About kWh a year (4 kWp)
- Loughton (Epping Forest)
- 4,030
- Epping (Epping Forest)
- 4,041
- Harlow (Harlow)
- 4,024
- Brentwood (Brentwood)
- 4,098
- Basildon (Basildon)
- 4,156
- Chelmsford (Chelmsford)
- 4,132
Chelmsford · Basildon · Brentwood · Harlow · Epping · Loughton
Solar Panels Essex
Solar panels, batteries and EV chargers for homes in west and mid Essex, from Loughton and Harlow to Chelmsford and Basildon, with each council’s grants and rules set out plainly.
HIES Consumer Code member · NAPIT registered · MCS certified · Trustpilot reviewed
Our Essex pages cover six towns in five council areas: Loughton and Epping in Epping Forest district, Harlow, Brentwood, Basildon and Chelmsford. They have the strongest generation figures of any of our north-side pages, and two of them, Harlow and Basildon, are post-war new towns whose terraced estates and covenants raise questions an older market town doesn’t.
Home Comfort Enterprises (HCE) installs solar panels, battery storage and EV chargers. We are MCS-certified for solar PV and battery storage, with certification held via NAPIT (member 73495), and a HIES Consumer Code member (HCE/A/1392). Essex has had several rounds of group buying, so you may already have a scheme price to compare: we are happy to quote on the same specification.
Quick answer
Solar panels in Essex:
- PVGIS 5.3: about 4,024 to 4,156 kWh a year from a 4 kWp due-south array, across our 6 Essex town pages.
- Met Office Writtle station, by Chelmsford: about 1,644 hours of sunshine a year (1991–2020), against about 1,403 for the UK.
- Essex councils share a £6,000,000 Warm Homes: Local Grant; Basildon holds its own £1,500,000, delivered with E.ON.
- Harlow Council says roof-mounted solar needs no covenant permission unless the home is in a conservation area.
- National cost anchor: around £7,600 for a typical 4.5 kWp system (Energy Saving Trust), with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.
- HCE: NAPIT member 73495, MCS-certified for solar PV and battery storage via NAPIT, HIES Consumer Code member HCE/A/1392.
Figures: PVGIS, Met Office, GOV.UK, Basildon Borough Council, Harlow Council, Energy Saving Trust, HMRC; cited in full below.
New-town terraces and green-belt semis
The two new towns are built on terraces: 45.0% of households in Harlow’s built-up area and 43.9% in Basildon’s live in terraced houses, and both have a large social-rented share, 29.3% of Harlow district’s households and 30.0% in Basildon’s built-up area. Basildon Development Corporation built 15,169 homes for rent in its first 21 years, and the council took over most of that stock in 1994, so on many Basildon streets the roof belongs to the council.
Brentwood and Chelmsford are owner-occupier towns: 71.9% of Brentwood borough’s households and 70.0% of Chelmsford’s own their home. Their semis are also where the efficiency gap sits. The median semi-detached house scores 64 on its EPC in Brentwood and 66 in Chelmsford, both band D, against 73 and 76 for flats, and in Epping Forest district the median home built before 1929 scores 58.
Sources: ONS, Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, Census 2021 (tables 5c and 6c) · ONS Census 2021 TS044 and TS054 via Nomis · Basildon Borough Council, Housing the People · ONS, Median energy efficiency score, March 2025 edition (tables 2a to 2c). Read 15 October 2026.
Five councils, three different deadlines
Epping Forest committed in September 2019 to do everything in its power to make the district carbon neutral by 2030. Basildon has set a net-zero target of 2030 but says its own operations produce only around 2% of the borough’s emissions, and Chelmsford’s 2030 pledge covers the city council’s own activities. Harlow aims for net zero by 2040, with net zero emissions from all homes as one of its seven objectives. Brentwood, the latest to declare, in June 2023, approved an updated strategy in July 2026 aiming for net-zero council operations by 2030 and a net-zero borough by 2040.
Homes are where the gap is. On Basildon’s own figures 98% of homes in the borough have gas heating, and buildings and homes make up around 81% of its emissions. Harlow’s newest council homes, at Staple Tye Depot and Parnall Road, are described as supporting carbon reductions through solar panels and EV charging points, and Brentwood’s panels at the Brentwood Centre now meet 96% of the site’s peak demand.
