Can I put solar panels on my roof?
The short answer: almost certainly yes. This guide walks through the ten checks a UK commercial solar installer runs before saying no — roof type, structural load, orientation, shading, planning, grid connection and ownership. Written primarily for owners and occupiers of commercial property, with notes throughout for homeowners running the same checks at smaller scale.
By the Solar Britain commercial team · Last updated 14 July 2026.
Short answer
You can put solar panels on your roof if (1) the roof has at least 15 years of remaining life and can carry an extra 12–25 kg/m², (2) enough of it faces between south-east and south-west without heavy all-day shading, and (3) your Distribution Network Operator will approve a connection at the size you want. In our surveys, well over 80% of UK commercial roofs pass all three tests. Most UK homes with a standard pitched tile or slate roof also qualify.
You almost certainly can if…
- You have an unshaded roof over ~100 m² (commercial) or ~15 m² (residential).
- The roof has at least 15 years of remaining life or is being refurbished.
- You use most of your electricity during daylight hours (warehousing, manufacturing, retail, cold storage, offices).
- You own the freehold, or your landlord is open to a rooftop consent or roof lease.
- Your incoming supply and DNO capacity can accept at least a reasonable-sized system.
You might not be able to if…
- The roof is asbestos cement, at end of life, or structurally suspect and can't be refurbished in the same project.
- Heavy, unavoidable shading covers the roof for most of the working day.
- The building is listed or in a conservation area with no permitted development rights and planning is refused.
- You have no daytime electricity load and cannot export — rare, but a genuine barrier without a battery.
The ten-point rooftop solar check
This is the same checklist we run on every commercial survey. Homeowners can apply the same logic at smaller scale — the questions are identical, only the numbers change.
- 1
Roof type and construction
Almost every mainstream commercial roof can carry solar: trapezoidal or standing-seam metal, single-ply membrane (PVC/TPO/EPDM), built-up felt, concrete flat roofs and standard pitched slate or tile. Asbestos cement, over-clad panel roofs at end of life and very lightweight temporary structures are the main exceptions — the panels are fine, but the roof isn't.
- 2
Roof age and remaining life
Solar is a 25–30 year asset. As a rule of thumb, the roof underneath needs at least 15 years of life left. On older commercial roofs, we often recommend a roof refurbishment or overlay in the same project so the array is installed once and stays put.
- 3
Structural load
A framed rooftop array typically adds 12–25 kg/m² to the roof, including ballast on flat roofs. Most modern warehouse, factory and retail roofs handle this comfortably, but a structural engineer's sign-off is standard for anything above a small array. Older 1970s–80s industrial units and some retrofit portal frames need proper checking — not a reason to say no, just a reason to check.
- 4
Orientation and pitch
South-facing is best, but east-west split arrays on flat roofs are now the commercial default — they generate more usable power across the working day, which matters more than peak output for most businesses. Anything between south-east and south-west at 10°–40° pitch is well within the sweet spot.
- 5
Shading
Chimneys, plant rooms, adjacent buildings, trees and rooftop HVAC all cast shadows. Modern string inverters with module-level optimisers and back-contact panels handle partial shading much better than they used to, but heavy all-day shading is still the one thing that genuinely kills a project's economics.
- 6
Available roof area
As a rough sizing guide, 1 kWp of solar needs about 5–6 m² of usable roof. A 250 kWp commercial array — a typical mid-sized warehouse system — is around 1,300–1,500 m² of clear roof once you allow for edge zones, walkways and plant.
- 7
Grid connection (DNO)
The Distribution Network Operator has to approve any commercial system above 3.68 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase (a G99 application). On constrained parts of the network there can be a queue or an export limit — the answer is almost always still yes, just with the system designed to your import capacity or with an export limitation device fitted.
- 8
Planning permission
For most commercial buildings, rooftop solar falls under permitted development in England, Wales and Scotland — no planning application needed. Exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas, Article 4 zones and installations visible from a highway in some cases. We check this in the desktop survey before any design work.
- 9
Ownership and consents
If you own the freehold, it's your decision. If you lease, you need landlord consent — increasingly straightforward as landlords realise a tenant-installed system improves the EPC and asset value. There are also structures (roof-lease PPAs) where a third party installs and owns the panels and sells you the power.
- 10
Fire, insurance and DC safety
A well-designed commercial solar system with MCS or equivalent installation, proper DC isolators, arc-fault detection and a fire-rated cable route is fully insurable. Talk to your insurer early — most now have a standard solar addendum rather than treating it as an exception.
Roof types and how solar fixes to them
The mounting system, not the panel, is what decides whether a roof is suitable. Every mainstream UK roof type has a proven, non-invasive solar mounting method in 2026.
Trapezoidal metal (profiled steel)
The single most common UK commercial roof. Non-penetrative clamp systems fix into the standing rib — no roof penetrations, no compromise to the roof warranty.
