Quick answer
A typical 15 kW solar PV installation on a UK parish church costs £18,000–£30,000 turnkey in 2026. After Buildings for Mission grants (typically £10,000–£30,000) and Listed Places of Worship VAT reimbursement (20% on listed buildings), net cost to the PCC is usually £6,000–£14,000 — sometimes zero.
Full answer
Cost per kW for UK church solar in 2026: £1,100–£1,400 per kW for parish churches (specialist heritage premium), £950–£1,200 per kW for halls and unlisted modern free-church buildings, £800–£950 per kW for cathedrals and large schemes. The premium on heritage work (15–30% above standard commercial PV) reflects bespoke fixings, smaller crane and access logistics, more careful protection of fragile fabric, and longer permitting timeline.
Indicative gross capex by system size: 8 kW £10,000–£13,500; 10 kW £12,000–£16,000; 15 kW £18,000–£24,000; 20 kW £22,000–£30,000; 30 kW £32,000–£42,000; 40 kW £42,000–£55,000; 60 kW £58,000–£74,000; 100 kW £90,000–£115,000.
Most UK parish solar projects receive substantial grant funding. A typical funding stack for a £25,000 listed parish install: Buildings for Mission £14,000 (56%), Listed Places of Worship VAT £4,167 (20%), parish reserves £3,000, fundraising £2,500, Allchurches Trust £1,500. Net cost to parish: approximately zero. Lifetime savings over 25 years: £75,000–£100,000.
Payback economics: 11–14 years simple payback on gross capex for Sunday-only churches; 6–9 years for halls with active community use; 4–8 years with grants and combined church+hall metering.
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