Solar Panels Crawley: Costs, Savings, Grants & Installers (2026)
Crawley sits in one of the sunniest corners of the UK, on housing that’s almost tailor-made for solar. Here’s what a system costs locally, what it’ll generate and save, the West Sussex grants and group-buying scheme, and how to get a vetted installer to quote — without the pushy sales calls.
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What solar costs in Crawley
Prices in Crawley sit at the lower-to-middle end of the South East range, because the housing is straightforward and installers are plentiful in the Gatwick corridor. Typical fitted prices in 2026, with 0% VAT:
| System | Panels (approx.) | Fitted cost | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | 7 | £5,000 – £6,000 | Small terrace, 1–2 people |
| 4kW | 9–10 | £6,000 – £7,000 | Typical 3-bed semi |
| 5kW | 11–12 | £7,000 – £8,000 | Larger semi or detached |
| 6kW | 13–14 | £8,000 – £9,500 | Detached, EV or heat pump |
| Add a 5–10kWh battery | — | + £4,000 – £5,500 | Evening use, off-peak tariffs |
What pushes a Crawley quote up: a three-storey townhouse in Maidenbower or Forge Wood needing extra scaffolding, a slate roof in the older parts of Ifield or Three Bridges, or a consumer-unit upgrade in an unmodernised 1950s house. What keeps it down: the simple, uncluttered pitched roofs that most of the New Town neighbourhoods were built with. For the national picture see our cost of solar panels guide.
How much you’ll generate & save
This is where Crawley does well. West Sussex is one of the sunniest counties in the UK, and a south-facing roof in Crawley yields around 1,000kWh per kW of panels per year — noticeably better than the Midlands or the North. So:
| System | Annual output (Crawley) | Typical annual saving* | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | ~2,900 – 3,000 kWh | £600 – £700 | 8 – 9 yrs |
| 4kW | ~3,900 – 4,000 kWh | £800 – £950 | 7 – 9 yrs |
| 5kW | ~4,800 – 5,000 kWh | £1,000 – £1,150 | 7 – 8 yrs |
*Combining bill savings from self-used electricity and Smart Export Guarantee payments; assumes a south-ish roof with little shading. East/west roofs generate around 15–20% less. See our solar panel output guide for what affects these figures, and how panels perform in winter.
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Crawley was designated a New Town in 1947, and most of it was built between the 1950s and 1970s in planned neighbourhoods — Langley Green, West Green, Northgate, Three Bridges, Pound Hill, Tilgate, Furnace Green, Southgate, Gossops Green, Ifield, Broadfield, Bewbush — with Maidenbower added in the 1980s–90s and Forge Wood and Kilnwood Vale the newest. From a solar point of view that’s good news: the typical Crawley home is a semi or terrace with a simple, unbroken pitched roof, few dormers, concrete interlocking tiles that mounting kits love, and a roof big enough for 9–12 panels. It’s some of the easiest housing stock in the country to fit.
The exceptions are worth knowing. The Victorian and Edwardian pockets around Three Bridges and old Ifield have slate roofs and chimneys — fine for solar, but see our slate roof guide and check for chimney shading. The newest estates at Forge Wood often already have in-roof panels fitted by the builder, so if you’re there the question may be adding a battery rather than panels. And Crawley has a fair number of bungalows in Pound Hill and Furnace Green, which are cheap to fit because scaffolding is minimal.
Grants, Solar Together & VAT
| Scheme | Who it’s for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 0% VAT | Everyone, until 31 Mar 2027 | No VAT on panels, batteries and installation |
| Smart Export Guarantee | Everyone with MCS-certified solar | Paid for every kWh you export |
| Solar Together West Sussex | Any West Sussex homeowner | Group-buying auction; up to a third off |
| ECO4 | Low-income / benefits households, low EPC | Free or heavily subsidised solar |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Lower-income homes, EPC D–G, via Crawley BC | Funded efficiency measures incl. solar |
The one most Crawley homeowners miss is Solar Together. West Sussex County Council runs periodic rounds where you register your interest for free, pre-vetted installers bid in an auction for the bulk of the work, and you get a personalised offer you can accept or ignore. Because installers are bidding for hundreds of homes at once, prices can be a third below going to one firm on your own. Rounds open and close, so check solartogether.co.uk for the current one. For everything else see our solar grants guide and the ECO4 explainer.
Planning, Gatwick & the DNO
Planning: for almost every Crawley house, none needed. Roof solar is permitted development provided the panels sit no more than 200mm proud of the roof and the building isn’t listed. Crawley has only a handful of small conservation areas (parts of old Ifield and Worth), so the restrictions that bite in older towns rarely apply here.
Gatwick: the one genuinely local point. The airport has an aerodrome safeguarding zone covering much of the borough, and large solar arrays — commercial roofs, ground-mounted systems, solar farms — within it can be asked for a glint and glare assessment to confirm they won’t dazzle aircraft. An ordinary domestic rooftop system does not trigger this; it’s a consideration for businesses and landowners, not homeowners. If you’re near the flight path you’ll also find your home already has good glazing from the noise-insulation schemes, which is unrelated to solar but often prompts the “what else can we do” conversation.
