Hotels, B&Bs and holiday parks

Solar Panels for Hotels, B&Bs and Holiday Parks

Hospitality runs seven days a week, with kitchens, laundry and guest rooms using power all day. Book a free solar survey for your hotel, B&B or holiday park: we check the site is suitable, then match you with one MCS certified installer who visits and gives you a proposal.

Free site survey: we match you with one MCS certified installer who covers your area and the size of the job. Your details go to that installer only, so you're not passed around or ring-rounded.

Book a free site survey Why it suits solar

Free survey, no obligation
Hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and holiday parks
Work planned around your guests
One MCS certified installer that covers your area

Why hospitality suits solar panels

Solar panels make electricity in daylight, every day of the week. Hotels and parks are open every day too, so the output has somewhere to go at weekends as well as weekdays.

Kitchens

Cooking, refrigeration, dishwashers and extraction draw power through breakfast, lunch and the afternoon.

Laundry

Washers, dryers and ironers usually run in the daytime, often for hours at a time.

Air conditioning and pools

Cooling on sunny days, and pool and spa pumps and plant, use power when panels make the most.

Open seven days

Unlike an office, a hotel or park uses power at weekends and through holidays, when it is often busiest.

Summer seasons

Holiday parks and seasonal hotels are fullest in the months of longest daylight.

Guest EV charging

Chargers for guests and staff add to demand, and daytime charging can use the panels' output.

What the survey checks at a hotel or park

Before the visit, we ask about ownership, your energy spend, the roofs or land and your supply. At the survey, the installer looks at the detail.

Roofs and outbuildings

Which roofs can take panels, their structure and condition, and outbuildings, car park or ground options if the main roof is not suitable.

Planning and heritage

Whether the building is listed or in a conservation area, and what planning permission the design needs.

Your energy use through the year

Bills or half-hourly data across the seasons, so the system is sized for quiet months as well as busy ones.

The supply

The supply and meters, how power is distributed to lodges or pitches on a park, and what the network operator will allow.

Guests and access

Safe access for the work, keeping scaffolding away from guests, and timing the connection for a quiet period.

Ownership or lease

Whether you own the site, or the landlord or freeholder is willing to agree to an installation.

Before you start: hospitality solar questions

Use what you make. A unit of electricity the business uses itself saves the full price you pay for it, while a unit exported earns a much lower export payment. The installer sizes the system to your daytime use, which for a hotel or park includes weekends and the busy season.

Older buildings need more care. Many hotels and B&Bs are in older buildings, some listed or in conservation areas. That does not always rule solar out, but it can change where the panels go and what permission is needed, so the installer checks it at the survey.

Plan the work around guests. Agree in advance where scaffolding goes, which areas are affected and when the power will be off for the connection, so guests barely notice.

Costs and tax relief. Our commercial solar cost guide explains what goes into the price, and our grants and tax relief guide covers capital allowances and what funding is open.

How we choose your installer

1We talk to you about the site and how the business uses electricity.
2Installers who cover your area see the project without your name or contact details.
3Our team picks the one best placed for it, by area, the size of the job and MCS certification.
4Only that installer gets your details, and they book the survey with you.
5Not right for you? Tell us.

What we check before we match you

MCS certification: current, and on the MCS installer register.
Other accreditations they hold, for example NICEIC or NAPIT, RECC and TrustMark. We favour installers with more relevant accreditations.
Their customer reviews on public review sites.
How long they have been trading, and that the company is active at Companies House with its accounts filed.
Stability: no frequent changes of directors in recent years.
That they cover your area and do jobs of your size.

If an installer doesn't meet these, we don't match them.

How it works

Four steps from a short call to a survey at your site.

1
Book a call
Fill in the short form. A member of our UK team calls you to ask about the site and how the business uses electricity.
2
We check it's a fit
Ownership or landlord consent, your energy spend, the roof or land and your electricity supply, so nobody's time is wasted.
3
Matched with one installer
Installers who cover your area see the project without your name or contact details. Our team picks the one best placed for it, and only they get your details.
4
Your free site survey
The installer visits at a time that suits you, looks at the site and gives you their proposal. Whether you go ahead is up to you.

What it costs

The survey is free. Your business pays nothing for the call or the site survey, and there is no obligation to go ahead. If you choose to install, you agree the price and terms directly with the installer.

The cost of a system depends on its size, the roof or land and the electricity connection. Our guide to what commercial solar panels cost explains what sets the price, with the government's published cost data and two worked examples. For tax relief and funding, see solar panel grants for businesses.

Solar panels for hotels: FAQs

Are solar panels worth it for a hotel?

Hotels use electricity every day of the week, in kitchens, laundries, lighting, lifts and air conditioning, so a good share of the panels' output can be used on site. How much depends on the building, the roof and your occupancy through the year, which the installer works out at the survey.

Do solar panels suit a holiday park or campsite?

Parks are busiest in the summer, when panels generate the most, which helps. Panels usually go on reception, clubhouse, laundry, shop or workshop roofs, or on spare ground near the park's supply. The installer checks the supply and how power is distributed around the park.

Will the installation disturb our guests?

Installers plan the work around the business: scaffolding and roof work can be phased, kept away from entrances and timed for quieter periods. The connection usually needs a short planned power outage, which can be booked for a time that suits you.

Our hotel is in an old or listed building. Can we have solar?

Sometimes. Listed buildings and conservation areas have extra planning controls, so the installer checks what permission is needed and may suggest panels on a less visible roof, an outbuilding or the ground.

Can solar panels power EV chargers for guests?

Chargers in use during the day can run on what the panels make. Most guest charging happens in the evening and overnight, which would use grid power or a battery. The installer can look at it at the survey.

Is the survey free for a B&B or small hotel?

Yes. The survey costs your business nothing and there is no obligation to go ahead. The site needs a suitable roof or land, and you need to own it or have your landlord's agreement.

Book a free hospitality solar survey

Tell us about the business and the site. We'll call to go through the checks, then arrange the survey with one MCS certified installer that covers your area.

Free to your business
No obligation
Your details go to one installer only

Your sector

Solar for other kinds of business site, and our guides for business owners. Commercial solar for businesses