Is Solar Together worth it? How the council group-buying scheme works

Solar Together is usually worth registering for: it costs nothing, carries no obligation, and the group auction often lands a price below typical individual quotes for a like-for-like system, where a 3–4 kWp install typically costs £5,000–£7,500 on the open market in 2026. Whether you should accept the offer is a separate question. You get one pre-selected installer for your whole region, a fixed kit list, and an install queue that can run for months, so the recommendation works best as one of three quotes rather than the only one.

The scheme is run by iChoosr, a group-buying company, in partnership with local councils, mostly in England and occasionally elsewhere in the UK. Councils promote it to residents, iChoosr runs the registration, auction and customer process, and a vetted installer wins the right to supply everyone in that area who says yes.

How the process works, step by step

Each participating council runs a round roughly once a year; the shape is consistent, the dates differ by area.

Stage	What happens	Rough timing
Registration	You register online with your address, roof details and battery interest. No obligation.	Window open for several weeks
Auction	Pre-vetted installers bid to supply the whole group. Lowest price for the fixed kit wins the region.	One day, shortly after registration closes
Personal recommendation	A priced recommendation based on your registration, naming the winning installer.	Typically 2–4 weeks after the auction
Decision	You accept or decline. Accepting is the point of commitment, subject to survey.	A window of roughly 4–6 weeks
Survey	The installer checks the roof and confirms or adjusts the system and price.	Weeks to a few months after acceptance
Installation	Panels, inverter and any battery fitted, then commissioning and MCS paperwork.	A couple of months to well over six, depending on demand

Two points matter. The recommendation is an estimate from your registration answers and desktop data, not a design, so the price can move once someone has been on the roof. And because one installer serves the whole region, the wait between accepting and having panels fitted is often the longest part.

What the auction price typically achieves

The point of the auction is volume. An installer bidding for hundreds or thousands of homes in one area can price with lower sales cost per job, bulk-bought kit and a predictable pipeline, which is why the winning price often comes in below what the same household would be quoted individually.

Three caveats.

• It is a price for a standard package. The comparison only holds against quotes for a similar panel count, panel class and inverter. Compare like-for-like on kWp, not against the cheapest figure you have heard.
• Add-ons are priced separately. Battery storage, bird protection, an EV charger and roof complications are typically extras or picked up at survey. The headline is the base system.
• The market has moved. Individual quotes have fallen a long way since the scheme's early rounds, and 0% VAT on residential solar and batteries runs until 31 March 2027 whichever route you take. The gap to a good local quote is often narrower than the marketing implies, and a local installer who knows a competing price exists will sometimes match it.

For what individual quotes look like in 2026, see how much solar panels cost in the UK.

What is standardised, and what you cannot choose

A group auction only works if every bidder prices the same thing, so the kit is fixed before anyone bids.

• Panels. One make and model, or a short list, set by the specification and the winning bid. You cannot swap in a preferred brand.
• Inverter. Usually one string inverter model. Optimisers or micro-inverters for shaded roofs may be an extra, or unavailable.
• Battery. If offered, one or two capacity options from one manufacturer, priced as an add-on.
• Warranties. Set by the round: typically long product and performance warranties on the panels and a fixed workmanship period from the installer. Usually reasonable, but you take what is offered. Solar panel warranties explained covers what each type actually protects.

Standardised kit is how the scheme gets its price. It suits people who want a conventional system and are not attached to specific hardware.

The honest trade-offs

• One installer for a whole region. You do not choose them, and they may be based far from your home. A fault visit or warranty claim years later means dealing with whichever company won that round.
• Install queues can be long. The winner takes on every acceptance in the area at once; waits of several months are common.
• You still need a survey. It can change the panel count, the price or, occasionally, whether the installer can proceed at all.
• The price is a starting point, not the end. It tells you what a standard system should roughly cost in your area. It does not tell you whether that specification is right for your roof.
• Installer standards are the same as anywhere. Scheme installers must hold MCS certification, which is the bar every listed installer on our directory meets. The scheme's vetting is a floor, not a distinction, so check the certificate yourself as you would for any quote.

When Solar Together is a good fit, and when a local quote is better

Solar Together tends to suit you if:

• You want a credible benchmark price without ringing round installers.
• Your roof is simple: one or two clear pitches, little shade, standard tiles or slate.
• You are not in a hurry and can live with an install date several months out.

