School roofs carry large, daytime electricity demand that lines up well with solar generation, and budgets that rarely stretch to capital projects. Start with a free assessment of your roof and your bills.
Solar4Business plans installs around term dates
At Business Solar UK, we've helped a range of businesses and organisations start their solar journey, and we can do the same for your school. It starts with a quick form telling us about your site and your energy needs.
Business Solar UK assesses your roof and your electricity data, and our installation partner Solar4Business surveys, designs and installs the system, based on:
We work to match you with a system, and a way to pay for it, that is right for your school.
Solar panels are an excellent teaching tool. They support topics across Design & Technology, Science and Maths, and give staff a live example to use in physics and engineering lessons, sustainability education and beyond.
As a school with a role in the wider community, going solar sets an example for parents, visitors and pupils. Lowering your school’s carbon footprint can help inspire others locally to follow suit.
School budgets are overstretched, and energy is a growing share of running costs. The upfront cost of solar is real, but the savings it generates each year free up budget for the things that matter, year after year.
A new solar system significantly cuts your carbon emissions. High-quality panels and a genuine commitment to renewable energy can create real change in your local area.
We provide bespoke solar system designs for every school, based upon your energy usage and rooftop availability. To give you an idea of the savings and cost to install solar panels, below are some of our common solar PV system sizes.
For office buildings
25 yearsPays back in 6.2 yrs
For warehouse buildings
25 yearsPays back in 6.0 yrs
For manufacturing plants
25 yearsPays back in 5.8 yrs
For distribution centres
25 yearsPays back in 5.7 yrs
Illustrative examples, not live quotations. Equipment, warranties and prices are confirmed in your proposal. All savings are based upon a solar generation yield of 850kWh/kWp installed per annum, with usage of 71.43% of solar energy generated, assuming a 24p/kWh electricity import rate (close to the DESNZ Q1 2026 UK non-domestic average of 24.14p/kWh). Savings may change year on year dependent upon weather conditions, energy prices and system degradation in line with warrantied output.
Solar PV brands featured in our system examples
The initial cost of solar can be a genuine barrier for a school budget. We model every route against your own numbers: buying outright, hire purchase, and a fully funded power purchase agreement where INICIO, our funding partner, pays for the system, which Solar4Business installs. Its maintenance is covered under the agreement, and your school buys the electricity it generates at an agreed rate. Swanlea School in Central London took exactly this route, with no capital spent from its education budget.
We also check whether your school falls within a live local authority scheme or the Great British Energy schools programme, and flag it in your assessment.
The right route depends on your cash position, your lease and how much power you use in daylight. Your free assessment models each one against your own bills, starting with what you can save before a single panel goes up.
Review your electricity tariff whilst planning your solar installation
Best for: Any business on an out-of-contract or uncompetitive tariff
Ask about this route
Pay upfront, keep every pound of the saving
Best for: Profitable businesses with cash or an existing facility, and a long lease or freehold
Ask about this route
Spread the cost, with ownership at the end of the agreement
Best for: Businesses that want ownership without tying up working capital
Ask about this route
Fully funded. You just buy cheaper electricity
Best for: Sites with a large roof and daytime demand that want savings with no capital or maintenance
Ask about this routeFinance and fully funded options are subject to eligibility, survey and contract terms. Savings, repayments and tax relief depend on your circumstances.
When it comes to commercial solar, there are a few ways to purchase your system. We’ll help to guide you through your options.
Using the Annual Investment Allowance, you can deduct the cost of your system against corporation tax.
Spread the cost with asset financing and use your bill savings to pay off your annual loan repayments.
Purchase your system outright, for the best return on investment.
Or pay nothing upfront with a solar power purchase agreement. See all four ways to pay.
Get a forecast based on your building, tariff and daytime electricity use.
We will check if you qualify for any incentives or grants.
Your assessment uses your postcode to check local solar yield, planning rules and the grid connection.
Prefer to talk first? Call 0113 834 0644 or email [email protected].
Your installation is managed by Solar4BusinessInstallation services described below are delivered by our partner Solar4Business.
Our expert in-house team will advise you on how to best save money through a bespoke business solar installation.
A few questions about your site and your solar energy needs.
A solar package matched to your school, with every way to pay modelled, including funding routes.
Solar4Business surveys your roof and installs your system, planned around your term dates.
You start saving on energy bills from the day your system is switched on.
Swanlea School in Central London, a secondary school with over 1,000 students, went solar with a fully funded PPA and no upfront cost to its budget. See its project, and others from our installation partner, below.
Commercial solar at industrial scale. A large manufacturing roof put to work generating electricity on site.
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Rooftop generation alongside the demands of a busy manufacturing operation.
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Using school roof space to generate power where it is needed throughout the day.
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A bespoke rooftop installation designed around a business headquarters.
Explore the projectBusiness Solar UK helps you assess your options and introduces you to Solar4Business. Their team surveys your premises, designs the system and manages the installation.
Solar4Business displays the accreditation marks below on its website. Ask for the current certificates, the contracting company’s details and the warranties that apply to your proposed installation.
Founder and CEO, Pharaoh Capital. Founder of Solar4Business and INICIO.
Over ten years in the energy sector. Grant founded Solar4Business, who install every Business Solar UK system, and INICIO, which funds commercial solar with no upfront cost. Institute of Directors Young Director of the Year, 2020.
Reviews are of Solar4Business, who carry out every installation for Business Solar UK. Rating as at 22 September 2026.
"All went well with the initial enquiry, report draft and install. We were kept up to date with install dates and the guys on site were tidy and professional... There has been a marked reduction in our electricity costs which was the reason for the install."
"Steve and his team were extremely professional, installing over 900 panels for our Academy."
"We have a commercial property and 48 solar panels have been fitted. The team of installers were extremely professional and helpful."
"A great installation. Steve and the team did a great job. Would not hesitate to recommend this company."
Brands using solar power
Modern PV panels typically carry a 25-year performance warranty and can go on generating well beyond that with basic maintenance, often 35-40 years in the right conditions.
Most school installations are carried out in a matter of days to a few weeks depending on size. We can plan installation around your term dates, including holiday periods, where that suits your site.
Yes, but they are modest. Panels typically need checking and basic cleaning two to four times a year. On a PPA, maintenance is included as part of the agreement.
For most schools with usable roof space, yes. You get significant energy bill savings, a hedge against rising costs, and a genuine teaching resource that runs across the curriculum.
With the right sized system and, in many cases, battery storage, solar can cover a large share of a school’s daytime electricity use. Your assessment sizes the system against your actual half-hourly usage, not a guess.
There is no general open grant that any school can apply for. Great British Energy is funding solar directly on around 200 schools as part of an £80m programme announced in March 2025, delivered as a selected rollout rather than an application process. Some local authorities run their own schemes too; your assessment checks what applies at your postcode.
Save massively on your electricity bills when you invest in solar.
