Cheapest way to get started with solar?

The renting situation's a bit of a curveball though, isn't it? Worth checking your tenancy agreement before bolting anything to the roof—some landlords get twitchy about permanent fixtures even if they seemed fine initially.

If you've genuinely got the green light, I'd actually push back slightly on the "single panel" approach. I started that way on my narrowboat and spent the first year constantly frustrated. A 400W setup (two 200W panels) costs maybe £150-200 more but makes a genuinely noticeable difference to daily usage rather than just trickle charging.

Key question though: what's your actual energy need? Are you trying to offset grid consumption or run completely off-grid? That changes everything. A Victron MPPT is a solid investment—they hold value if you move house or swap vessels—but you can start with a budget EPEVER unit and upgrade later if needed.

Since you're renting, I'd lean toward a portable ground-mount setup rather than roof-bolted. Gives you flexibility and the landlord's less likely to worry about potential damage claims. Costs roughly the same either way.

The renting angle is the real sticking point here. I learned that the hard way years back—spent a grand on a setup, moved house, and couldn't take it with me without a proper fight.

@ExJoiner's spot on about the tenancy agreement, but honestly, most landlords care more about structural damage than a few panels. The trick is making it removable. I've done this twice now with my current garden office setup: parallel rail mounts that bolt to timber frames rather than the roof itself. Takes an afternoon to pull off, leaves no trace.

@Tango's suggestion of starting small is solid, but I'd go slightly bigger if you've got the roof space—say 400-600W. The cost difference between one 200W panel and two isn't massive, and you'll actually run useful kit (proper fridge, work equipment, not just phone charging). Pair it with a decent MPPT controller and lithium if you can stretch to it. You'll recoup the difference in not needing grid power for your everyday bits.

Real budget move: buy used Victron kit. The community here regularly shifts gear, and charge

The renting thing's a proper minefield, that. Been there myself before I got the narrowboat sorted.

Here's what I'd suggest though—forget about permanent roof mounting. Get yourself a portable setup instead. I'm talking a couple of 100W panels on a tilting frame you can angle throughout the day, paired with a decent charge controller and a small battery bank. Total outlay maybe £600-800, and when you move on, it all comes with you.

The beauty of this approach is you're not drilling into someone else's roof, so landlords are usually fine with it. I ran something similar before committing to the boat—two Renogy 100W panels, a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15, and a 200Ah LiFePO4. Kept me topped up for most of the year, especially summer.

The other angle: check if your council has any renewable grants going. Some areas still do subsidies for renters, though they're getting rarer. Worth a phone call anyway.

Once you own your own place—or boat, in my case—then you go mad with the permanent

Yeah, the renting bit's definitely the trap door here. If you're moving in a year or two, you'll want something portable rather than bolted down.

I'd look at a small expandable setup instead—couple of 400W panels on a ground mount (or portable frame) feeding into a decent MPPT like a Victron SmartSolar 100/50. Pair that with a 5kWh LiFePO4 battery and you've got genuine emergency backup without landlord drama.

Total damage around £1.5-2k depending on your DIY skills. Takes maybe an afternoon to wire up properly.

The beauty is you can move it when you shift places, and honestly it'll cover most day-to-day stuff if you're sensible with loads. Kettle's still on the grid, but your essentials are sorted.

@CotswoldNomad—what's your actual usage like? That'll determine whether you need 5kWh or can scrape by with 2-3k.

The portable angle is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on the "cheapest" framing here. I've learned the hard way that budget solar on a rental becomes expensive solar when you're lugging it between places.

What actually worked for me before I sorted the boat was going with a decent 400W rigid system mounted on a wheeled frame—think Renogy or similar—rather than cheap panels that'll degrade faster than you move house. Cost a bit more upfront, but you recoup it because you're not replacing knackered kit every 18 months.

The real saving isn't in the panels themselves; it's in the balance of system. A decent MPPT controller (I run Victron kit, bit pricey but bulletproof) will squeeze proper juice from whatever you've got. Add a reasonable battery—even 5kWh—and you're actually using your solar rather than losing half of it to poor regulation.

Landlord approval's brilliant, but make sure it's in writing. Last thing you need is new ownership deciding your panels are a breach of tenancy.

What's your actual power usage like? That'll

Honestly mate, portable's the way to go if you're renting. Sorted a 400W rigid panel setup on my van and it's been brilliant — cost me about £600 total including a basic MPPT and cabling.

The trick is buying decent used gear. Picked up a Victron SmartSolar off eBay for half price, paired it with a couple of Renogy panels. Takes 20 mins to wire up when you need it.

Roof-mounted on rental property's dodgy territory though — landlord changes mind, you're stuck. Even if they're sound now, moving that stuff later's expensive and risky. Portable lets you take it with you and actually use it properly elsewhere.

Start with one panel, a small controller, and a battery if you've got one already. See how you get on. You'll learn what you actually need versus what the gear websites reckon you need.

Right, I've been down this exact road with the van conversion, and it taught me something useful: the cheapest initial outlay isn't always the cheapest long-term, especially when you're renting.