Standing-seam metal
Even better for solar than trapezoidal — dedicated seam clamps grip the standing seam directly, transferring load cleanly and keeping the roof watertight.
Single-ply membrane (PVC/TPO/EPDM)
Ballasted east-west systems on rubber mats are the default. Load is spread evenly, membrane stays intact, and the array can be lifted and repositioned if the membrane ever needs replacing.
Felt / built-up bitumen
Ballasted systems work well as long as the felt has a decent life left. If the felt is more than 20 years old, we'd usually recommend an overlay first.
Concrete flat roof
Excellent host for solar — high load capacity, straightforward ballast or bonded systems, and often a long remaining life. Common on public-sector buildings and older industrial units.
Pitched tile or slate (residential and small commercial)
Standard on-roof mounting with roof hooks tied into the rafters. Suitable for houses, small retail units and offices in converted buildings.
Commercial roofs vs. homes — what actually differs
The technical checks are the same for a warehouse and a house. What differs is scale, funding and the way approvals work.
- Scale. Commercial systems are typically 30 kWp to several MWp; residential systems 3–8 kWp.
- Grid application. Homes use a simple G98 notification below 3.68 kW per phase; commercial systems and larger domestic arrays need a G99 application, which takes weeks not days.
- Funding. Commercial buyers can use asset finance, operating leases and PPAs to make solar cashflow-positive from day one. Homeowners usually self-fund or use green mortgages and personal loans.
- Consents. Commercial projects often need landlord consent and structural sign-off; domestic projects rarely do, unless the property is listed.
- VAT. Domestic solar is currently zero-rated for VAT; commercial installs are standard-rated and recovered through the business's normal VAT position.
FAQ — can I put solar panels on my roof?
Can I put solar panels on my commercial roof in the UK?
For most UK commercial buildings — warehouses, factories, retail units, cold stores, offices, schools and NHS estates — the answer is yes. The three tests are (1) is the roof structurally sound with at least 15 years of remaining life, (2) is there enough unshaded area facing between south-east and south-west, and (3) will the DNO approve the connection at the size you want. In our experience, well over 80% of commercial roofs we survey pass all three.
How do I know if my roof is strong enough for solar panels?
A framed commercial solar array typically adds 12–25 kg/m² of dead load. Almost all UK commercial roofs designed after 1980 handle this within existing safety margins, and older roofs are checked by a structural engineer as part of the design phase. For homes, most standard tile or slate roofs on modern rafters are fine; a surveyor confirms this before installation.
Do I need planning permission for rooftop solar?
Usually no. Rooftop solar on commercial and domestic buildings is permitted development in most of England, Wales and Scotland, provided the panels don't project more than 200 mm from the roof surface and (for homes) aren't installed on the principal elevation of a listed building. Listed buildings, conservation areas and Article 4 zones need a planning application, which is often approved with sensible design.
What size solar system will fit on my roof?
As a working estimate, 1 kWp needs ~5–6 m² of usable roof after edge zones, walkways and rooftop plant. A 500 m² warehouse roof supports roughly 60–80 kWp; a 5,000 m² roof supports 500–700 kWp; a typical UK home roof (30–40 m²) supports 4–6 kWp. The calculator on our site gives an indicative size from your postcode and roof area.
Can I put solar panels on a flat roof?
Yes — flat roofs are excellent for solar. On single-ply, felt or concrete flat roofs, panels sit on ballasted east-west frames set at 10°–15°. This produces slightly less peak output than a south-facing pitched array but far more usable power across the working day, and avoids any roof penetrations.
Can I put solar panels on my roof if I rent the building?
If you lease the building, you need landlord consent. Many landlords now welcome tenant-installed solar because it improves EPC ratings and future asset value; some prefer to install and own the system themselves and sell you the power via a Power Purchase Agreement. Either route works — the key is agreeing it early in the project.
What if the DNO won't let me export?
Very few sites are blocked entirely. In most constrained areas the DNO will offer an export limit rather than a refusal — an export limitation device caps how much power leaves the site while you still self-consume as much as you like. For commercial buildings that use most of their generation on site, an export-limited system often has almost identical economics to an unlimited one.
Is my roof too old for solar panels?
Solar systems are a 25-year investment, so the underlying roof needs at least 15 years of remaining life. On older commercial roofs the usual answer is to combine solar with a roof overlay or refurbishment in the same project — one scaffold, one contractor, one warranty package. For homes, roofs older than about 20 years usually get a survey and, if needed, targeted repairs before install.
Find out what your roof could actually deliver
The fastest way to answer "can I put solar panels on my roof?" for your specific building is a two-minute pass through the calculator — postcode, roof area and current electricity spend give an indicative system size and annual saving. For anything commercial, the team then confirms the technical checks in a short qualifying call.