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Switch Together in Warrington: the councils' solar group buy
Warrington Borough Council runs a solar group-buying scheme with Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and the company iChoosr. It has helped 190 Warrington households. Here is how it works and how to judge what it offers.
How it works
- Register during an open round, giving details of your home and electricity use. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
- Auction: approved installers bid to supply everyone who registered.
- Recommendation: you receive a personal offer based on your details: a system, its equipment and a price.
- Decide: accept and a survey confirms the details before installation; decline and nothing happens.
The 2026 round offered solar panels, batteries (including adding a battery to panels you already have) and electric vehicle chargers.
What it has done
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Warrington households in the first round | 95, many with batteries | Warrington Borough Council |
| Warrington households helped so far | 190 | Warrington Borough Council, August 2026 |
| Solar installations across the three councils, 2022 to 2026 | 1,358 (6.77 MW of panels, 8.83 MWh of batteries) | Cheshire East Council |
| 2026 round registration | 3 August to 25 September 2026 | Cheshire East Council |
Council pages read 3 November 2026.
What a typical group-buy system looks like
Divide the 6.77 MW of panels across the three councils by the number of solar installations behind it, 1,358, and the average comes out at about 5.0 kW, a little larger than the 4 kW system often used as an example. At the 2025/26 North West mean for systems of 4 to 10 kW, £1,627 per kW, a system of that size would cost about £8,100 before any battery. That gives a rough yardstick for the offer you receive: a group-buy price for panels alone should normally come in under the regional average for the same size. The councils' figures do not say how many households took a battery, so the 8.83 MWh of storage cannot be turned into a typical battery size.
Getting ready for the next round
The recommendation is only as good as the details you register, so it is worth having these to hand before a round opens:
- Your yearly electricity use, from your annual statement or your supplier's app.
- Which way the roof faces, roughly how steep it is, and anything that shades it, such as trees, a chimney or a taller neighbour.
- The planning position: whether the house is listed or inside one of Warrington's 16 conservation areas. The planning page explains what changes if it is.
- Your view on a battery, now or later. Adding one to existing panels can take the system over the network operator's limit for simple notification; see connecting to the grid.
- A quote of your own, so you have something to set the offer against; vetting an installer covers how to get one you can trust.
Is it open now?
No. Registration for the 2026 round closed on 25 September 2026, and on 3 November 2026 the scheme's Warrington page said it was not open. Rounds opened each summer or autumn from 2023 to 2026, so watch the council's Switch Together page. Registering when a round opens costs nothing and lets you see the offer.
How to judge an offer
- Price per kW: divide the price by the system size and compare it with the 2025/26 North West averages, about £1,800 per kW up to 4 kW and £1,627 for 4 to 10 kW. A group-buy price should usually beat them; the quote checker does the sum.
- Fit for your roof: the recommendation is based on what you told the scheme. Ask what happens to the price if the survey finds more scaffolding is needed or fewer panels fit.
- The installer: check it on the MCS register and its consumer code, as you would any other firm.
- The battery: if a battery is included, check its usable capacity and warranty, and whether it suits your evening use; see adding a battery.
Group buy or your own quotes?
A group buy saves the work of finding installers and usually brings a keen price for a standard system. Finding your own installers takes longer but lets you choose the equipment and layout and talk it through face to face. Nothing stops you from doing both and comparing them.
Watch for lookalikes
The genuine scheme is promoted by Warrington Borough Council and its partner councils under the Switch Together name. If someone calls or knocks claiming to be from the scheme or the council with a deal that ends that day, check with the council before giving any details.
Where to go next
Where these figures come from
- Warrington Borough Council: Switch Together scheme returns (3 Aug 2026)
- Warrington Borough Council: Switch Together Solar
- Cheshire East Council: Switch Together
- Warrington Borough Council: green projects (solar farms, Torus homes)
- DESNZ: solar PV cost data, 2025/26
- MCS: find a certified installer
- Warrington Borough Council: heritage and built environment evidence (16 conservation areas)
- SP Energy Networks: connecting to the grid
Questions about Switch Together
Is Switch Together open in Warrington now?
No. The 2026 round ran from 3 August to 25 September 2026, and the scheme's Warrington page said it was not open when we checked on 3 November 2026. Rounds have run every year from 2023 to 2026.
Who runs Switch Together in Warrington?
iChoosr, a company that runs group-buying schemes for councils, under the Switch Together name, with Warrington Borough Council, Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Do I have to accept the Switch Together offer?
No. Registering is free and there is no obligation; you receive a personal recommendation after the auction and can accept or ignore it.
Got a solar quote you are not sure about?
Send us the figures, or the question on your mind, with your Warrington postcode. The message comes to SEO-DONS LTD, the company behind this independent guide, and we answer by email. There is no charge and no obligation of any kind.
What happens next
- Fill in the form; a full postcode tells us which part of the borough you are in.
- We look at what you sent and answer by email, with the figures and sources that apply.
- What you do next, and which firm you choose, is entirely up to you.