Sources: Epping Forest District Council, Climate change action plan · Basildon Borough Council, Basildon 2030 and Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and homes · Chelmsford City Council, Climate emergency declaration · Harlow Council, Climate change action and housing pages · Brentwood Borough Council, Climate Emergency. Read 15 October 2026.
PVGIS 5.3, run 15 October 2026
What an Essex roof generates
One system, 6 towns: 4 kWp, 35° tilt, due south, 14% system losses, building-mounted.
| About kWh a year (4 kWp) | About kWh per kWp | Year-to-year variation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loughton (Epping Forest) | 4,030 | 1,007 | ±161 kWh |
| Epping (Epping Forest) | 4,041 | 1,010 | ±165 kWh |
| Harlow (Harlow) | 4,024 | 1,006 | ±163 kWh |
| Brentwood (Brentwood) | 4,098 | 1,024 | ±159 kWh |
| Basildon (Basildon) | 4,156 | 1,039 | ±159 kWh |
| Chelmsford (Chelmsford) | 4,132 | 1,033 | ±172 kWh |
About kWh per kWp
- Loughton (Epping Forest)
- 1,007
- Epping (Epping Forest)
- 1,010
- Harlow (Harlow)
- 1,006
- Brentwood (Brentwood)
- 1,024
- Basildon (Basildon)
- 1,039
- Chelmsford (Chelmsford)
- 1,033
Year-to-year variation
- Loughton (Epping Forest)
- ±161 kWh
- Epping (Epping Forest)
- ±165 kWh
- Harlow (Harlow)
- ±163 kWh
- Brentwood (Brentwood)
- ±159 kWh
- Basildon (Basildon)
- ±159 kWh
- Chelmsford (Chelmsford)
- ±172 kWh
Essex’s small sunshine edge, and why the roof still decides
Every one of the 6 Essex estimates clears 4,000 kWh, from about 4,024 in Harlow to 4,156 in Basildon, against 3,938 to 4,055 across our north London and Hertfordshire town pages (our arithmetic). The Met Office’s Writtle and Stanford-le-Hope stations both average about 1,644 hours of sunshine a year (1991–2020), against about 1,403 for the UK.
The edge is real but small. The six estimates span about 132 kWh (our arithmetic), less than PVGIS’s own year-to-year swing at any one town, about ±159 to ±172 kWh. An east-facing slope on a Harlow terrace or a shaded roof by the forest in Loughton loses more than the county gains, and the figures assume an unshaded, due-south roof at 35°. That is why we survey before we quote.
Sources: PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission Joint Research Centre), one run per town on 15 October 2026 (each town page gives its own figure) · Met Office location-specific long-term averages for Writtle and Stanford-le-Hope, 1991–2020.
Local facts, sourced
Essex in numbers
Council-level figures from named public sources. Where we have added council figures together, we say so.
-
DESNZ records about 14,025 solar PV installations of every size, rooftop to solar farm, across the 5 council areas our Essex towns sit in at the end of 2025, as first published (our sum). It is not a count of homes.
Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Renewable electricity by local authority 2014 to 2025 (published 29 September 2026)
-
DVLA records about 19,065 privately kept plug-in vehicles across the same 5 council areas at the end of June 2026, up from about 13,874 a year earlier (our sum). Vehicles, not chargers or households.
Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, VEH0142 licensed plug-in vehicles by local authority (published 23 September 2026)
-
Essex County Council’s Solar Together Essex drew over 6,600 sign-ups in 2023, the fourth time the council had run the group-buying scheme.
Source: Essex County Council news, 2023: Record number of Essex residents sign up for solar panel group buying scheme
-
On Basildon Council’s figures, 98% of homes in the borough have gas heating, and buildings and homes make up around 81% of its greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: Basildon Borough Council, Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and homes
-
Under the Home Upgrade Grant 2 programme (2023 to 2025), Basildon Council and E.ON upgraded 54 homes with £633,000 of measures that included solar panels.
