Solar Together West Yorkshire opened to households and small business owners in the county in July 2024 and ran until May 2025, according to a regional guide published by the installer Sunsave1. The scheme is described as a collective buying arrangement run by the private Dutch company iChoosr in partnership with local authorities, in which residents in a defined area register an interest and installations are then procured at a group discount1.
During its West Yorkshire run, the scheme's prices were quoted as "up to 42% below the usual market rate", and it arranged 645 installations of solar panels and batteries, with more than 6,300 panels going onto buildings around the county1. The same guide states that the scheme "can come with significant downsides", without setting out what those are1.
"When it came to West Yorkshire from July 2024 to May 2025, its prices were “up to 42% below the usual market rate”"
The guide also records other support available in the region. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has partnered with the not-for-profit lending firm Lendology to offer households low-interest loans of between £5,000 and £25,000 for solar panels1. In December 2025 the same combined authority launched Home Energy West Yorkshire, described as an initiative to help residents tackle rising energy bills1. Nationally, the guide lists the Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4, noting that ECO4 ends in December 2026 and that both carry eligibility criteria that exclude most homes1.
On costs, the guide puts a 4.95kWp solar and battery system in Yorkshire at £12,406 on average, comprising 11 panels rated at 450 watts peak each and a 10kWh battery1. It states that East Riding is typically the cheapest place in the region to buy such a system and West Yorkshire the most expensive, though it describes the difference as small1. It also reports that 133,919 homes in Yorkshire have had solar panels installed, equal to 5.7% of the region's 2,356,000 households and the same as the national average1.
| Item | Figure given |
|---|---|
| Scheme period in West Yorkshire | July 2024 to May 20251 |
| Installations arranged | 6451 |
| Panels installed | More than 6,3001 |
| Price against market rate | Up to 42% below1 |
| Average 4.95kWp solar and battery system | £12,4061 |
| Yorkshire homes with solar | 133,919, or 5.7%1 |
Why it matters for households
A group-buying scheme changes the route a household takes to a rooftop system. Rather than approaching installers individually, residents register for a collective purchase and the discount depends on how many take part. The West Yorkshire figures show the scale that approach can reach: 645 installations and more than 6,300 panels over roughly ten months1. For a home weighing up group-buying schemes for solar and heat pumps, the quoted discount of up to 42% is the headline number, but the same guide flags downsides without detailing them, so the terms of any individual offer remain the thing to check1.
The wider context is that Yorkshire already sits at the national average for solar uptake, at 5.7% of households1. Schemes of this kind sit alongside community energy in England, where projects are typically owned or run locally rather than procured through a commercial intermediary. Households comparing the two routes, or comparing a collective purchase with installing their own solar, are weighing a discount against control over specification, timing and installer choice.
What happens next
The West Yorkshire run of Solar Together has closed, having ended in May 20251. The guide does not report whether a further round is planned for the county. Of the other support it lists, Home Energy West Yorkshire began in December 20251, and ECO4 is stated to end in December 20261.