Solar Panels in a Greenwich home by Future Home Energy
MCS Certified • SE3, SE7, SE9, SE10, SE18, SE28

Solar Panel Installation in Greenwich

Solar PV and battery storage for Greenwich homes, surveyed rear slope first, because in this borough the roof that faces the sun is often the one you are not allowed to use.

07538 192738
MCS
Certified Installer
1-2 Days
Typical Install
70-80%
Self-Use With Battery
SEG
Export Payments
South East London

Solar Panels in Greenwich

We will be straight with you: Greenwich is one of the harder boroughs in London to put solar on, and it is worth knowing that before you book surveys with three companies. The constraint is not the technology, it is that the borough has 23 conservation areas, three Article 4 directions and a World Heritage Site buffer zone, and the planning rule for solar is blunter than the one for most other external work. In a conservation area, panels must not go on a wall or roof slope that fronts a highway. Full stop.

On a Victorian or Georgian terrace running east to west, that frequently rules out the south-facing front slope and leaves you the north-facing rear, which is not worth installing on. On a terrace running north to south it is often fine, because the productive slope faces the garden rather than the street. Two houses on opposite sides of the same road can therefore get completely different answers, which is exactly why a desktop quote off a satellite image is worthless here and why our survey starts with orientation and the conservation designation rather than with panel counts.

Listed property is stricter again. Permitted development does not apply to a listed building at all, so solar needs full planning permission and listed building consent, both. With 542 listed buildings in the borough that is a real consideration rather than an edge case. Where the roof genuinely will not work we say so and stop, rather than selling you a system that will underperform for twenty-five years.

Local Detail

What Decides Solar in Greenwich

Four things settle whether a Greenwich roof is worth doing, and only one of them is about the panels.

Which Slope Faces the Street

The single biggest factor. In a conservation area panels cannot go on a roof slope fronting a highway, so the question is whether your productive slope faces the road or the garden. Terraces running north to south usually work well. Terraces running east to west often do not, because the usable slope is the one you are not permitted to use. We establish this at the survey before discussing anything else.

Article 4 Streets

West Greenwich, East Greenwich and the Ashburnham Triangle carry Article 4 directions, which remove permitted development on principal elevations outright. In practice that means a formal application for anything visible from the street, and the outcome is not a foregone conclusion. Rear-slope schemes in these areas are usually still workable, and that is where we look first.

Listed Buildings: No Permitted Development At All

There are 542 in the borough. Unlike air conditioning, where permitted development still exists in a modified form, solar on a listed building has none: you need full planning permission and separate listed building consent. It is not impossible, particularly on a concealed rear roof, but it is a months-long process and we will tell you that upfront rather than after you have paid for a survey.

Chimneys, Dormers and Shading

Greenwich's period stock has more chimney stacks per roof than modern housing, and a great many rear slopes carry dormers from loft conversions. Both break up the array and both cast shade. Panel-level optimisers or microinverters recover a good deal of what shading costs you, and on a broken Greenwich roof they are usually worth the extra rather than an upsell.

Coverage

Where We Work in Greenwich

Postcode Districts
  • SE2
  • SE3
  • SE7
  • SE8
  • SE9
  • SE10
  • SE18
  • SE28
Neighbourhoods
  • Greenwich
  • Blackheath
  • Charlton
  • Westcombe Park
  • Greenwich Peninsula
  • Woolwich
  • Plumstead
  • Shooters Hill
  • Eltham
  • New Eltham
  • Kidbrooke
  • Abbey Wood
  • Thamesmead
  • Ashburnham Triangle

Read more about solar panels and battery storage across London, or see every area we cover.

Common Questions

Solar Panels in Greenwich FAQ

Can I put solar panels on my house in a Greenwich conservation area?
Often yes, but not on any slope you like. In a conservation area panels must not be fitted to a wall or roof slope that fronts a highway, so a rear or side slope not facing the road is normally permitted development. Greenwich has 23 conservation areas, so for a great many properties here the practical question is simply which way your roof faces. We check the designation and the orientation together at the survey.
My Greenwich home is listed. Can I still have solar?
Possibly, but it is a much bigger process than on an unlisted house. Permitted development does not apply to listed buildings at all, so you need full planning permission and listed building consent as two separate approvals. With 542 listed buildings in the borough this comes up regularly. Concealed rear-roof schemes stand the best chance. We will give you a realistic view of the odds before you spend anything.
My roof faces the street. Is that the end of it?
If you are in a conservation area, for that slope, effectively yes. But it is worth checking whether a rear or side slope is usable instead, and whether a smaller array there plus a battery still makes financial sense. A battery lifts self-consumption from roughly 30-50% to 70-80%, which means a modest rear-slope system can deliver more benefit than the panel count suggests. If neither slope works we will say so.
What about the World Heritage Site?
Maritime Greenwich is a World Heritage Site and the surrounding buffer zone overlaps several conservation areas. The practical effect on solar is the same rule that applies in a conservation area, that panels must not front a highway, but applications inside the buffer zone attract closer scrutiny. We identify whether your property sits within it as part of the survey.
Do chimneys and dormers stop solar working?
They reduce output rather than prevent it, and Greenwich's period roofs have more of both than modern housing. Shading on one panel drags down a whole string on a basic system, which is why on a broken roof we specify panel-level optimisers or microinverters so each panel performs independently. It costs a little more and on a Greenwich roof it usually pays for itself.
Will I get paid for the electricity I export?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee. Suppliers are required to pay for surplus electricity you send to the grid, typically 3 to 15p per kWh depending on the tariff. We register you with the best available SEG tariff after commissioning, as part of the job rather than leaving the paperwork with you.
How long does a solar installation take in Greenwich?
Most London homes are one to two days, scaffold up to system live. The fitting is not the slow part. The survey, the conservation area or listed building consent where one is needed, and the SEG registration afterwards all take longer, and in this borough the consent stage is the one to start early.
Which parts of Greenwich do you cover for solar?
The whole Royal Borough: SE10 Greenwich, SE3 Blackheath, SE7 Charlton, SE18 Woolwich and Plumstead, SE9 Eltham, SE28 Thamesmead and SE2 Abbey Wood, plus Kidbrooke. Eltham and the Eltham fringes tend to give the best solar results in the borough, because the interwar stock there has larger unbroken rear slopes than the terraces closer in.
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