The Rent-a-Roof scheme lets people who can’t otherwise afford solar panels gain access to them, through installers who will setup solar panels on roofs for reduced prices. Installers can then sell any excess electricity generated back to the grid.
1. A range of companies (HomeSun, A Shade Greener) will install free solar panels onto your roof at no cost to yourself. Typically an installation can cost something in the region of £15,000. 2. The panels, installation, maintenance and insurance all come free as part of the package. You don’t have to pay for a thing. 3.
Rent-a-roof schemes provided free solar panels to households all over the UK during the 2010s – but there were plenty of strings attached. They stand in contrast with current-day solar subscription services like Sunsave Plus, which allow you to retain control of your roof, your solar panel system, and your future.
All rent-a-roof schemes which offered free panels in return for Feed-in Tariff payments are shut to new customers, but there are still solar leases that homeowners can access. Solar subscriptions also provide an alternative way for homeowners to get rooftop panels without paying an upfront cost.
While the Feed-in Tariff was in effect, more than 900,000 homes in the UK had solar panels installed – so we can estimate that around 27,000 households signed up for a rent-a-roof scheme. What were the problems with rent-a-roof solar panel schemes?
Buying a house with Rent-a-Roof solar panels could lead to mortgage complications. For example, if the lease includes maintenance cost obligations, or if there are certain access rights granted to the installer, a mortgage provider could be unwilling to lend.