Offices and office buildings
Solar Panels for Offices
An office uses most of its electricity in working hours, when solar panels generate. Book a free office solar survey: we check the building 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.
- Free survey, no obligation
- Owned offices, business parks and leased buildings
- Sized to your weekday demand
- One MCS certified installer that covers your area
Why offices suit solar panels
Solar panels make electricity in daylight. Offices are busiest on weekday daytimes, so a well-sized system's output is mostly used in the building.
Demand matches daylight
Most office electricity is used between the start and end of the working day, when panels generate.
Lighting
Open-plan floors, meeting rooms and corridors are lit throughout the working day.
IT and equipment
Computers, screens, printers and server or comms rooms draw power all day.
Heating and cooling
Air conditioning works hardest on sunny days, and electric heating and heat pumps add to winter demand.
What the survey checks on an office building
Before the visit, we ask about ownership or the lease, your energy spend, the roof and your supply. At the survey, the installer looks at the detail.
The roof
Flat or pitched, its structure, covering and remaining life, and the space left around existing plant and vents.
Weekday and weekend use
Bills or half-hourly data show the working-day peaks and the quiet weekends, which set the right size.
Landlord and lease
Whether you own the building, or the landlord is willing to agree to an installation on the roof.
Shared buildings
In a multi-let building, which supply and meters the panels feed, and who pays for that electricity.
Planning
Whether the building is listed or in a conservation area, and what permission the design needs.
The supply
The supply and meter now, where the equipment can go, and whether the network operator's approval is needed.
Before you start: office solar questions
Weekday demand sets the size. An office that is quiet at weekends exports more of what the panels make on Saturdays and Sundays, and exported electricity earns much less than electricity you would otherwise buy. The installer sizes the system to the working week.
Leased offices start with the landlord. The roof usually belongs to the landlord, so their agreement comes first. In a shared building, the installer also needs to know which supply the panels connect to and who benefits from the electricity.
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 offices: FAQs
Are solar panels worth it for an office?
Offices use most of their electricity on weekdays in working hours, which is when panels generate, so much of the output can be used on site. Weekends and holidays are quieter, which the installer allows for. The answer for your building comes from your bills or half-hourly data and the roof, at the survey.
We rent our office. Can we still have solar?
Often, yes, but the landlord must agree, because the panels go on their roof. In a building with several tenants, it also matters who pays for the electricity the panels would supply. We ask about this on the first call.
Can solar panels go on a flat office roof?
Yes, flat roofs can take panels on frames. The installer checks the roof's structure, its covering and remaining life, how the frames are held down, and any plant or vents already on the roof.
Do we need planning permission for solar on an office?
It depends on the building and its location. Listed buildings and conservation areas have extra controls. The installer checks what permission the design needs before you commit.
What happens at weekends when the office is empty?
The panels keep generating and, with little load, more of the output is exported at the lower export rate. That is why office systems are usually sized to weekday demand rather than to fill the whole roof.
Is the office survey free?
Yes. The survey costs your business nothing and there is no obligation to go ahead. If you install, you agree the price and terms directly with the installer.
Book a free office solar survey
Tell us about the business and the building. 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
- FarmsBarns, sheds and spare land, with dairies, drying and cold stores to power.
- Warehouses and logisticsLarge roofs, with lighting, chillers and charging on site.
- Factories and manufacturingMachinery and processes that run through the working day.
- Hotels and hospitalityHotels, B&Bs and holiday parks with kitchens, laundry and long hours.
- Schools, academies and collegesTerm-time daytime demand, with the DfE buying route and funding.
Guides for business owners
- What commercial solar panels costWhat sets the price, government cost data and two worked examples.
- Solar panel grants for businessesWhat is open, what has closed and the tax reliefs, from official sources.
- Capital allowances on solar panelsWhich allowance a business can claim, from HMRC's own guidance.
- Commercial solar paybackWhat makes payback shorter or longer, with two worked examples.
- Commercial solar system sizesFrom 10 kW to 1 MW: what each size suits and what changes the rules.
- The commercial solar site surveyWhat a survey checks, what you get back and how to prepare.
- Choosing a commercial solar installerHow to check an installer and compare two quotes.
- Solar PPAs for businessesSolar with no upfront cost: how a rooftop PPA works.
- Commercial battery storageWhen a battery adds value to a business's solar, and when it doesn't.
- Solar carports and car park canopiesCar parks as a second roof: planning, EV charging and the survey.
- Solar on an asbestos cement roofOverclad, replace or leave alone, and safe access on fragile roofs.
- Flat roof solar for businessesBallasted or fixed, membranes, wind loading and metal roofs.
- Ground mounted solarWhen a field array beats a roof, and the planning limits in each nation.
- Commercial solar financeCash, loans, hire purchase, leases or a PPA, and who claims the tax relief.
- How much solar does my business need?Sizing from your daytime use and half-hourly data, not the roof.
- Planning permission for commercial solarPermitted development, prior approval over 50 kW and the rules in each nation.
- Grants for solar on farmsFETF, DAERA and the closed schemes, checked on the official pages.
- Solar support in ScotlandBusiness Energy Scotland, the SME Loan Scheme and planning in Scotland.
- Renewable energy for businessOn-site solar, green tariffs and REGOs, and how each is reported.
- Solar on leased commercial propertyLandlord consent, green leases, PPAs, roof leases and MEES.