Pay for the power. Own the panels.
We fund and install solar on your roof. You pay a fixed price per kWh for an agreed minimum each year, and at the end of the term the system is yours.
For UK limited companies and LLPs. Subject to survey and credit checks. A minimum annual amount is payable whatever the system generates.
From survey to ownership
How it works
Us
Step 1 of 4: Survey and proposal
We survey the roof and your daytime use, then set the system size, the price per kWh and the minimum annual volume.
Us
Step 2 of 4: We fund and install
Smart Energy Markets funds the system through its asset finance SPV. There is no upfront cost.
You
Step 3 of 4: You pay monthly
Each month you pay one twelfth of the minimum annual amount. Electricity above the minimum is charged at the same agreed rate.
You
Step 4 of 4: It becomes yours
After the final payment, ownership passes to your business, along with all the electricity it generates from then on.
The numbers
A worked example
An illustrative 60 kWp system on a seven-year SSOA, paid monthly.
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| System size | 60 kWp |
| Estimated generation | 57,000 kWh a year |
| Price | 10p per kWh |
| Minimum annual amount | £5,700 a year, £475 a month57,000 kWh × 10p |
| Term | 7 years |
| Total minimum payable over the term | £39,9007 years × £5,700 |
| At the end of the term | You own the system |
Illustrative only. Your proposal shows your own figures. The minimum is payable whatever the system generates, so a dull year can cost more per kWh than the headline rate.
In every agreement
What’s included
Design and installation
Design, MCS-certified installation and grid connection application.
Monitoring and maintenance
Monitoring and maintenance for the term.
Insurance
Insurance arrangements set out in your agreement.
Export income
Export income credited to you first, against any shortfall.
Compare the routes
SSOA or PPA?
System size and credit decide the route. Neither has an upfront cost, and both charge a rate per kWh with a minimum annual amount.
| PPA | SSOA | |
|---|---|---|
| Which route fits | ||
| System size | 100 kWp or more per site (some funders now ask for 150 kWp) | Under 100–150 kWp, or any size a PPA funder declines |
| Smaller sites | Can qualify together as a portfolio of several sites | Single small sites |
| Credit | Strong trading history and credit score needed | More flexible. The system stays as security until the final payment. |
| How they compare | ||
| Upfront cost | None | None |
| What you pay | A rate per kWh, minimum annual amount | A rate per kWh, minimum annual amount |
| Who owns the system | We do, for the whole term | We do until the final payment, then you |
| At the end of the term | Extend, buy out or remove | Yours, with all the electricity it generates from then on |
| Typical term | 25 years | 7 years |
| Best for | Sites that meet the PPA criteria | Sites that don’t meet the PPA criteria, or that want to own the system |
Check the accounting treatment with your accountant. An SSOA is likely to sit on your balance sheet.
A larger roof, or a long trading history? Read about the Solar PPAWho it’s for
Is it right for you?
A limited company or LLP
A UK limited company or LLP that owns its building or has a lease that outlasts the term.
A sound roof
A sound, mostly unshaded roof.
Daytime use
Steady daytime electricity use.
A credit check
More flexible credit criteria than a PPA, because the system stays as security until the final payment. Every business is still credit-assessed.
The SSOA isn’t available to sole traders or partnerships.
The SSOA
Questions about the agreement
More in the FAQs, including the survey, the installation and the Solar PPA.
Our promises
Everything in writing first. Prices, the term and the company you contract with are in writing before you sign anything.
No obligation. An enquiry commits you to nothing.
A straight answer. If your site doesn’t suit, we tell you, and point you to what might.
No sales calls. We only phone you if you ask us to.
Start here
Which route fits your roof?
Answer a few questions about the building and the business, and Chris or a colleague in the team will reply with whether a Solar PPA or an SSOA is the likely route, and whether the site is worth a survey.
Chris Williams
Commercial Energy Adviser, Cwmbran.
Smart Energy Markets Ltd, Cwmbran.
What kind of site is it?
Or pick an answer above and the enquiry opens with it already chosen. You can change any answer before you send it.