Solar PV for restaurants, cafes & pubs
Solar panels for restaurants — kitchen, fridge, evening-peak ready
fully-certified solar PV for independent and chain restaurants, cafes, pubs and hospitality venues across the UK. Sized for refrigeration + extraction + lighting + HVAC demand. Solar + battery pairing to cover the evening service peak. AIA tax relief + ESG carbon reporting included.
Restaurant solar — quick reference
Hospitality solar in numbers
£2.5-8k/yr
Typical bill saving
20-50 kWp system
4-6 yrs
Payback (with AIA)
75-85%
Self-consumption
with battery for evening peak
10-30 kWh
Recommended battery
covers 17:00-23:00 service
100% AIA
Year-1 tax deduction
most installs under £1m
3-5 days
Install duration
scheduled around opening hours
Why restaurants benefit
Restaurants are a high-energy commercial sector
A typical UK restaurant uses 4-8× more electricity per square metre than a comparable retail unit — driven by 24/7 refrigeration, kitchen extraction, dishwash and HVAC. Annual bills for a mid-sized independent restaurant typically run £8-25k. For chain operators with 50-500 sites, annual electricity is a material cost line.
Solar PV addresses the daytime base load (prep, refrigeration, lighting, HVAC) directly. A battery extends the value into evening service hours. Combined with full Annual Investment Allowance treatment, the post-tax payback is materially faster than residential — typically 4-6 years.
Daytime base load
Refrigeration + lighting + HVAC
Solar generation matches daytime base load near-perfectly. Walk-in chillers, freezers and ice machines run continuously and absorb ~40% of total electricity demand.
Evening peak
Solar + battery combination
17:00-23:00 cooking peak coincides with the most expensive grid electricity. A 10-30 kWh battery charged from daytime solar discharges through evening service, saving 20-30p/kWh on peak consumption.
Brand & ESG
Customer-visible sustainability
Generation dashboards displayed on-premises drive brand value. National hospitality groups (IHG, Whitbread, Greene King, M&B) increasingly use site-level carbon data for ESG and CRP reporting.
By restaurant type
Solar economics by restaurant type
Independent restaurant (50-100 covers)
Typical 15-30 kWp install. Annual saving £2-4k. Pairs naturally with 10-15 kWh battery. Payback 5-6 yrs. Owner-occupied properties: standard AIA. Leased: tenant install with landlord consent — common.
Pub / gastropub
Traditional pub conversions usually have pitched slate or tile roofs requiring conservation-area consideration. Typical 20-50 kWp install. Daytime trade pubs benefit more than evening-only — battery still recommended.
Cafe / coffee shop
Mostly daytime trading aligns perfectly with solar. 8-20 kWp typical. Espresso machines and refrigeration are the main loads. Often pre-finds at small site without battery — payback inside 4 years.
Chain restaurant (single site)
Brand-approved kit specification, standard install drawings, often part of group-wide framework. 30-80 kWp depending on building footprint. Group ESG reporting includes per-site carbon data we provide.
Drive-thru / retail park unit
Purpose-built steel-frame roofs comfortably support 40-100 kWp. Standalone drive-thrus often combine solar with EV charger install for customer dwell — qualifying for Workplace Charging Scheme grant where staff also charge.
Hotel restaurant / hospitality complex
Multi-purpose hospitality buildings (hotel + restaurant + bar + spa) often run 100-300 kWp installs across multiple roof sections. See our solar for hotels page for the integrated approach.
Restaurant solar FAQs
How much can a restaurant save with solar panels?
Will solar work for a restaurant with evening-peak demand?
Can solar power the kitchen extraction and cooling systems?
Do brand requirements affect restaurant solar?
What about restaurant roof structural concerns?
How long does restaurant solar take to install?
Our accreditations
Accredited, certified, and backed by independent standards
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Gas Safe Register
947841
Gas appliances
Heat Geek Trained
Heat pump design specialists
TrustMark
Government endorsed
Quality scheme
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
PAS 2030
:2019
Retrofit standard
NAPIT
Member
Electrical inspection
F-Gas Certified
Air conditioning refrigerant
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Gas Safe Register
947841
Gas appliances
Heat Geek Trained
Heat pump design specialists
TrustMark
Government endorsed
Quality scheme
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
PAS 2030
:2019
Retrofit standard
NAPIT
Member
Electrical inspection
F-Gas Certified
Air conditioning refrigerant
Every accreditation listed is independently verified. We carry the registration numbers — ask for any on request.
Book a restaurant solar venue survey
Free site visit + half-hourly meter data review + post-AIA payback model. Schedule the install around your service — daytime closure, out-of-hours or weekend windows.