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Discover the stylish solar panel options that are solar roof tiles – designed to blend in with any home, but at a price
Solar roof tiles allow you to generate renewable energy for your household without compromising on how your house looks. Unlike traditional top UK solar panels, solar roof tiles simply replace – and replicate – your existing slate or terracotta tiles.
As easy as solar roof tiles are on the eye, however, they’re not so easy on the wallet – they’ll cost you around twice as much as a conventional roof-mounted solar array. They’re also only suitable for new developments or homes undergoing re-roofing – we’ll explain why, alongside the other main drawbacks of solar roof tiles, below.
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Solar roof tiles – also known as solar slates, solar shingles or photovoltaic (PV) tiles – combine the ability to generate green energy and power your appliances with the functionality of regular roof tiles.
This leaves you less at the mercy of the National Grid – and less prone to power outages or price hikes. You can even slash hundreds of pounds off your energy bill every year.
Unlike traditional roof-mounted solar panels, solar roof tiles aren’t designed to sit on the roof; and, unlike integrated solar panels, they’re not built to be embedded in the roof, either. Solar roof tiles are in fact the roof itself.
Because of this, solar roof tiles are one of the most subtle domestic solar technologies money can buy in the UK. While the more conspicuous design of on-roof solar panels can lead to planning permission issues (or worse: disagreements with your neighbours), solar roof tiles slot seamlessly into your building’s architecture. So much so that, if you stand back and squint slightly, you won’t even notice the difference.
That said, solar roof tiles aren’t for everyone. The difficulties of the retrofitting process – that is, ripping up your roof to replace your existing tiles with solar ones – means that this solution isn’t ideal for existing homes looking to go solar. Solar roof tiles are more suitable, however, if you’re looking to incorporate solar energy generation into a new development (when the roof hasn’t been built yet) or alongside other work to your roof (such as re-roofing, where you’ll be replacing the old tiles and there’s no extra investment required to rip them out).
At around double the cost of solar panels – and with their lower efficiency meaning they produce less electricity than their conventional cousins – solar roof tiles aren’t the most cost-effective approach to renewable energy.
For a three-bedroom house with a 4.5kW system, we estimate it’ll take around 26 years before your solar roof tiles pay for themselves. In comparison, a similarly-sized system using traditional solar panels would break even after 12 years. This isn’t just because of the bigger upfront outlay but also because your energy-bill savings – as well as the payments you’ll receive through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) by selling your surplus electricity back to the grid – won’t be as high.
Take a look at the table below to explore how much solar roof tiles will cost you, how much money can save you and how long it’ll take you to recoup your upfront solar roof tile investment.
| Solar roof tiles | Traditional on-roof solar panels | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System size (kW) | Estimated installation cost (plus battery) | Energy bill savings (including SEG and battery) | Break-even point (years) | Estimated installation cost (plus battery) | Energy bill savings (including SEG and battery) | Break-even point (years) |
| 1.5kW | £10,000 | £280.25 | 35.7 years | £6,200 | £295 | 21 years |
| 3kW | £14,300 | £562.40 | 25.4 years | £8,200 | £592 | 13.9 years |
| 4.5kW | £19,900 | £760 | 26.2 years | £9,600 | £800 | 12 years |
| 6kW | £26,800 | £963.30 | 27.8 years | £12,000 | £1,014 | 11.8 years |
You may be able to save money on your solar roof tiles if you’re eligible for a solar panel grant. This can include a completely free solar panel system through ECO4. You also won’t pay VAT on either the roof tiles themselves, or the cost of their installation.
In terms of how they’re made and what they’re made with, there are two main types of solar roof tiles: monocrystalline and thin-film tiles.
Monocrystalline roof tiles are from the first generation of solar panels. As per the name, these solar roof tiles are made from a single crystal structure, which gives them a distinctive black hue. These panels are among the most efficient (around 20 per cent) and longest lasting (20 to years) on the market, with impressive performance at higher temperatures, too.
Thin-film solar roof tiles belong to the second generation of technology. They’re made by placing layers of thin PV materials over a substrate of glass or plastic. These tiles don’t boast the same lifespan (around 10 to 20 years) or efficiency (usually between 9 and 13 per cent) as their monocrystalline cousins. However, they’re more affordable, and their flexibility means they’re able to adapt to an array of different building types, situations and construction needs, as well as your roof’s specific shape and orientation.
Solar roof tiles are designed to blend into your home’s feel and style, which means mimicking the colours and hues of your existing roof tiles. Some types include:
More visually appealing
Solar roof tiles’ top selling point? Their aesthetic appeal. These tiles aren’t designed to stand out but blend in. Depending on their type, model and quality, solar roof tiles can be indistinguishable from regular roof tiles, making them more attractive than bulkier solar panels.
