Short answer: Published UK guides put removal at about £500 to £1,000 and refitting at about £800 to £1,500, so roughly £1,300 to £2,500 on top of the roof work. The size of the system, access and whether the scaffold is shared with the roofer make most of the difference.
What it usually costs
There isn’t a published Derby figure for this job, so the best guide is published UK costs. One installer’s guide puts panel removal at £500 to £1,000 and reinstallation at £800 to £1,500, including new fixings and recommissioning, for a total of £1,300 to £2,500 on top of the roofing (Depth of Light). In one E.ON community thread, a homeowner reported a quote of £600 from a local electrician for two days’ work (E.ON Next community).
The spread comes from the size of the system, how the panels are fixed, how easy the roof is to reach, and whether the scaffold is shared with the roofer.
Planning it with the roofer
The order matters:
- The solar engineer isolates the system and lifts the panels, rails and fixings.
- The panels are stored safely, off the ground and protected.
- The roofer does the work.
- The solar engineer refits the rails and panels, reconnects, and tests the system.
If both trades use the same scaffold, you only pay for it once. Tell the roofer that panels are involved when you get roofing quotes, so the timing can be agreed.
New roof coming up?
We can lift and refit your panels around the roofer. Call for a price.
Is it worth refitting old panels?
Usually, yes, if the panels are working. The Energy Saving Trust says panels last 25 years or more, but the inverter usually needs replacing after about 12 years (Energy Saving Trust). If the inverter is old, the refit is a good time to replace it, and possibly to add a battery.
Your Feed-in Tariff
Ofgem says that if all the plant up to the point of grid connection is removed, it treats the installation as decommissioned and the accreditation ends (Ofgem). Temporarily lifting panels and putting the same system back is different, but it is worth telling your FIT licensee, keeping records of the work, and taking meter readings before and after.
Birds
If pigeons have been nesting under the panels, removal is a chance to clear the nest material and check the cables. It is also the ideal time to fit bird mesh when the panels go back. Any nest must be empty first, as the law protects active nests. Pigeons under solar panels explains the rules.
Bottom line
Published UK guides put the solar part of a reroof at about £1,300 to £2,500 on top of the roofing. Book the solar work alongside the roofer so the scaffold is shared, and keep the system's paperwork for your Feed-in Tariff. Call 01332 919162, 9am to 7pm, 7 days.