Do solar panels work with storage heaters?
Only partly. Standard storage heaters take their charge overnight, on a cheaper off-peak rate. Solar panels produce nothing then. So the heating, usually the biggest part of the bill in an electric-heated home, is the part solar does not reach.
Solar still helps with the rest:
- daytime electricity use, such as appliances and cooking;
- hot water, where a solar diverter sends spare power to the immersion heater.
Solar panels Generate in daylight
Heat pump Runs through the day
Storage heaters Charge overnight
| When | What that means for solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels | Generate in daylight, most in summer | This is the electricity you want to use at home |
| Storage heaters | Charge overnight on an off-peak rate | No overlap with solar in the usual set-up |
| Heat pump | Runs through the day and evening, most in cold weather | Overlaps with solar on bright days, least in midwinter |
| Hot water cylinder | Can be heated at a time you choose | Can be timed for the middle of the day |
Why a heat pump is the better match
- It runs in daylight. A heat pump works gently through the day, when the panels are producing.
- It needs less electricity. A heat pump delivers several units of heat for each unit of electricity. A storage heater delivers one. The home buys far less electricity for heating, so solar covers a bigger share of what is left.
- Hot water can follow the sun. The cylinder can be heated in the middle of the day.
Winter is still the gap
Solar produces least in winter, when a heat pump works hardest. Expect to buy most of your winter heating electricity from the grid.
What the grant covers
Replacing electric heating, including storage heaters, is eligible under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales.
Air-to-water or ground source
£7,500
The standard grant for an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump replacing electric heating.
Air-to-air
£2,500
Residential properties only. Air-to-air systems are not eligible in non-residential buildings.
You can get one grant per property. It covers heat pumps and biomass boilers only, so it does not pay for solar panels or a battery.
No gas supply does not mean the higher grant
The enhanced £9,000 value is only for homes replacing oil or LPG heating. A home with storage heaters stays at the standard value, even if it has never had a gas supply.
Installed solar panels, batteries and heat pumps in homes currently have 0% VAT. The rate is due to return to 5% from 1 April 2027.
Some households can get solar funded through other schemes. Our solar panel grants guide sets out who qualifies.
What changes in the home
The heat pump is the bigger job, because storage heaters have no pipes or radiators to reuse.
- Air-to-water heat pump. New radiators and pipework in every room, a hot water cylinder and an outdoor unit. The old heaters are usually removed once the new system is running.
- Air-to-air heat pump. Indoor units on the walls and an outdoor unit, with no radiators. It does not heat water, so the immersion cylinder stays.
- Solar panels. A smaller job: panels on the roof, an inverter and a cable to your consumer unit.
The installer checks your electricity supply for both, and whether the network operator needs to be notified. Our guide to replacing storage heaters with a heat pump covers the heating work in full.
Meter, tariff and export
- Your meter and tariff. A dual-rate meter set up for overnight charging may no longer suit a home that heats through the day. Compare tariffs once the new system is in.
- Export payments. Under the Smart Export Guarantee, suppliers set their own rates and terms, and payments are worked out from export meter readings. Ask whether your meter can record export.
- A battery. A home battery stores daytime solar for the evening. It is optional.
Which to do first?
| Heat pump first | Solar first | Both together | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant | £7,500 off an eligible air-to-water heat pump | None from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme | On the heat pump only |
| Effect on heating electricity | The biggest change: far less electricity for the same warmth | Little, while the storage heaters still charge at night | Both effects at once |
| Disruption | High: a new heating system is built | Low | High, but in one go |
| Sizing the solar | Done later, on your real electricity use | Done before the heating changes, so it may not fit later use | Done with the heat pump’s use in mind |
If the budget stretches to only one, remember that the grant applies to the heat pump, and that solar does little for the heating while storage heaters remain.
Will the bill be zero?
No one can promise that. Solar and heating peak in opposite seasons, and the electricity standing charge is paid every day. How close a home gets depends on its roof, its heat loss and its tariff. We do not publish savings figures.
Our guide to a heat pump and solar in a terraced or semi-detached home sets out what pushes a bill down and what stops it reaching zero. The heat pump running costs guide shows how to work out your own figure.
Warm Home Support is an information and enquiry service, not an installer. If you want solar looked at alongside a heat pump, say so when you enquire. Any survey or quotation is carried out by a suitably qualified installer, and for a Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump that must be an MCS-certified installer.
Check your property
Tell us your home uses electric or storage heaters and whether you own it. We will take you to our eligibility check with those answers filled in. It is free, and nothing is sent until you choose to send it.
