Solar Together Kent: how the group-buying scheme works, and when a local installer suits you better

Quick answer: Solar Together Kent is a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage, and it now trades as Switch Together. Kent County Council has promoted it since 2020, and iChoosr runs it. You register free and without obligation, vetted installers bid in a reverse auction, and you get a personal offer you can accept or turn down. It covers Kent’s 12 district and borough council areas plus Medway, but not the London boroughs of Bromley and Croydon. On 15 October 2026 the Kent registration page was closed, with a form to hear when the next round opens.

Below is how each step works, from the council’s and the scheme’s own pages, and how it compares with going direct to a local MCS-certified installer.

Who runs the scheme

Kent County Council describes Switch Together as a group-purchase scheme for solar panels and battery storage, run by iChoosr, a group-buying specialist. The council says it works with all 12 Kent local authorities and Medway Council. Switch Together’s website says it was formerly known as Solar Together, and some district council pages, including Maidstone Borough Council’s, still use the old name.

The councils promote the scheme and, with iChoosr, monitor progress and customer satisfaction. They don’t install anything. iChoosr’s terms say your contract is directly with the installer that wins the auction, not with iChoosr or the council. According to Kent County Council, by September 2025 the Kent scheme had helped deliver more than 3,920 solar PV and battery systems, plus 250 EV chargers.

How registration, the auction and your offer work

These steps combine the council pages and Switch Together’s own explanation.

1. Register. It’s free and carries no obligation. You give details of your home, your roof and your energy use. iChoosr’s terms say registering doesn’t guarantee an offer, because installers have limited capacity and work on a first come, first served basis.
2. The auction. Pre-vetted installers bid for the group’s work in a reverse auction. Maidstone Borough Council explains that the most competitive package wins, and that the more people register, the better the deal should be for each household.
3. Your personal offer. You’re emailed an offer (council pages call it a personal recommendation) showing the estimated system size, cost, savings and the installer’s details.
4. You decide. There’s no obligation to go ahead.
5. Survey and installation. Once you accept, the installer surveys your home in person before any work starts, then agrees an installation date if your property is suitable. Switch Together’s FAQ says that if extra costs turn up that weren’t in your offer, you can cancel and have your acceptance deposit refunded.

What’s included, and who can join

Kent County Council says homeowners, landlords and small businesses in Kent can register for a quote for up to 25 solar panels per property. According to the council and Switch Together’s Kent pages and FAQs:

• Solar panels with or without a battery, or a battery on its own. If you already have panels, you can apply for battery storage only, connected through your existing inverter or an extra unit.
• Roof-mounted, monocrystalline panels only. There’s no wall or ground mounting.
• Optional extras. A power diverter, an EV charger and bird proofing. Backup power for a power cut isn’t part of the personal offer, so you’d ask the winning installer.
• Vetted installers. Every installer is MCS certified and a member of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC), and an independent third party inspects completed installations.
• Warranties. Switch Together’s FAQ lists a 12-year manufacturer’s warranty on panels (another answer says at least 10 years), 10 years on the inverter and on the battery, and a 6-year workmanship warranty backed by at least 6 years of insurance.

Where it applies, and why Bromley and Croydon are different

The scheme follows council boundaries, not postal addresses. The London Boroughs of Bromley and Croydon are two of London’s 32 boroughs, outside Kent County Council’s area, so the Kent scheme doesn’t apply there. A Kent postal address doesn’t change that: our own office in Biggin Hill has a Westerham, Kent address but sits in the London Borough of Bromley.

London has had its own version. The Greater London Authority (GLA) says all 32 boroughs, Bromley and Croydon among them, took part in Solar Together London, which launched in 2018 and has run in five phases. Across those phases it counts 72,330 registrations, of which 3,231 led to an installation. The GLA’s January 2026 response lists programme closedown among the work it funded. It also says London customers paid their installer a 25% deposit upfront, and that when one installer went into liquidation in 2023, every customer still received either a finished installation or a refund. On 15 October 2026 Switch Together’s Bromley and Croydon pages said the scheme wasn’t open there, with a form to hear when the next one launches.

Coverage is from Kent County Council and the GLA. Site counts are from DESNZ’s local authority statistics and include every solar PV installation, however it was bought. Maidstone has the most of any council area we cover, and our Maidstone area page sets out local solar figures for the town, as do our pages for Sevenoaks and Orpington.

The scheme compared with going direct

Neither route is automatically cheaper or better. RECC, the consumer code Switch Together requires its installers to follow, recommends getting at least three quotations before you sign a contract, and a scheme offer can be one of them.

When each route suits you

The scheme can suit you if a round is open, your roof is straightforward, you’re happy with a standard specification, and you’d like a vetted installer and a group price without collecting quotes yourself.

Going direct can suit you better if:

• No Kent round is open and you don’t want to wait for the next one.
• You live in Bromley, Croydon or Lewisham, where the Kent scheme doesn’t apply.
• You want something outside the offer, such as more than 25 panels or ground mounting, if the installer you approach offers it.
• Your home needs looking at before anyone prices it, such as a battery for an older system or a flat roof. Switch Together says flat roofs can carry extra costs and may need a structural survey.
• You’d rather deal with one firm from the first survey to aftercare.

