up to 4 kW, and the North West average at £1,800. That points to roughly £6,400 to £7,200 for a 4 kWp system before extras such as scaffold, roof repairs or consumer-unit work. VAT on installed solar is 0% until 31 March 2027.
The source of the price figures
Each year DESNZ releases solar PV cost data drawn from the MCS database of certified jobs. It reports the total installed cost per kW of capacity, grouped by system size and by region. For 2025/26, the figures most relevant to a Crewe home are:
- UK median, systems up to 4 kW: £1,595 per kW.
- UK median, systems of 4 to 10 kW: £1,546 per kW.
- North West mean, systems up to 4 kW: £1,800 per kW, from a sample of 14,142 records.
- North West mean, systems of 4 to 10 kW: £1,627 per kW, from a sample of 7,673 records.
The two kinds of figure are not the same measure. A median is the middle price when every job is lined up from cheapest to dearest; a mean is the total divided by the number of jobs, so a handful of expensive installations can pull it up. That is one reason the North West means sit above the UK medians. Rather than choosing one, treat them as the lower and upper edges of a rough range. The per-kW price also falls as systems get bigger, because scaffold, surveys and paperwork are spread across more panels. How many households in the borough have already gone ahead is covered on solar take-up in Cheshire East.
A rough guide by size
| System size | DESNZ band used | At the UK median | At the North West mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kWp | 0–4 kW | £4,800 | £5,400 |
| 4 kWp | 0–4 kW | £6,400 | £7,200 |
| 5 kWp | 4–10 kW | £7,700 | £8,100 |
| 6 kWp | 4–10 kW | £9,300 | £9,800 |
These numbers are arithmetic, not prices. They show the order of magnitude a household might expect for a straightforward job, so that a quote far outside the range prompts a question. A 4 kWp system sits at the top of the smaller band, so it uses the 0–4 kW figure; the 5 and 6 kWp rows use the 4–10 kW figures. How much electricity each size might make on a Crewe roof is on output on a Crewe roof, and the roof shapes that decide how many panels fit are covered on semi-detached roofs.
What the averages cannot tell you
Averages across thousands of jobs say nothing about what was included in any one of them. Some prices will have included a new consumer unit, others not; some roofs needed complex scaffold, others a simple tower at the back. If a battery is being quoted, ask for it as a separate line so the solar part can be compared with the figures above. Panel-level electronics, bird mesh and monitoring are other items that may or may not be in a given price.
Why two firms’ prices differ
Even for the same roof, prices can vary a good deal. Firms choose different panels and inverters, with different warranty terms. Some employ their own scaffolders and electricians, others subcontract. Some include monitoring, bird protection or panel-level electronics as standard, others list them as options. Overheads, travel and how busy a firm is all play a part. None of that makes the lowest or the highest quote wrong, but it does mean the headline figure is the least informative number on the page.
What a clear quote breaks out
- Capacity in kWp, how many panels, and the manufacturer and model of the panels and inverter.
- Scaffold or other access, with any licence fee.
- Electrical work: consumer unit, isolators, cabling and any meter changes.
- Any battery, diverter, optimisers or monitoring, each as its own line.
- The grid paperwork, G98 or G99, and who submits it.
- VAT, the payment stages and the size of any deposit.
Extras an older terraced house can bring
Terraced houses make up a large share of homes in Crewe Central and Crewe South, and a terrace can add costs that a detached house with a driveway may avoid. None of these is certain for any particular house; each depends on what the survey finds.
- Scaffold. Front scaffold on a pavement usually needs a licence from the council as highway authority. Rear scaffold may involve carrying materials through the house or a neighbour’s yard. Both can add cost and time.
- The consumer unit. An older consumer unit may not have space or suitable protection for a new solar circuit and may need replacing.
- The cable route. In a terrace the meter is often at the front of the house, while the inverter may be in the loft; a long or awkward route adds labour.
- Shade. Chimney stacks on a narrow roof can justify optimisers or microinverters, which cost more than a plain string design.
- Repairs first. If slates, tiles, flashings or a chimney need work, it is usually best done before the panels go on, while the scaffold is up.
The practical detail for these houses is on terraced houses in Crewe. The three listed railway-cottage terraces need planning permission and Listed Building Consent, which brings drawings, fees and time; see the railway cottages page before asking for prices there.
VAT
Under HMRC’s VAT Notice 708/6, solar panels and batteries installed in a home carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the rate is 5%. Quotes include VAT in the price, so check which rate each assumes, and if the work might finish close to the change, ask how it will be charged.
Ways to pay
Paying outright. Many households pay from money they have set aside, usually in stages: a deposit, then the balance on completion. Keep any deposit modest, ask how it is protected, and avoid paying the full sum before the work is done.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant. Cheshire East Council’s Local Grant, with funding until 31 March 2028, lists solar PV among its measures for owner-occupiers and private tenants in homes rated EPC D to G who meet a benefit or income test. In private rented homes the landlord is expected to contribute at least 50% after their first property. The conditions are on grants and schemes, and landlords can read landlords and solar.
The Warm Homes Loan Scheme. The Warm Homes Loan Scheme is explained in a factsheet the government has published. It is a loan, not a grant, and it must be repaid. Check the factsheet’s own description of eligibility and terms before counting on it.
Credit arranged by a firm. Some firms offer finance. Read the credit agreement in full, note the total amount payable as well as the monthly figure, and check the lender is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. A credit agreement signed at home normally comes with a cooling-off period; ask what it is.
Group buying. Cheshire East’s Switch Together scheme gathers households into a group buy. Its 2026 round closed to registrations on 25 September 2026, so it is not open now.
Rented homes: who pays
In a rented home the landlord owns the building and pays for any panels, with or without help from the Local Grant. A tenant should not be asked to fund work on the landlord’s roof, and should not offer to, without a clear written agreement about what they get in exchange. How tenants can raise solar is covered on renting in Crewe.
Comparing two quotes on the same basis
Divide each quote’s solar price by its system size in kWp to get a per-kW figure, and set that against the table above. Then look at what each includes: scaffold, consumer-unit work, panel-level electronics, monitoring, the G98 or G99 paperwork and the warranties. A cheap price that leaves out scaffold or electrical work is not cheap. Check every firm on the MCS register and on Companies House; the full set of checks is on choosing an installer, and storage is covered on batteries in Crewe.
To ask about a quote already in your hands, use the question form; this guide does not sell or price systems itself.