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Energy giant E.ON Next is giving households an annual £600 boost after a massive rise in solar panel installations.
The firm has today (Friday, July 31) announced that it has seen solar panel installations increase by a massive 151% in the first half of 2026 alone compared to the same period last year.
It says that for households making two changes – adding both solar and battery installations – E.ON Next customers will be able to save a bumper £600 off energy bills on its Next Optimise tariff.
The tariff automatically charges batteries when dynamic prices are low, and then exports stored energy when prices are high, turning every home into a mini power storage system which hands the benefit to the owner, receiving pay per unit of energy that isn't used.
E.On announced: "E.ON Next has seen solar installations surge 151% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, as more households look to take greater control of their energy usage to help lower their bills.
"For solar and battery households, E.ON Next customers can save even more with Next Optimise, which charges batteries automatically when wholesale prices are low and exports stored energy when they rise – saving customers more than £600 a year.
"The growth comes as government figures published yesterday show 142,536 solar installations added during the first six months of the year, bringing the total number of UK solar installations to 2,075,804 – putting 2026 on track to beat 2025's record annual total."
It added that households across the UK are installing solar in growing numbers to make savings on their energy bills and rely less on the grid. Every unit their panels generate has a use – power the home there and then, sell it back through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) or store it for later in a home battery.
Phil Gilbert, Director of Net Zero Delivery at E.ON Next, said: "More and more households are realising just how much they can save by generating and storing their own energy. The figures show that shift happening at a national level, and we're seeing exactly the same pattern among our own customers.
"People want to engage with their energy use, take control of their bills and rely less on the grid – and solar gives them a practical way to do that. The real opportunity now is making sure every household gets full value from what their panels produce, not just using it, but storing and selling it too. That's exactly what Next Optimise is built for, and it's already saving customers hundreds of pounds a year."
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