GB Solar Installations Hit 15-Year High
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- Great Britain added 142,536 solar installations in H1 2026, the highest six-month figure since H2 2011 (167,316), putting the country on track to top last year's record, with most new installs on household rooftops despite making up less than a third of total solar capacity.
- E.ON Next reported a 151% rise in homes installing solar panels in H1 2026 versus H1 2025, with director Phil Gilbert noting some customers save up to £600 a year on solar-and-battery tariffs.
- Octopus Energy recorded a 54% jump in solar panel sales in March 2026, within weeks of the Middle East conflict causing oil and gas prices to soar, bringing total GB installations past 2 million.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme saw applications reach 4,512 in June 2026, up 21% year-on-year, as the government raised grant funding from £7,500 to £9,000 for replacing fossil fuel heating with heat pumps.
- Andy Burnham cut VAT on electricity bills from October, making running a heat pump cheaper and complementing the rooftop-solar surge with a parallel push toward low-carbon heating.
- By end of August, flat-dwellers and renters across GB will be able to use "balcony solar panels" under legislation passed this month, extending rooftop-solar access to households previously locked out.
Why it matters: With fossil fuel prices driving a 151% surge in E.ON Next solar installations and over 2 million total installs across GB, rooftop solar is shifting from climate project to mainstream household budget move; the August balcony-solar rollout further extends that access to renters and flat-dwellers who could never install rooftop panels.