Easier to obtain planning permission
As solar roof tiles are so similar to normal roof tiles, you may find it easier to gain planning permission, especially if your home is situated in a Conservation Area, or is classified as a listed building or World Heritage Site. However, if your home falls into any of these categories, you will still need to obtain planning permission for your solar installation.
More durable
Despite being smaller than traditional on-roof solar panels, solar roof tiles are more durable and easier to maintain.
Chiefly, this is because solar roof tiles don’t require a mounting system like conventional, bolt-on solar panels do. The gap that mounting system creates between the roof and the solar panels can attract debris, or – even worse – pigeons looking for a place to nest. That gap also means on-roof solar panels can be more prone to wind and weather damage.
Additionally, because they’re part of the roof rather than an addition to it, solar roof tiles are easier to clean and maintain and less likely to lose efficiency due to damage.
Less cost-effective
On average, solar roof tiles cost around twice as much as conventional on-roof solar panels.
This makes them a less-accessible solar solution – particularly for homes operating on tight budgets and amid the UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis. It also means that unless you really need them (to push through a particularly difficult planning permission application, for example), solar roof tiles are unlikely to be the best option for your home.
If you’re on a budget but you love the aesthetic benefits of solar roof tiles, we recommend looking at integrated solar panels. Integrated solar panels are installed at the felt and batten layer of your roof, so, like solar roof tiles, they sit snugly in your roof for a more subtle, unobtrusive look. However, their price is nowhere near as much as solar roof tiles. In fact, the cost of integrated solar panels is comparable to that of conventional, on-roof solar panels – making them more suitable for households on a budget.
Less efficient
Solar roof tiles may look amazing – especially when compared to the more obtrusive mounting of on-roof solar panels – but that comes at a cost: their efficiency level.
Estimates place the average efficiency of solar roof tiles at between 10 and 20 per cent. This is slightly less than traditional monocrystalline solar panels, which are 15 to 25 per cent efficient. Plus, if your solar roof tiles are any colour other than black (or a dark, bluish black), which they might need to be to blend into the existing colour scheme of your home’s exterior, they’ll reflect rather than absorb the sun’s light. This can result in a further reduction of your solar roof tiles’ efficiency rates.
Not suitable as a bolt-on solution
If you’re looking to start generating your own renewable energy for your household but you’re happy with how your home – and your roof – looks, solar roof tiles won’t be for you.
That’s because solar roof tiles simply don’t work as a bolt-on solar option. They’re not as simple as on-roof panels, which are placed on top of a mounting structure on your existing roof to start generating power straight away. Instead, solar roof tiles need to be factored into a new home development from the first blueprints or fitted as part of a planned re-roofing project. Otherwise, the costs and labour required to retrofit your roof will make installing solar roof tiles unfeasible – not to mention a logistical nightmare!
There are a number of solar roof tile manufacturers to choose from. These include:
Given the size of the upfront investment involved – and a breakeven time that, right now, more than doubles that of regular on-roof solar panels – we’d only recommend solar roof tiles for a specific subset of UK homeowners.
Solar roof tiles will only be worthwhile for you if:
✅ You have between £10,000 (for a 1.5kW system) and £26,800 (for a 6kW system) to spend upfront.
✅ You’re building a home from scratch or re-roofing your existing home. If not, your roof will require retrofitting, which will put further pressure on your funds.
✅ You’re not planning on parting with your home for at least the next two decades (otherwise, you won’t reach the break-even point and start turning a profit on your home’s solar panels before it’s time to sell up and leave).
✅ You’re installing solar panels on a listed building or one that requires planning permission – a World Heritage Site, for example – and you need to limit your solar array’s visual impact on your home, your neighbours and the area it’s located in.
✅ You live in a particularly windy or rainy area – or perhaps one full of avian life – and want to safeguard your solar panels from damage.
✅ Your home doesn’t use a lot of electricity or you’re not planning on generating the entirety of your household’s energy needs through your own solar setup. (Solar roof tiles won’t, for instance, be suitable for anyone planning on launching themselves into an off-grid lifestyle.)
It is likely that your solar roof tiles will qualify under the UK’s permitted development rights, making them exempt from planning permission. However, if you do need planning permission – for example if you live in a listed building or World Heritage Site – you should find it easier to gain planning permission for solar roof tiles than for traditional solar panels.
Yes, a roofer can install solar roof tiles; and, in fact, many roofing companies have already expanded their offerings to include solar installations.
Before hiring a roofer to fit your home’s solar roof tiles, however, it’s worth enquiring about their experience with solar installations and asking for examples of any previous projects they’ve successfully completed. You’ll also need to ensure your roofer is accredited under the UK’s Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
Solar roof tiles are around 5 per cent less efficient than solar panels. This means they produce less electricity than traditional on-roof solar panels and therefore won’t save you as much money off your electricity bills or make you as much money through SEG payments.
