Cost guide
How much does solar panel cleaning cost?
Solar panel cleaning costs £5 to £12 a panel, with a minimum charge of £60 to £80 that most domestic jobs land on. A twelve-panel array is therefore usually £70 to £145, and bird proofing mesh is a separate £250 to £600.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on how many panels there are and how they are reached.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Per panel, domestic array | £5 to £12 |
| Minimum charge | £60 to £80 |
| Twelve-panel domestic array | £70 to £145 |
| Ground-mounted array, per panel | £3 to £7 |
| Bird proofing mesh, domestic array | £250 to £600 |
| Commercial array, per panel | £2 to £6 |
Take a meter reading the week before and the week after, on comparable weather. It is the only way to find out whether your array is one of the ones that gains several per cent or one of the ones that gains almost nothing, and it settles whether this is a yearly job for you or a rare one.
What moves the price
- How many panels, and whether the total clears the minimum charge.
- Roof pitch. A shallow array is dirtier and takes longer.
- Height and access, which decides pole length and sometimes a tower.
- Bird fouling and lichen, which take far longer than dust.
- Ground mount or roof mount, the first being quicker and cheaper per panel.
- Whether proofing mesh is being fitted at the same visit.
Who quotes for it
4 of the 204 cleaning companies listed on this site take on solar panel cleaning.
Spread across: Cardiff (1), Derby (1), Newcastle upon Tyne (1), Sheffield (1).
Questions about solar panel cleaning
Does cleaning void the warranty?
Pure water and a soft brush from a pole is what manufacturers' cleaning instructions generally describe. Detergents, abrasives, pressure washers and walking on the glass are the things manufacturers' instructions most often warn against, and the trade does none of them.
Is bird proofing worth it?
If you have nesting under the array, yes. Droppings shade cells directly and the nesting material under the panels is a fire and a blockage risk, and mesh costs less than repeated cleaning.