· Thousands joined Sunsave’s waiting list to install solar power via it’s subscription service Sunsave Plus
· Monthly payments start at just £69, with zero upfront costs to install
· Sunsave works with the UK’s largest electricity supplier Octopus Energy to provide innovative export tariffs to customers
UK households can now pay for solar panels as part of a monthly subscription, similar to a mobile phone contract, with the launch of Sunsave Plus.
Sunsave, a London-based company on a mission to make solar power accessible to all UK households, amassed over 7,000 households on its waiting list after announcing the upcoming scheme, Sunsave Plus, at the end of last year.
Monthly payments start at just £69, with zero upfront costs to install, and the average family could save 1.63 tonnes of CO2 and £420 in the first year or £51,935 over the next 25 years on their energy bills, net of Sunsave Plus payments - providing an instant return on their investment in solar.
The subscription includes fixed monthly payments for the lifetime, protecting homeowners from future energy price rises and allowing them to know exactly what they will pay and budget accordingly. All systems are guaranteed for 20 years, including monitoring, a replacement battery and insurance from Aviva to give homeowners peace of mind.
Prior to the Sunsave Plus launch, homeowners seeking solar power would be looking at paying over £10,000 for the average solar energy system, an unachievable sum when half of UK households have less than £5,000 in savings.
Research by Sunsave found 70% of UK households would like to install a solar system and yet government data shows only 4% actually have, thanks to a complex market and hefty upfront installation costs.
Sunsave customers will also benefit from excellent service from the UK’s most awarded energy supplier Octopus Energy, allowing Sunsave users easy access to its market leading export tariffs such as Intelligent Octopus Flux.
Founded in 2022 by two friends who met at Oxford University, Alick Dru and Ben Graves, Sunsave aims to demystify the overcomplicated solar industry and expensive installation fees amidst soaring energy prices and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Alick Dru, co-founder at Sunsave said: “Our aim has always been to make solar power accessible to everyone. For far too long households have been forced to make a choice between what’s right for the environment or what’s best for their finances. We’ve spent years researching the appetite in the UK for solar power and trialing finance models which will allow consumers to start saving money instantly. It’s simple - going green shouldn’t cost the earth.”
About Sunsave Plus: Sunsave Plus offers a unique alternative to customers - a long-term subscription with no upfront costs, with ongoing monitoring and maintenance, provided through a 20-year guarantee to ensure the system's performance and longevity.
The subscription price is based on the size of the system and the customer's home. Each system is designed by a Sunsave solar expert and tailored to their home, energy consumption profile and affordability to find the best option for them. The bigger the system, or energy consumption, the larger the savings. For example, the same family home with an EV and a Heat pump, could see savings of £609 in the first year and £62,514 over 25 years, net of Sunsave Plus payments.
Unlike many other financed solar options, like controversial ‘Rent-a-roof’ schemes, Sunsave Plus doesn’t require a roof lease and customers have full ownership of their system from the moment it’s installed.
Sunsave is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide the technology on a subscription model.
The startup was also recently awarded almost £2 million from the UK Government’s Green Home Finance Accelerator (GHFA), part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The funding is to support UK-based green finance providers and other organisations to design, develop and pilot innovative finance propositions which encourage domestic energy efficiency, low carbon heating and micro-generation retrofit.
