Hive solar panels and British Gas: prices, installers and tariffs (September 2026)

Hive Solar is British Gas's solar offer in practice. Hive (Centrica Hive Ltd) and British Gas belong to the same group, and British Gas's solar page sends you to "solar panel installation from our friends at Hive". Hive doesn't install anything itself. It introduces you to an independent installer, Glow Green, Infinity Renewables or, in Scotland, Greener Energy Group, and you buy the system from that company under its contract. On 24 September 2026 Hive's pages gave starting prices of £5,035 or £5,610 for eight panels, depending on the page. What Hive adds is its app, and a 25% discount on your electricity unit rate for a year if British Gas supplies your electricity.

Everything below comes from Hive's and British Gas's own pages on 24 September 2026. Solar Report has no commercial relationship with Hive, British Gas or any other supplier: we are not paid for this review.

How Hive Solar works

1. You ask for a quote on Hive's website, and Hive passes your details to one of its installation partners, depending on where you live.
2. The installer surveys your home, in person or online, and gives you a fixed-price quote.
3. If you accept, your contract is with the installer. Hive says it is not responsible for the installation and does not guarantee the installer's work; it is responsible only for the Hive equipment it provides.
4. The installer fits the system plus a Hive Bridge (and a Hive Hub if you don't have one) at no extra cost, so you can see generation, battery and export in the Hive app.

Hive's legal note names five companies it may introduce you to. All five were listed as active on Companies House when we checked on 24 September 2026:

Because the installer carries the contract, check that company's MCS certificate, its consumer code membership (RECC or HIES) and its workmanship warranty, not just the Hive brand.

Hive Solar prices

Hive's pages gave different figures on the same day, so treat them as starting points and rely on the installer's written quote.

The £5,035 price covers fitting on concrete tiles (not slate), single-phase electrics, scaffolding for two storeys on one side and no complications. Hive said prices may differ in Scotland. Its pages don't name the panel brand, and describe the battery as 5 kWh, 5.23 kWh and 5.32 kWh in different places, so ask the installer for exact models and usable capacity.

Worked example: price per kWp. Eight panels of 470 W make 8 × 470 W = 3,760 W, or 3.76 kWp. At £5,035 that is £5,035 ÷ 3.76 = about £1,339 per kWp; at £5,610 it is about £1,492 per kWp, if the panels are the same 470 W. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reports a mean installed cost of £2,109 per kW for domestic retrofit systems up to 4 kW in 2025/26, including VAT and excluding batteries. Both Hive figures are below that mean, but they are starting prices for a simple roof. Our solar panel cost guide explains what a full quote should include.

Prices include VAT, which is 0% on solar panels and batteries supplied and installed in your home until 31 March 2027 and scheduled to become 5% from 1 April 2027.

The British Gas tariffs

Hive Solar Saver is a British Gas offer for Hive Solar buyers:

• a credit of 25% of your electricity unit rate (excluding VAT) for 12 months from sign-up;
• the standing charge is not discounted, and on a time-of-use tariff only peak-rate use counts;
• you must accept a Hive quote, have the installation finished within three months, and sign up within two weeks of Hive's invitation email;
• British Gas must supply your electricity on its newer account system (account numbers starting "A" or "BGX"), by direct debit, with a smart meter.

British Gas says the offer can be withdrawn with a month's notice on its website.

Worked example: what the discount is worth. Suppose British Gas charges you the Ofgem price cap average for October to December 2026, 26.32p per kWh with no VAT. For every 1,000 kWh you still import, the credit is 1,000 × 26.32p × 25% = 6,580p, or £65.80. Solar panels cut how much you import, so the discount shrinks as your system does more; it lasts 12 months.