If your home is listed or in a conservation area, Kent County Council notes that planning permission may be needed, so read our guide to planning permission for solar panels in Kent whichever route you take.

VAT relief applies whichever route you take

HMRC’s VAT Notice 708/6 sets a zero rate for solar panels and batteries installed in homes in Great Britain until 31 March 2027, after which the rate returns to 5%. Batteries were added on 1 February 2024, including one retrofitted to existing panels. For a home, the relief comes with the installation, not the scheme, so a scheme offer and a direct quote both qualify. It covers residential accommodation and charitable buildings, so it won’t usually apply if you register a small business’s premises.

The price itself will differ: the scheme sets it by auction, while a direct quote is priced for your home. Switch Together’s FAQ says some partner councils offer grants or funding and that it tells you what support is available in your area when you register. Its Kent page says such funding is run independently and depends on local criteria.

Our guide to solar panel grants in Kent covers the VAT relief and the other schemes in detail, and what solar panels and batteries cost in Kent sets out published prices to test an offer against. If you’re still deciding whether to go ahead at all, see is solar worth it in Kent.

How to compare a scheme offer with a direct quote

• System size and output. The kWp, the number of panels and the yearly generation estimate. As a check, PVGIS models a 4 kWp south-facing, unshaded array at 4,227 kWh a year in Maidstone.
• Battery. The capacity in kWh, and whether a new inverter is included.
• What’s in the price. Scaffolding, the DNO G98 notification or G99 application, and the MCS certificate.
• Warranties and deposit. How long each warranty lasts, whether workmanship cover is insurance-backed, and when a deposit is refundable.

We’re MCS certified for solar PV: TrustMark’s register (licence 2677315) lists NICEIC as our scheme provider, with solar panel installation (PV) as an MCS-certified trade. We’re also RECC members (00072268) for solar PV and battery storage. All our solar PV installs include DNO G98/G99, a 6 year financial protection policy, scaffolding, and MCS registration and certificate as standard, and each quote is priced to your usage profile, time of use and available roof space. For a direct quote to set beside a scheme offer, see our pages on solar panel installation and battery storage, or get in touch.

Questions people ask

Is Solar Together Kent still running?

Yes, as Switch Together, and Kent County Council still promotes it. On 15 October 2026 the Kent registration page said the scheme wasn’t open and offered a sign-up for news of the next round. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s page said the spring registration window had closed.

Does it cost anything to register?

No. Registration is free and without obligation. A deposit only comes into it once you accept an offer.

Can I get just a battery through the scheme?

Yes, if you already have solar panels. Kent County Council says existing solar owners can apply for battery storage only.

Can I join from Bromley or Croydon?

Not the Kent scheme. Bromley and Croydon are London boroughs, outside Kent County Council’s area. On 15 October 2026 Switch Together’s Bromley and Croydon pages said the scheme wasn’t open there, with a form to register for news of the next one.

Do I need the scheme to get the 0% VAT rate that runs until 31 March 2027?

No. HMRC’s zero rate for solar panels and batteries installed in homes runs until 31 March 2027, whichever route you use.

Sources

• Kent County Council, “Switch Together Kent”, no publication date shown, accessed 15 October 2026: kent.gov.uk
• Switch Together (iChoosr Ltd), “Switch Together Kent” (solar and battery), accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• Switch Together, “Switch Together Kent” solar panel registration page, accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• Switch Together, “Switch Together Kent” battery storage registration page, accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• Switch Together, “Switch Together Bromley” and “Switch Together Croydon” solar panel pages, accessed 15 October 2026: Bromley, Croydon
• Switch Together, “How Does Switch Together Work?”, accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• Switch Together, “Support” (FAQs on registration, survey, deposits, warranties and complaints), accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• Switch Together, “Our Installers”, accessed 15 October 2026: switchtogether.co.uk
• iChoosr Ltd, “Switch Together – General Terms, Disclaimer, and Privacy Policy”, last updated December 2025: switchtogether.co.uk
• Maidstone Borough Council, “Solar Together Kent”, no publication date shown, accessed 15 October 2026: maidstone.gov.uk
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, “Switch Together Kent”, no publication date shown, accessed 15 October 2026: tunbridgewells.gov.uk
• Greater London Authority, “EIR - Solar Together [Jan 2026]”, response dated 26 January 2026: london.gov.uk
• Greater London Authority, “EIR - Solar Together [Sep 2026]”, response dated 1 September 2026: london.gov.uk
• HM Revenue & Customs, “VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6)”, updated 31 January 2024: gov.uk
• DESNZ, “Regional Renewable Statistics”, “Renewable electricity by local authority, 2014 to 2025” (sheet “LA - Sites 2025”), updated 29 September 2026: gov.uk
• PVGIS 5.3, EU Joint Research Centre, SARAH3 database, 4 kWp south-facing at 35° with 14% system loss, read 6 October 2026: re.jrc.ec.europa.eu
• Renewable Energy Consumer Code, “Consumer advice”, accessed 15 October 2026: recc.org.uk
• Renewable Energy Consumer Code, member entry for Coutts Electrical Contractors Ltd (00072268), accessed 15 October 2026: recc.org.uk
• TrustMark, register entry for Coutts Electrical Contractors Ltd, licence 2677315, accessed 15 October 2026: trustmark.org.uk