A smaller business does not mean a smaller solar system. What matters is your energy use, not your headcount. Start with a free assessment of your roof and your bills.
Small footprints can still carry a productive system
Here at Business Solar UK, we've helped small business owners just like you take the first step towards commercial solar - and now it could be your turn. Tell us about your business and your energy needs, and we'll start putting together a solar package that suits it, based on:
Business Solar UK assesses your roof and your bills, and our installation partner Solar4Business surveys, designs and installs the system, with every way to pay modelled against your own numbers.
Installing commercial solar at a small business isn't as straightforward as you might first think. Despite popular opinion, smaller businesses don't always need a smaller system. That's because the size of your solar system doesn't relate to the size of your business - it relates to the amount of energy you use day to day and what you currently pay for it.
Some smaller businesses rely more heavily on grid electricity - through equipment, laptops, lighting and the like - than some larger ones.
The best way to work out the size of system you need is to work out how much energy you use each year, and choose a system that covers it. Your free assessment does this from your actual bills, not a guess.
As a small business owner, you will have felt the effect of rising energy prices. By producing your own renewable energy on site, you rely less on grid electricity, and can start powering most, if not all, of your business with the energy your panels generate.
Because you are relying more on your own generation, you are less exposed to grid disruption. That means more reliable output on days that would otherwise cost you trading time.
Solar is green energy, so your business is responsible for fewer carbon emissions than before. Lowering your carbon footprint is good for your business’ image and the planet.
Solar will not just save you money, it can earn you some too. Through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you can sell excess solar energy you cannot use back to your supplier, which helps your system pay for itself sooner.
Solar brings plenty of benefits to a small business, but there are a couple of things worth thinking through first:
Weigh the upfront cost against your plans to grow or move
As solar specialists, we help you work out what a system would look like for your business and how to pay for it, while we:
Business Solar UK assesses your roof and bills and models buying outright, hire purchase and a fully funded PPA side by side, so you can see which route suits your small business best.
We provide bespoke system designs for every business, based upon your energy usage and rooftop availability. To give you an idea of the savings and cost of a system, below are some of our common 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 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 premises and your solar energy needs.
A solar package matched to your business, with every way to pay modelled.
Solar4Business surveys your roof and installs your system, and we check any grants available to you.
You start saving on energy bills from the day your system is switched on.
See the range of buildings featured in Solar4Business’s published installation projects, from manufacturing sites to schools.
Commercial solar at industrial scale. A large manufacturing roof put to work generating electricity on site.
Explore the project
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
25 years is the standard panel performance warranty, but a well-maintained modern PV system can keep generating for up to 40 years.
It depends on how much you spend on energy each month. The bigger your bills now, the more you stand to save. Your free assessment models your own tariff and usage rather than a generic figure.
Usually not. In England, rooftop solar on non-domestic buildings is permitted development with no size cap, provided panels sit within set limits of the roof edge and surface. Listed buildings and conservation areas have extra rules. Your assessment confirms your specific position.
Ground-mounted vs roof-mounted, monocrystalline vs polycrystalline - there are a lot of options. Your free assessment recommends the right panel type and system for your roof, budget and usage.
Solar systems are customised to suit any business, large or small. Your installer works out how much of your electricity use the system needs to cover, and sizes it from there.
Yes. Pressure on larger businesses to install commercial solar is already real, and it is only a matter of time before it extends further down the supply chain as the UK works towards Net Zero by 2050. Moving early can be a smart business decision.
Yes. Solar panel systems are low maintenance and, kept in good order, perform reliably for decades.
Save massively on your electricity bills when you invest in solar.