Export. British Gas pays 12p per kWh on Export Premium if it supplies your electricity (systems up to 15 kW, variable rate, no exit fee), and 3p on Export SEG if it doesn't, according to its SEG page updated 27 August 2026. For 1,000 kWh exported that is 1,000 × £0.12 = £120 against 1,000 × £0.03 = £30. It pays every three months, within 28 days of receiving your export reading, which a smart meter normally sends automatically. One Hive page quoted 15.1p under the name Export & Earn Plus; British Gas's own SEG page is the one to follow. The Smart Export Guarantee applies in Great Britain only. Our best export tariffs comparison shows what other suppliers pay.

The 2026 advertising ruling

On 4 March 2026 the Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint about a Hive newspaper advert that said you could "shrink your electricity bills by up to 94% in your first year with solar". The ASA found that the figure relied on a battery, a British Gas export tariff and the Hive Solar Saver discount, none of which the advert mentioned, and that Hive's own data showed 44% of the customers it analysed were expected to reach the 94% saving. The advert must not appear again in that form.

Hive's pages now say "save 83%", with its assumptions in a footnote: a 4.0 kW system on a south-facing roof in Milton Keynes, 2,500 kWh of use a year, a 5 kWh battery, and export paid at 12p by British Gas. Without the battery or the British Gas export rate, the percentage would be lower. Run your own home through our calculator rather than relying on a headline percentage.

Paying monthly

Hive and British Gas offer two credit routes, both through other companies: a solar subscription through Sunsave (Hive says it receives a fixed referral fee for introducing you) and a fixed-rate loan from a bank. Hive's subscription example totals £16,560 over 20 years (240 payments of £69: 240 × £69 = £16,560), including £5,734 of interest and £2,763 of monitoring and maintenance fees on a loan of £8,063 (another Hive page showed slightly different figures for the same £69 plan). Compare any total like this with the cash price of your quote, and use the repayments, not the cash price, in any payback sum. We don't recommend lenders.

Warranties and protection

Hive advertises a 10-year warranty on the battery and inverter; our solar battery storage guide explains what battery warranties usually cover. Its pages don't state a workmanship warranty, because that comes from the installer: ask how long it is, whether it is insurance-backed and who honours it if the installer stops trading. MCS no longer requires installers to belong to a consumer code, so check RECC or HIES membership on the code's own website. If you sign a contract away from the installer's premises or online, the law lets you cancel from the day you sign until 14 days after the equipment is delivered; the installer's terms set the deposit and payment stages. Our guide to choosing a solar installer sets out your rights in full.

Hive, British Gas or a direct quote?

The Hive route suits you if you already get, or are happy to get, your electricity from British Gas: you get the Hive app kit and a year of discounted unit rates, plus British Gas's 12p export rate while you stay a customer. If you would rather choose your own supplier and tariff, the Solar Saver discount and 12p rate fall away, and a quote from an independent MCS installer, including the same companies approached directly, may compare well. Get at least two quotes for the same kWp and battery and check them with our guide to comparing solar quotes. Our comparison of solar companies sets Hive next to Octopus, E.ON Next and independent installers.

FAQ

Is Hive Solar the same as British Gas solar panels?

Yes, in practice. British Gas's solar page offers "solar panel installation from our friends at Hive", and Hive and British Gas are part of the same group. Neither installs the panels: the installer is one of Hive's partner companies.

Who installs Hive solar panels?

Hive introduces you to Glow Green, Infinity Renewables or, in Scotland, Greener Energy Group, and its legal note also names Effective Energy Group and Heatable. The company that quotes you is the one you contract with.

Does the Hive Solar Saver discount include the standing charge?

No. It is 25% of your electricity unit rate for 12 months; you pay the full standing charge. On a time-of-use tariff the discount applies only to peak-rate use.

Are Hive solar panels worth it?

Hive's starting prices were below the government's average cost per kW for small domestic systems on 24 September 2026, and the British Gas discount and 12p export rate add value if British Gas supplies your electricity. Whether it pays back depends on your quote, your roof and your electricity use, so compare it with a direct quote and test it in our calculator.