Source: Basildon Borough Council news, awarded £1.5 million; DESNZ, Warm Homes: Local Grant successful local authorities (updated 2 July 2026)
-
Green belt covers 90.9% of Epping Forest district and 89% of Brentwood borough, but only 15.2% of Harlow (31 March 2025; Brentwood from its Local Plan topic paper).
Source: MHCLG, Local authority green belt statistics for England 2024-25 (published 9 October 2025); Brentwood Local Plan, F8 Green Belt Topic Paper (September 2020)
-
Solar panels at Brentwood Borough Council’s Brentwood Centre now meet 96% of the site’s peak energy demand.
Source: Brentwood Borough Council, Climate Emergency
-
Harlow and Basildon are post-war new towns: Harlow’s council describes its 1947 roots, and Basildon’s Designation Order was signed on 4 January 1949. Today 45.0% of Harlow’s households and 43.9% of Basildon’s live in terraced houses.
Source: Harlow Council, Parks and culture; Basildon Borough Council, Beginning of the New Town; ONS, built-up areas, Census 2021, table 5c
Data last reviewed: 15 October 2026
What solar costs on an Essex home, in brief
The Energy Saving Trust’s national anchor is a typical 4.5 kWp system, around 12 panels, at around £7,600 installed: a UK figure, not an Essex price. Installations carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5% from 1 April 2027, batteries included. On the runs above, 4 kWp returns about 4,156 kWh a year in Basildon; exported surplus earns Smart Export Guarantee payments at rates each supplier sets and can change, which is why we never print one.
If you were quoted through a Solar Together Essex round, keep that paperwork: comparing it panel by panel and warranty by warranty with an independent quote is a fair test, ours included. More on solar panel installation costs, what a solar quote should itemise and how long panels take to pay for themselves.
Sources: Energy Saving Trust, Solar panels: costs, savings and benefits explained (updated 27 August 2026) · HMRC VAT Notice 708/6 · Ofgem, Smart Export Guarantee.
Grants and group buying in Essex, in brief
Essex splits in two on the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Epping Forest, Harlow, Brentwood and Chelmsford are members of the Essex consortium that GOV.UK lists with £6,000,000, bid for by the county with the district, city and borough councils; Essex County Council says the money can pay for measures including solar panels and insulation, and Chelmsford sends applications to the Heat Essex website. Basildon bid on its own and holds £1,500,000, delivered with E.ON, with applications due before November 2027; on 15 October 2026 its page said the application link was to follow. The grant is income-linked: a privately owned home rated EPC D to G, and usually a household income of £36,000 or less, a qualifying benefit or postcode.
Ofgem says ECO4, the supplier-funded scheme, runs until 31 December 2026. Group buying is paused: on 15 October 2026 Switch Together, formerly Solar Together, said it was not active in any of the five council areas. We don’t run or arrange these schemes and can’t speed them up.
Sources: GOV.UK, Warm Homes: Local Grant successful local authorities (updated 2 July 2026) · Essex County Council, £6 million boost to tackle fuel poverty in Essex (20 March 2025) · Chelmsford City Council, Warm Homes: Local Grant · Basildon Borough Council, energy support · Ofgem, ECO4 · Switch Together council pages. Read 15 October 2026.
Planning and covenants in Essex, in brief
In Harlow, start with the covenant. Most Harlow homes carry restrictive covenants, but the council states that roof-mounted solar panels do not need covenant permission unless the property is in a conservation area. On planning, four Article 4 directions in Old Harlow require an application for putting up or replacing solar panels on a roof visible from the road; the Mark Hall North direction of 2023 covers front roof slopes but does not list solar equipment.
Elsewhere, panels on a house roof are usually permitted development. Chelmsford lists 26 conservation areas, Epping Forest district 26, Brentwood 13 and Basildon four, and the directions that matter are specific: Loughton’s Staples Road and York Hill conservation areas carry Article 4 directions, and Basildon’s Noak Bridge has one over part of its area. Chelmsford’s Article 4 records on the government’s planning data platform do not list the solar class. A listed home always needs listed building consent.
Sources: Harlow Council, Covenant control and Article 4 directions (Old Harlow; Mark Hall North) · Chelmsford City Council, Conservation areas · Epping Forest District Council, Conservation areas and Article 4 directions · Brentwood Borough Council, Conservation areas · Basildon Borough Council, Conservation areas · planning.data.gov.uk, Chelmsford City Council article-4-direction-area records. Read 15 October 2026.
