People ask me this fairly often. They want solar, but they are thinking of moving in a few years and worry the money will be wasted. I am biased, because we fit solar systems for a living. But the honest answer is yes, it is still worth it, and I would say that even if I were not in the trade. In this post I will explain why, how solar holds its value when you sell, and what happens to your batteries when you move.
The short answer
Unless you are moving in the next year or so, fit the solar. Spending money on a solar system does not mean you lose that money when you sell. It carries value with the house.
Most people now understand that solar saves a lot on electricity. So when a buyer sees panels on the roof, they see lower bills, not a problem to deal with. That was not always the case, and I will come back to that.
It does not have to pay for itself before you sell
A common worry is, what if I have not saved enough to cover the cost before I move?
That is fine. The system does not have to pay for itself in full while you own it. Two things are happening at once:
- Every year you own it, the system saves you money on bills. That saving is real and you keep it.
- When you sell, the system still has value built in. You do not lose what you have not yet recouped.
So even if you move before the system has paid for itself, you have not thrown money away. You have had years of savings and you pass on a working asset.
How solar adds value when you sell
I cannot give you an exact figure for how much solar adds to a house, and you should be wary of anyone who claims a precise number. Every house and buyer is different. What I can tell you is how it helps:
- Buyer appeal: a house with solar stands out. Lower running costs are an easy selling point.
- Lower bills on day one: the new owner starts saving from the moment they move in.
- A modern, efficient home: solar signals a house that has been looked after and brought up to date.
Think about it from your own side. If I were buying, I would want solar on the new house, or some decent sized roofs I could put my own system on. Plenty of buyers feel the same.
Your batteries can come with you
Batteries are worth thinking about separately. They are modular, which means they are not fixed forever to one house.
Depending on how many you have, you have options when you move:
- Take some or all of the batteries with you to the new house.
- Sell them on separately.
- Leave them for the buyers and factor the value into the asking price.
So even the battery part of the spend is not locked in. You can carry it forward or turn it back into money.
The cost is small against the value of a house
The cost of a solar system is considerable, I will not pretend otherwise. But put it next to the value of the house and it is a small part of the whole.
A few thousand pounds of solar on a property worth several hundred thousand is a minor line. Buyers rarely balk at a house because it has solar. More often they are pleased to find it.
Perception has changed
Cast your mind back 10 or 15 years. Plenty of people did not like the look of solar on a roof, and some buyers saw it as a drawback.
That has shifted. We understand the technology now, and the savings are well known. Panels have also changed. All black panels sit much flatter and quieter on a roof, so to a degree you barely notice them. They no longer shout for attention the way the older ones did. As they have become more common, they have become more accepted.
When might I say wait?
To be straight with you, there is one case where I would hold off. If you are moving in the next year or so, the savings will not have time to add up, and the upheaval may not be worth it.
But if you are looking at four or five years or more, I would fit the solar. You get years of savings, a more appealing home when you sell, and batteries you can move or sell on.
The bottom line
Solar is still worth fitting even if you plan to move, as long as it is not in the next year or so. You save money while you live there, the system carries value into the sale, and your batteries can move with you or be sold. Set against the value of a house, the cost is small.
We design and install solar and battery systems across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, in places like Buckden, Huntingdon, St Neots and Ellington. If you are weighing up solar before a move, call the office on 01480 400607 or request a survey through our website and we will give you a straight answer.
Jason Pope
Owner, Selec Group