A local MCS installer quote is usually the better route if:

• Your roof is complex: multiple aspects, dormers, heavy shading, a flat roof, or a listed or conservation-area property.
• You want specific hardware, such as a particular battery, hybrid inverter or panel-level optimisation.
• You value someone local for the install and for aftercare over the next 20–25 years.
• You want to be installed this season rather than next.

Most people sit between the two lists, hence the checklist below. Our MCS-certified installers guide explains what the certification requires, and how we vet installers sets out what we check before listing a company.

How to use a Solar Together offer well

Getting value from the offer takes a little discipline.

1. Treat the recommendation as one of three quotes. Get two individual quotes from MCS-certified installers for a comparable system, and tell them the scheme price exists.
2. Check the installer's MCS number. Look them up on the MCS register by certificate number, not trading name, and confirm solar PV and any battery work are in scope.
3. Compare kit and warranties line by line. Panel wattage and count, inverter type and capacity, battery usable capacity, and the workmanship, product and performance warranty terms.
4. Ask about the install queue. How many acceptances are ahead of you, and what date range they realistically expect for survey and install.
5. Ask what happens if the survey changes the price. Whether you can walk away without cost, and how long you have to decide on the revised quote.

The questions to ask a solar installer apply to a scheme installer exactly as to anyone else. And if a "free solar" advert brought you here rather than a council email, can you get free solar panels in the UK? explains why Solar Together is a discount route for paying customers, not a funded one.

The practical takeaway

Solar Together is worth registering for in most cases: it costs nothing and produces a credible, competitive quote for a standard system in your area. It is worth accepting when your roof is simple, you are comfortable with the fixed kit and the winning installer, and you can wait for the queue. It is the wrong answer for a complex roof, a specific hardware wish list, or anyone who wants a local company to call for the next two decades. Registration windows are per council and recur roughly yearly, so check your council's website for the current round. Before any of that, find out what your roof can actually do with our roof check, put your own usage into the savings calculator, and compare the scheme's offer against a listed MCS-certified installer covering your postcode. You contact them directly, on your terms, and whichever route you take, the installer's survey settles final suitability and price.

Frequently asked questions

What is Solar Together and who runs it?

Solar Together is a group-buying scheme for home solar panels and batteries run by iChoosr, a group-buying company, in partnership with local councils, mostly in England. Residents register free and without obligation, pre-vetted installers bid in a reverse auction to supply everyone in the area, and the lowest bid for a fixed specification wins. Registrants then receive a priced personal recommendation and decide whether to accept, usually within a few weeks.

Is Solar Together cheaper than getting quotes myself?

Often, but not always, and the gap varies by round and area. Bulk volume and low sales cost let the winning installer price below many individual quotes for a comparable system. But individual quotes have fallen sharply, add-ons such as batteries are priced separately, and a local installer who knows the scheme price exists may match it. Compare like-for-like on panel count, inverter and warranties before assuming the scheme is cheaper.

Do I have to accept the Solar Together offer?

No. Registration is free and carries no obligation, and the personal recommendation is an offer you can decline within the decision window at no cost. Commitment happens when you accept, and even then acceptance is normally subject to a survey. If the survey changes the price or the system, ask how long you have to decide again and whether you can withdraw without charge before you sign.

How long does a Solar Together installation take?

Longer than a typical individual install, in most cases. Registration runs for several weeks, the recommendation follows the auction within a few weeks, and you then have roughly four to six weeks to decide. After acceptance the winning installer works through every household in the region, so survey and installation can sit several months out. Ask about the queue before accepting.

Can I choose my own panels or battery through Solar Together?

Not in the usual sense. The scheme fixes the specification before the auction so that installers bid on identical kit, which is how the price is achieved. You get the panel model, inverter and battery options set out in your round, sometimes with add-ons such as bird protection or a larger battery. If you want a specific brand, panel-level optimisation for a shaded roof or a particular battery ecosystem, a local installer's quote is the better route.

Related

• Can you get free solar panels in the UK?
• Questions to ask a solar installer
• Solar panel warranties explained
• MCS certified solar installers
• How much do solar panels cost in the UK?
• How we vet installers
• Find MCS-certified installers