Solar Roof Tiles Installation Cost Calculator

How this calculator works

This calculator works in ranges rather than single figures, because real quotes, yields and tariffs genuinely vary that much. It starts from typical UK price, output and savings ranges drawn from published 2026 industry guides and official scheme documentation, then scales them by the quantities you enter and adjusts them for each choice you make below. The result is a low-to-high band that a realistic outcome is likely to fall within, not a promise of the figure you will achieve.

Solar roof tiles cost around on average in the UK in 2026, with a 1 kWp system starting from roughly and a 5 kWp system reaching . Per kWp that is roughly two to three times the price of conventional panels, the premium buying a roof that looks like a roof: tiles sit in the roof plane in place of slates or tiles rather than on top of them.

System size

Like panels, solar tile systems are sized in kilowatts peak. Because individual tiles generate less than a full-size panel, a given system size needs considerably more roof area in tiles, and tiles are typically 10 to 20 percent efficient against 18 to 25 percent for modern panels. A 3 to 4 kWp tile system suits an average home, roof area permitting.

Tile type

Standard interlocking solar tiles from mainstream manufacturers are the baseline. Premium slate-effect products, designed to closely match natural slate for conservation areas and listed buildings, cost roughly 20 percent more and are usually specified where planners would refuse conventional panels.

Roofing scope

Solar tiles make most financial sense when the roof is being replaced anyway or on a new build, because part of their cost displaces conventional roofing you would have bought regardless. If the project includes re-roofing the remaining area with matching plain tiles, expect roughly 25 percent on top, though quotes vary with roof size and complexity.

Where you live

Installation labour is not priced uniformly across the UK. Published guides put London and South East installation costs roughly 15 to 25 percent above the national average, reflecting labour rates, access and parking. Hardware prices are broadly national, so the difference is mostly in the fitting.

What else affects the figures

Tile system prices vary with the manufacturer, with UK-made MCS-certified products from the established brands commanding a premium, and with how much of the roof is being covered. Efficiency matters more than with panels: because tiles convert less of the light that hits them, a roof can run out of space before it reaches the system size a household wants. Installer availability is a genuine cost factor too, as far fewer roofing firms are certified for solar tiles than for panels, which limits competitive quoting in some areas. If your roof is sound and aesthetics are not critical, conventional panels remain the far cheaper route to the same output.

Certification, planning and grid connection

Most home solar installations fall under permitted development and need no planning permission, provided panels do not protrude more than 200 millimetres from the roof plane, though listed buildings and flats have tighter rules and conservation areas restrict panels on walls fronting the highway, so check with your local planning authority if any apply. Use an MCS-certified installer: certification is required to register for Smart Export Guarantee payments and is the industry marker of a compliant installation. Your installer must also notify or seek approval from the district network operator, automatically for systems up to 3.68 kW per phase under G98 and by prior application under G99 above that. Residential solar and battery installations carry 0 percent VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate is due to revert to 5 percent.