The DNO: Crawley’s electricity network is run by UK Power Networks. A system up to 3.68kW per phase just needs notifying afterwards (G98). Anything bigger — most 4kW+ systems, and any solar-plus-battery — needs G99 approval before installation, which your installer submits. UKPN typically responds within a few weeks; in practice this, not the fitting itself, is what sets your install date, so get quotes moving early if you’re targeting the VAT deadline.
Is a battery worth it in Crawley?
More often than in most towns, for two reasons. First, the strong sunshine means a 4–5kW array produces real surplus for most of the year — surplus that earns a few pence exported but saves 25p+ if you store and use it yourself. Second, Crawley’s commuter-heavy population (Gatwick, London, Manor Royal) tends to be out all day and home in the evening — exactly the usage pattern a battery fixes. A 5–10kWh home battery typically lifts self-consumption from 30–40% to 70–80% and pairs with an off-peak tariff for cheap overnight charging. See home battery sizes compared and our 4kW solar with battery guide for the whole-system cost.
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Installers working in Crawley cover the whole Gatwick corridor, so the same pricing and advice applies across Horsham, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Horley, Crawley Down, Copthorne, Pease Pottage, Faygate and Turners Hill. If you’re just over the border in Surrey — Horley, Reigate, Redhill — the DNO is still UK Power Networks and the sunshine figures are near-identical. Elsewhere on the south coast, see our Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth guides, or London if you’re up the Brighton line.
Choosing a Crawley installer
- MCS-certified only. Non-negotiable — it’s required for SEG export payments and every grant. See how to choose a solar installer.
- Get three quotes. Crawley has plenty of installers; prices for the same system can differ by £1,000+.
- Check the kit, not just the price. Ask which panels (our brand guide), which inverter and which battery — and for the datasheets.
- Workmanship guarantee in writing. Panel warranties don’t cover a leaking roof; the installer’s does.
- Ask about G99 timing. A good installer will tell you the UKPN lead time upfront.
The bottom line
Crawley is one of the better places in the UK to go solar. Strong sunshine, simple roofs, an easy planning picture and a competitive installer market add up to a 4kW system for £6,000–£7,000 that saves £800–£950 a year and pays back in 7–9 years. Add West Sussex’s Solar Together scheme and the 0% VAT window and the case is stronger still.
The sensible next step is a free survey from a vetted MCS installer — it turns the county averages above into your actual roof, your actual bills and your actual payback, and it costs nothing.
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Solar panels in Crawley: frequently asked questions
How much do solar panels cost in Crawley?
A typical 4kW system on a Crawley home costs around £6,000–£7,000 fitted with 0% VAT, and a 5kW system around £7,000–£8,000. Adding a 5–10kWh battery adds roughly £4,000–£5,500. Crawley’s housing stock — mostly straightforward pitched roofs on post-war semis and terraces — keeps installation costs towards the lower end of the South East range.
Are solar panels worth it in Crawley?
Yes. Crawley sits in one of the sunniest parts of the UK, with around 1,000kWh of generation per kW of panels each year — so a 4kW system produces roughly 3,900–4,000kWh, saving a typical household £800–£950 a year. That gives a payback of about 7–9 years on a system that lasts 25–30, and the value of the home rises too.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Crawley?
Almost never for a normal house — roof-mounted solar is permitted development as long as panels don’t protrude more than 200mm and aren’t on a listed building. Crawley has very few conservation areas. The one local wrinkle is Gatwick: large or ground-mounted arrays close to the airport can need a glint-and-glare assessment under aerodrome safeguarding, but an ordinary domestic rooftop system is unaffected.
What grants are available for solar panels in Crawley?
Everyone gets 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 and Smart Export Guarantee payments for exported power. Lower-income or low-EPC households may qualify for ECO4 or the Warm Homes: Local Grant via Crawley Borough Council. West Sussex County Council also runs Solar Together group-buying rounds, where vetted installers bid for bulk pricing that can be up to a third cheaper — worth registering for at solartogether.co.uk.
Who is the DNO for Crawley and do I need their permission?
Crawley’s electricity network is run by UK Power Networks. Systems up to 3.68kW per phase are simply notified after installation (G98); larger systems, or solar plus battery, need G99 approval before the work, which your installer applies for. UKPN approval typically takes a few weeks and is the main thing that sets your installation date.
How do I find a good solar installer in Crawley?
Use only MCS-certified installers — it’s required for SEG export payments and any grant. Get at least three quotes, check the panel and battery brands being offered, and confirm the workmanship guarantee in writing. Local installers covering Crawley usually also serve Horsham, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Horley, so don’t restrict yourself to the town itself.
Figures are typical 2026 estimates for Crawley and West Sussex, for guidance only; costs, output, savings and payback vary by roof, orientation, shading, electricity use and tariff. Grant eligibility and Solar Together rounds change — check the current position with Crawley Borough Council, West Sussex County Council and solartogether.co.uk. 0% VAT on solar applies until 31 March 2027 per HMRC. Always use an MCS-certified installer.