West of England Solar Together
Registration is now open for the 2024 scheme.
About the scheme
Solar Together is a scheme for group buying in the West of England. It is for householders, businesses, and community organisations.
The scheme includes options to get solar panels and/or a battery installed. This new scheme includes the option to get an electric vehicle charging point installed.
People who are interested in getting solar panels on their property can register for free.
An independent expert in group-buying then groups people together to negotiate a lower price by a reverse auction process, meaning the installer with the lowest bid wins.
The companies chosen to install the panels are checked and accredited by iChoosr.
By signing up you will get a personalised quote. If you decide to go ahead you will need to pay a deposit of £150. The winning supplier will then contact you to arrange a survey and set an installation date.
The rest of the installation cost will be due later in the process.
If you are interested in help with the costs of installation, we work with low cost loan provider Lendology. Visit their website to find out more about their renewable energy loans.
How to register
When you register online you will be asked questions about your house, roof and electricity usage.
For more information call 0800 014 8428 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.
Update on the 2022/23 scheme
In the previous round of Solar Together, residents across South Gloucestershire benefitted from the installation of 179 solar system installations and 167 batteries.
If you have feedback about the Solar Together scheme email Climate.Emergency@southglos.gov.uk. You can also use this address for any comments or queries related to the climate and nature emergency in South Gloucestershire.
Planning permission
Most installations of solar panels are classed as Permitted Development and do not need planning permission.
They will need planning permission if they will stick out from a wall or roof more than 0.2 metres or end up higher than the highest part of the roof (not including chimneys).
Protecting our heritage
To protect the heritage in South Gloucestershire, you cannot install solar panels without planning permission on a:
- wall facing a road in a conservation area or a World Heritage Site
- site designated as a scheduled monument
- listed building
You must apply for consent to have solar panels installed on a listed building (including buildings within the property boundary).
The Historic England website has information on listed building consent and energy efficiency for historic buildings.
Making changes to a listed building without this consent is a criminal offence.
If your property is in a conservation area there can also be some restrictions to permitted development rights.
How we can help
Fill out our enquiry form if you would like advice on whether solar panel installation would be allowed as permitted development or would need:
- planning permission
- listed building consent
If you know you will need planning permission and would like to talk about plans, fill out a pre-application enquiry form. You can find out more and download the form on our pre-application planning advice webpage.
The Planning Portal website has more information about planning permission for solar panels.