Connecting to the grid in Essex
Eastern Electricity, now part of UK Power Networks, managed the cables and lines in Essex, and on UKPN’s own boundary data 5 of our 6 Essex town centres sit in its Eastern licence area. Loughton is the exception: its town centre sits in UKPN’s London area, close to the Eastern boundary, so parts of the town may be on either and your postcode decides. Either way the paperwork goes to UKPN, which says it approves home solar and storage automatically where the maximum export is under 5 kW. A system above 16 A per phase needs G99 approval before work starts. Your installer deals with it.
Sources: UK Power Networks, licence boundaries open data (town-centre point checks) · UK Power Networks, Our history and Solar and storage: cost, time and what’s involved · Energy Networks Association, Find my network operator · ENA EREC G98/G99. Read 15 October 2026.
When we’d tell you not to fit solar in Essex
If your roof is heavily shaded, by Epping Forest’s trees or your neighbours’, or faces mostly north, the PVGIS figures above won’t apply, and we’ll say so. If you rent from the council in Harlow or Basildon, the roof is the council’s decision. If you are in a Harlow conservation area, the covenant question comes back, and in Old Harlow a roof visible from the road needs a planning application first. If you might qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, check that route before paying for anything.
And if the house is empty all day, much of what a 4 kWp array makes would be exported at a supplier-set rate; a battery or an EV charger can change that sum, and we’ll show you the arithmetic. A standard grid-tied battery shuts down in a power cut unless the system is designed for backup. The battery systems in our own job photos are EnSmart and Hanchu.
Get an Essex quote
Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping or Loughton: one survey of your roof and usage, one written, itemised quote you can set beside any scheme price, no chasing.
Solar panels in Essex: common questions
Is Solar Together Essex open at the moment?
No. The scheme now trades as Switch Together, and on 15 October 2026 its pages for Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Epping Forest and Harlow all said it was not active in the area, inviting residents to register interest. Its 2023 round, the fourth Essex County Council had run, drew over 6,600 sign-ups. Registering costs nothing and does not stop you getting an independent quote on the same specification.
Can I get a grant for solar panels in Essex?
Possibly, through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, if your home is privately owned, rated EPC D to G and your household meets an income, benefit or postcode test. Epping Forest, Harlow, Brentwood and Chelmsford share the Essex consortium’s £6,000,000, which the county says can pay for measures including solar panels; Chelmsford sends applications to the Heat Essex website. Basildon holds its own £1,500,000 with E.ON. We don’t run or arrange these grants.
Do I need Harlow Council’s permission under my covenant to fit solar panels?
Not usually. Most Harlow homes carry restrictive covenants, but Harlow Council states that roof-mounted solar panels do not need covenant permission unless the property is in a conservation area. Planning is a separate question: four Article 4 directions in Old Harlow require a planning application for panels on a roof visible from the road.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Essex?
Usually not for panels on a house roof. The exceptions are local: Old Harlow’s Article 4 directions cover roofs visible from the road, Loughton’s Staples Road and York Hill conservation areas carry Article 4 directions, and Basildon’s Noak Bridge conservation area has one over part of its area. Chelmsford’s Article 4 records on the government’s planning data platform do not list the solar class. Listed homes always need consent.
Which electricity network covers Essex?
UK Power Networks. Eastern Electricity, now part of UKPN, managed the cables and lines in Essex, and 5 of our 6 Essex town centres sit in UKPN’s Eastern licence area (Distributor ID 10 on your bill). Loughton’s town centre sits just inside its London area, close to the Eastern boundary, so check your own postcode. UKPN says it approves home systems exporting under 5 kW automatically.
Towns we cover
Local pages for Essex towns
Each town page carries that town’s own census housing figures, conservation areas and council schemes, with every source named.
Get the honest numbers for your Essex home
Tell us your town, and if you have a group-buy or other quote, send it too; we’ll arrange a survey and a written, itemised quote on a comparable specification, with no obligation. Ring HCE on 0204 547 1892 or use the form.
Also see: north London · Hertfordshire
For a longer read, see Essex solar and batteries: which network, G98 or G99?.