1. Does solar work in the west?
It does, and the honest version is this: Glasgow gets around 1,200 hours of sunshine a year against 1,500 or so on the Fife coast, so a panel here makes a bit less than the same panel in Kirkcaldy. But panels run on daylight, bright overcast still gives 20 to 40% of peak, and the Gulf Stream keeps the west mild, so winter output holds up better than people expect. A University of Edinburgh study put Edinburgh at 10.6 kWh a day against London's 12.2. The west is a little behind that, and a battery makes up most of the difference by catching the bright spells.
2. Cost
The UK average installed system was £6,665 in March 2026, roughly £1,668 per kW. Batteries add £2,500 to £5,000. Our three fixed prices are £5,995 for 4.3 kW solar only, £8,995 for 4.3 kW plus a 5.1 kWh battery, and £12,495 for 6 kW plus 10.2 kWh, with scaffold, electrical work, commissioning and certification all in. Every quote is one number.
3. Savings
Electricity is 26.32p a unit under the price cap from October to December 2026. A 4.3 kW system in Renfrewshire makes around 3,400 to 3,600 kWh a year. Use 40% of it yourself with no battery, or 70 to 80% with one. For a £100 a month household that works out around £800 to £900 a year saved and a payback of six to ten years. Your design will show your own figures.
4. Grants, straight
There is no Home Energy Scotland grant or loan for solar panels. It was withdrawn on 6 June 2024 and hasn't come back. Anyone telling you otherwise is either out of date or selling something. What there is: 0% VAT on the whole job until 31 March 2027 (then 5%, so £450 on a £9,000 system), Smart Export Guarantee payments for what you export, and ECO4 for households on qualifying benefits with electric heating until the end of 2026. Heat pump grants still exist, but they only cover the heat pump.
5. Getting paid for export
The Smart Export Guarantee pays for every unit you send out. Decent tariffs in September 2026 pay 15 to 18p, one pays 25p if you take the supplier's import tariff, and Octopus's battery tariff peaks at 29p between 4 and 7pm. You need a smart meter and an MCS or Flexi-Orb certificate for the install.
6. Tenements, four-in-a-block and factors
Four-in-a-block: you own your roof section, fit away. Tenement: the roof is shared, so you need the other owners and the factor to agree, and the panels must sit on the section your title deeds cover. It takes a few weeks longer and we can run it for you. Ex-council semis and terraces across Glasgow, Paisley, Motherwell and Kilmarnock are the simplest jobs we do.
7. Planning around Glasgow
Permitted development for most houses. Check if you're in a conservation area (Park, Dowanhill, Pollokshields, parts of Paisley and Kilmacolm), a listed building, or inside the Loch Lomond and Trossachs park boundary. Rear-pitch, all-black arrays get approved far more readily where consent is needed. We check the maps before quoting.
8. Winter and tariffs
The battery earns its keep in winter. Charged overnight at around 7p on a smart tariff, it runs your morning and evening at a quarter of the price-cap rate whether the sun's out or not. 5.1 kWh for most homes, 10.2 kWh for EVs and heat pumps.
9. Questions to ask anyone quoting you
Is that a fixed price or a 'from' price? Who actually does the roofing and electrical work? What certificate do I get and does it qualify me for export payments? Can I see the panel layout on my roof before I pay a deposit? Vague answers to any of those are your cue to leave.
Sources
Ofgem price cap 1 October to 31 December 2026. Sunsave: Home Energy Scotland funding and Smart Export Guarantee rate tables, September 2026. HMRC: VAT on energy-saving materials, zero rate to 31 March 2027. Renewable Energy Hub: Scottish solar costs 2026 and University of Edinburgh output study. Scottish Government permitted development rules for microgeneration.