Solar & batteries for
council and social housing
This is a tool to help landlords understand the decisions needed when designing a solar photovoltaic (PV) project — in particular when seeking to access additional investment.
Whether you're looking at a single building, a pilot project, or a whole portfolio, it helps you find the right financing and delivery route.
Please read before using this tool — July 2026- This is an emerging market with models which are evolving. Provider offers, finance routes, and regulation are all changing rapidly. Always verify directly with providers and take advice before commitment.
- This is a guide, not a recommendation. Outputs are starting points based on the information you provide and Energiesprong UK's current view of the market. This is not a substitute for professional financial, legal, or procurement advice.
- Pathways are not exclusive. Most landlords will move between pathways as circumstances change (e.g. starting with a partner-led pilot, then moving to ownership at scale).
- This is a point-in-time snapshot, not a continuously updated tool. It reflects market conditions, provider offers and regulation as understood in July 2026, and will need to be updated as these change. Feedback is welcome — see the for contact details and acknowledgements.
Three main pathways
Most landlords will find their situation best described by one of these three routes. Each card sets out the typical steps in the procurement process for that pathway. Use the decision tool to confirm which is right for you.
Note: Pathways 2 and 3 can also be delivered with a licensed energy company acting as the operator — the operator role isn't limited to specialist billing providers.
A single partner finances, installs, and operates everything. The partner owns the assets and recovers investment through resident energy revenues.
No landlord capital required — but if you have a grant or partial budget, this can be used as leverage to secure better commercial terms or a blended structure where you retain more revenue upside.
Steps in the procurement process- 1Define homes, volume & resident outcome targets
- 2Chief Financial Officer / Section 151 officer sign-off on off-balance sheet treatment
- 3Run a mini-tender to turnkey operators if a framework is available, or a full tender if not (a sector-wide framework is being considered to enable easier procurement of these offers)
- 4Provider produces investment-grade business case
- 5Final approval & contract
Landlord funds the installation (Housing Revenue Account, Public Works Loan Board, National Wealth Fund or grant) and owns the assets, and procures a specialist to manage resident billing, grid services, and maintenance.
Where a financial return is required, we advise procuring the operator first — their requirements will impact on the system specification.
The operator can also deliver supply and install as a single contract, or supply & install can be procured separately if linking to re-roofing or other programmes. An energy company can also act as the operator under this pathway.
Steps in the procurement process- 1Confirm capital source (grant, Housing Revenue Account, Public Works Loan Board, National Wealth Fund)
- 2Procure operational services provider first — they set the technical spec
- 3Option A: Operator also delivers supply & install (one contract, simplest)
- 3Option B: Procure supply & install separately — e.g. via re-roofing or Decent Homes programme
- 4Agree service contract, risk allocation & revenue share
- 5Run a pilot at a defined scale; scale up with evidence
The landlord funds and installs solar using grant and/or own capital, and manages the outcome directly.
This can mean passing 100% of savings to residents (no revenue collected), or collecting a modest service charge to recover investment. No complex third-party operational model required.
Steps in the procurement process- 1Confirm funding (Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Housing Revenue Account, Decent Homes)
- 2Decide: 100% savings to residents, or service charge to recover costs?
- 3Consider combining with re-roofing/Decent Homes works
- 4Procure supply & install via standard works contract
- 5If service charge: complete Section 20 consultation; set charge below actual saving
What shapes your pathway?
What shapes your pathway?Five factors determine which route is right for your organisation. The decision tool explores each one.
Finance & balance sheet
Do you have capital or borrowing capacity, or does a partner need to bring the finance?
Stock type
Houses, flats, or mixed? Flats need specialist metering and not all providers cover them.
Resident outcomes
How much do residents benefit, and how comfortable are you with energy billing?
Batteries & revenue
Do you want to maximise revenue through grid services, or keep it simple?
Appetite for complexity
Novel contracts and long-term structures create a different risk profile, but may be important for securing investment.
Answer a few questions to find your route
The tool asks simple questions first and guides you to a clear recommendation — with named providers and procurement routes.
Provider profiles
An overview of organisations active in the social housing solar and battery market — what they offer and who they suit.
About this tool
Background, acknowledgements, and how to get in touch.