That said, if you're genuinely after entry-level, a single 100W rigid panel with a basic MPPT controller (Victron's SmartSolar 75/15 is brilliant value) and a small LiFePO4 battery gets you maybe £400-500 all in. Enough to charge phones, run some LED lighting, take the edge off winter mornings. Expandable too.

The portable route @MoorCamper and @LuckySkipper mention is sound if you're moving within a couple of years—but here's what they're skirting around: portable panels lose efficiency once you start moving them about. Flexibility costs.

Your landlord's cool with it? That's rare enough to leverage. A fixed south-facing installation will out-perform portable every single time, if you're staying put long enough to recoup the cost. How long's your lease?

If it's genuinely

The landlord-friendly angle changes things though. If he's genuinely cool with it staying put, you could do a hybrid approach — grab a cheap 100W portable panel now (Renogy do decent ones around £150-200), get comfortable with how solar actually performs on your roof, then go bigger if it's worth it.

Main thing I'd clock: south-facing is ace, but check for shading throughout the day. Trees, chimneys, the lot. I made that mistake with my setup and wasted money on panels that were half-shadowed by 2pm.

Battery-wise, don't cheap out on that part like @CallumHobbs is hinting at. A dodgy leisure battery will cost you more in the long run than spending proper money on a decent LiFePO₄ unit. Even a modest 5kWh makes a massive difference to how usable your setup actually is, versus just trickling charge into lead-acid.

If you end up moving (which renters do), the portable route means you're not abandoning kit or negotiating removal with the landlord.

Portable panels are brilliant for renting but honestly, if your landlord's actually agreed to permanent kit, that's golden—don't waste it on something you'll lug around later. A single Victron MPPT 100/30, cheap Chinese 400W panel (£150-200), and a decent leisure battery (used Lifepo4 if you can find one) will set you back maybe £400-500 total and actually do something useful rather than trickle-charging your phone like portable setups tend to.

The key saving: start with one panel and expand later instead of buying a whole system upfront. Battery costs are the killer, so grab a used one if possible—batteries are dead reliable, they're not like solar panels that degrade.

@LuckySkipper's right that portables suit vans, but you're not in a van. Use that advantage.

Proper jealous of your landlord situation, mate — most would rather you set fire to the roof than drill a hole in it. If he's genuinely hands-off, grab a couple of 400W rigid panels (Renogy or Fogstar do decent budget ones) and a basic MPPT controller rather than PWM — costs pennies more but you'll actually recoup it within a year.

Start with just batteries and inverter, skip the grid-tie faff while you're renting. Even a modest 10kWh LiFePO4 setup gives you proper resilience without landlord paperwork nightmares. Van-converted mate of mine kept the exact same rig when she settled into a cottage — portable enough to move, permanent enough to actually be useful.

The mental bit isn't the panels, it's the batteries. But honestly? One decent battery beats three dodgy ones you can half-afford. Better to run 5kWh reliably than 15kWh that spends half its time sulking.

The landlord situation is genuinely the key here. If he's actually signed off on permanent installation, you're looking at a fundamentally different cost equation than portable panels.

Your cheapest entry point depends on your actual consumption. Before you buy anything, log a fortnight of usage — be honest about whether you're actually going off-grid or just offsetting peak rates. That number changes everything.

For a rented setup where permanence is okayed, a single 400W panel + 100Ah LiFePO₄ battery + decent MPPT (Victron SmartSolar 75/15 sits at a nice price point) will run you roughly £2,500-3,000 all-in. Sounds dear, but it's modular — you can add another panel next year if the setup works.

The real saving isn't in the components; it's in avoiding the false economy of cheap panels that degrade to 80% output in five years. Renogy and Fogstar panels hold their own at mid-range pricing.

Your landlord's goodwill is worth more than any discount. Don't jeopardise it with

Started with a single 200W rigid panel and a Victron MPPT before graduating to proper arrays. The portable route's tempting but you're spot on — permanent beats it every time for efficiency and weather resilience. Since your landlord's game, bolt down a simple ground mount if roof access is dodgy. Saved me a fortune initially by testing the setup before committing to full install.

@CotswoldNomad — get that landlord agreement in writing, honestly. Renting changes fast. Worth starting with a portable setup: 400W Renogy suitcase paired with a Victron SmartSolar 100/50 and decent lithium gives you flexibility. If the place works out long-term, you've learned your system inside-out before committing to permanent roof mounts. Cost roughly £1,200-1,500 to test the waters properly.

Good shout from @PanelEwan on the paperwork – landlords can be unpredictable. Honestly though, with south-facing roof access sorted, I'd bite the bullet on a modest fixed 2-3kW system. Rental or not, the payback's quicker than faffing with portables. Get quotes from local installers – MCS accreditation keeps costs honest. What's your annual energy bill looking like?

@CotswoldNomad — the renting situation is tricky, but portable kit solves that neatly. Start with a 400W Fogstar or Renogy setup (£800–1200) paired with a basic Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15. You'll learn the fundamentals without being locked in, and honestly, portability's brilliant for a motorhome later. Roof-mount only after you've bought the place.