sme·solarThe Brief
Independent · UK SMEs · 2026 numbers

How much could solar save your business?

A 60-second estimate using current UK commercial benchmarks — then the guides and monthly Brief that help you sanity-check whatever quote you eventually get. Independent. No installer push.

£0.28
avg commercial kWh, 2026
7–9 yrs
typical payback
25 yrs
panel warranty
60-second estimate

Tell us about your business

Indicative figures based on UK commercial averages. We will refine them with vetted installers.

Roughly 86,000 kWh/year
£/ year
Affects solar yield
Affects panel layout efficiency
Advanced: system size & tariff
Suggested 125 kWp based on usage
pence per kWh
£/kWh
Your estimate
Annual savings
£25,935
Offsets ~100% of your bill
Payback period
4.3 yrs
System size
125 kWp
~275 panels
Indicative cost
£113k
installed, ex VAT
25-yr net return
£895k
Annual generation
118,750 kWh
CO₂ avoided
24.6 t / yr
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We'll email these figures as a sharable PDF plus our monthly Brief on UK commercial solar. Independent, no installer push.

  • Ofgem-benchmarked figures
  • Capital allowances explained
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01

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Drop your annual bill into the calculator. You'll see indicative savings, system size, payback period, and lifetime return — all from current UK commercial benchmarks. No email required.

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Plain-English explainers on the things every SME asks: grants, tax treatment, lease constraints, planning, the questions to put to an installer before signing anything.

03

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One email a month on UK commercial solar — benchmarks, policy shifts, real install costs from the field. Independent, written for buyers, never for installers.

Built for finance directors

Numbers that survive scrutiny.

Our model uses the latest commercial electricity benchmark (Ofgem non-domestic, Q1 2026), real regional irradiance data, and conservative self-consumption assumptions (72%).

The figures you see are what an installer would put in their proposal — not optimistic marketing numbers. You can adjust tariff and system size to model your exact case.

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Electricity benchmarks, grant updates, real install costs, the occasional sharp opinion. Written for finance directors, not marketing departments.

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The Brief

One email a month on UK commercial solar.

Electricity benchmarks, grant updates, real install costs, and the occasional sharp opinion. No spam, unsubscribe in a click.

By subscribing you accept our privacy policy. Independent — we don't resell your email.

Read first? Start with the guides.

Plain-English explainers on the things every UK SME asks before committing — payback, grants, lease constraints, the bit installers underplay.

Browse the guides