Background
This decision tool was developed to help councils and registered providers in London (and beyond) navigate the rapidly evolving market for solar PV and battery storage on social housing. It draws on the Zero Carbon Accelerator Market Assessment for Financing Solar Power on Council Housing at Scale (March 2025), project documents from pilot programmes, and direct conversations with providers, councils and housing associations through early 2026.
The aim is to help landlords identify which financing and delivery pathway best fits their organisation — and to find the providers most likely to be relevant to their situation. This is an emerging market with models which are evolving; this tool is intended as a starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.
This tool has been developed with the assistance of AI. All content has been reviewed and verified by Energiesprong UK — and, for provider information, checked with the suppliers themselves or against published sources.
Acknowledgements
This work would not have been possible without the generous input, time and thinking of partner organisations and individuals — in particular:
- The Mayor of London, through the Greater London Authority (GLA) — for funding and steering the Zero Carbon Accelerator programme
- Rafe Bertram at Enfield Council — for detailed feedback and pilot insight
- Camden Council, Hackney Council and Clarion Housing — for sharing their knowledge and the progress of their pilots
- Mott MacDonald
Thank you also to all the providers, councils, lenders and advisers who shared their experience and helped sense-check the routes set out in this tool.
Accessibility
We want this tool to be usable by as many people as possible. It has been designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 level AA, in line with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. You should be able to: navigate the whole tool using only a keyboard; use it with a screen reader; zoom in significantly without content overlapping; and read all text with sufficient colour contrast. Animations are reduced automatically if your device is set to reduce motion.
To report an accessibility problem, request this content in another format, or give feedback, please contact info@energiesprong.uk. If you are not happy with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) (opens in new tab). The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations.
This statement was prepared in July 2026 alongside an accessibility review of the tool. It should be reviewed, and ideally re-tested with assistive technology users, before formal publication.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. It does not collect, store or transmit any information automatically, and it uses no cookies or analytics. Your answers exist only on your device and are cleared when you close or refresh the page.
If you choose “Email my results”, the tool opens a pre-filled email in your own email application for you to review, edit and send. The tool itself does not transmit any information.
If you send us an email, any personal information you include (such as your name, organisation and email address) will be processed by Energiesprong UK to respond to your enquiry and provide support in connection with the Zero Carbon Accelerator programme. We process this information in accordance with our Privacy Policy (opens in new tab), which explains the lawful basis for processing, how long we retain your information, your rights under UK GDPR, and how to contact us or make a complaint.
If you wish to access, correct or request deletion of the personal information you have provided, please contact us at info@energiesprong.uk.
Disclaimer
This tool provides general information and guidance only. It is designed to help councils and registered providers explore financing and delivery options for solar PV and battery storage on social housing. It does not constitute financial, legal, investment, procurement, tax or other professional advice, and it should not be relied on as a substitute for such advice. You should take independent professional advice appropriate to your organisation's circumstances before making any decision or entering into any commitment.
Information is provided in good faith but without warranty. The content reflects market conditions, provider offers and regulation as understood in July 2026. This is an emerging and rapidly evolving market, and information may become out of date. While reasonable efforts have been made to check the content — including, for provider information, verification with suppliers or against published sources — no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy, completeness or currency.
Provider information is not an endorsement. References to named providers describe their publicly stated or supplier-confirmed offers at the time of writing. Inclusion in, or omission from, this tool does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation or criticism of any organisation by Energiesprong UK, the Greater London Authority or the Mayor of London. Always verify offers, capabilities and terms directly with providers, and follow your organisation's own procurement rules, before entering into any agreement.
Your decisions remain your responsibility. Any recommendation produced by this tool is a starting point generated from the answers you provide. Responsibility for how the information is used, and for any decision taken, rests with the user and their organisation.
Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Energiesprong UK, the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London accept no liability for any loss or damage (whether direct or indirect) arising from use of, or reliance on, this tool or its content, or from links to third-party websites. Nothing in this disclaimer excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under the law of England and Wales.
Developed by & contact
Developed by Energiesprong UK on behalf of the Mayor of London's Zero Carbon Accelerator.
For further information, feedback, corrections, or to share your experience using the tool, please contact Energiesprong UK at info@energiesprong.uk.