A quiet revolution is underway on rooftops across the UK, and Sunsave, a startup, is leading the charge. To reshape home energy use in the UK, the London-based company has secured £113 million to accelerate its mission of making rooftop solar more accessible and affordable for British households.
The funding, split between £13 million in equity and a substantial £100 million debt facility from Crédit Agricole CIB, is a landmark moment for the clean energy sector. The investment opens the door to widespread adoption at a time when energy bills and climate concerns are front of mind. This follows the £5.4 million investment secured in late 2023 and brings Sunsave’s total equity funding to over £22 million.
The equity round was co-led by climate-focused Norrsken VC and IPGL, with additional backing from notable figures including Clearance Capital and early employees from fintech unicorn Wise. High-profile names such as Lord Michael Spencer, Lord Stuart Rose, and Roland Rudd also returned, doubling down on their support.
The £100 million debt facility is one of the largest private warehouse facilities for distributed generation in the UK market, and was structured by Crédit Agricole CIB’s Project Finance and Securitisation teams.
From solar panels to the full energy stack
The company’s ambition doesn’t stop at solar panels. With this latest funding, Sunsave is planning to grow into a full-stack energy platform. Their roadmap includes launching EV chargers, heat pumps, and advanced smart home energy management software into the product ecosystem. The goal is not just to cut bills, but to help households become increasingly self-sufficient and even participate in balancing the national grid. In doing so, Sunsave aims to build the UK’s first all-in-one hardware, software, and finance platform for home energy, based on a subscription model.
In many ways, Sunsave is building the kind of all-in-one platform that hasn’t really existed in the UK energy landscape before. One that combines hardware, software, and finance in a seamless, subscription-based model, doing so with transparency and simplicity.
Their model also responds to growing concerns about energy security and price volatility. With energy costs in the UK fluctuating wildly in recent years, locking in predictable monthly payments while generating your clean power is a desirable proposition.
A subscription model designed for the masses
Sunsave was founded in 2022 by Oxford alumni Alick Dru and Ben Graves with a singular mission to remove the financial barriers preventing UK households from going solar. While as many as 70% of households say they would consider solar, fewer than 5% have actually taken the plunge. One significant reason for this cost exceeding £10,000 is that it does not factor in batteries or maintenance.
Sunsave flips that equation. Its flagship product, Sunsave Plus, launched in January 2024, offers solar systems on a monthly subscription model starting at £69. There are no installation costs, no maintenance headaches, and perhaps most importantly, customers save on their energy bills from the outset. Crucially, customers have the option for early repayment, and competitive export tariffs are available for excess solar energy via the Sunsave platform.
In fact, most subscribers are already pocketing net savings of more than £685 annually. Real customers, in real homes, are seeing immediate returns, a stark contrast to older, finance-heavy or lease-based models that often left consumers out of pocket or without true ownership.
Full ownership, zero hassle
What sets Sunsave is the simplicity and customer-first approach. Unlike legacy lease schemes or rent-a-roof programs, Sunsave Plus gives customers full ownership of their solar and battery system from the moment it’s installed.
That system is fully customised to each home and includes 20 years of proactive monitoring, maintenance, replacement parts, and insurance. In essence, the company has removed every conceivable barrier to entry and offered long-term peace of mind in return. All customers enjoy regulatory and consumer protections. Sunsave is the first Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)-authorised solar subscription provider in the UK and is fully accredited under MCS, Flexi-Orb, EPVS, HIES, NAPIT, and is endorsed by Which? Trusted Trader.
As a bonus, all of this comes with strong regulatory and consumer protections. Sunsave’s contract is flexible, allowing homeowners to transfer the system to new buyers if they move, and guarantees long-term aftercare.
Rapid growth and government support
Sunsave’s growth since January has been eye-catching. With a 32% month-on-month increase in subscribers, the startup has rapidly scaled its operations and installed solar systems across a wide swath of England and Wales. Its pace earned it the 14th spot on Sifted’s list of the UK’s fastest-growing startups earlier this year, a notable feat in a market crowded with climate-tech hopefuls.
The UK government has taken notice too. Sunsave received £2.2 million in grant funding from the Green Home Finance Accelerator (GHFA), a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero initiative to help fund the development and rollout of Sunsave Plus.
Now with 40 employees, Sunsave has raised over £22 million in equity to date. But this latest raise, backed by deep-pocketed institutions and seasoned operators, positions it not just as a promising startup, but as a major player in the home energy transition.
Sunsave’s customer profile reflects broad nationwide interest, with particular uptake among family households facing higher-than-average energy costs, according to company data.
The platform is available throughout England and Wales, with plans for further expansion in the UK.
A turning point for UK solar?
With its combination of affordability, customer ownership, regulatory backing and long-term savings, Sunsave is shaking up a solar market that’s long been constrained by cost and complexity. More than just a product, it is creating a pathway to energy independence, one rooftop at a time.
As the UK inches closer to its net-zero goals and households seek relief from rising energy bills, Sunsave’s timing couldn’t be better. Its new war chest ensures it can meet the moment and maybe, finally, take solar from niche to norm.
“Sunsave was founded in 2022 with a mission to make solar and battery storage accessible to all UK households. Since launch, our £0 upfront subscription has seen rapid adoption, helping homes save hundreds of pounds on their energy bills and make a real difference to their finances.” said Sunsave co-founder and CEO Alick Dru. “This £113M fundraise is a significant milestone in our journey – it will let us meet rapidly growing demand, launch new products, and give customers peace of mind that we’ll be here to support them for the long term.”
“The Sunsave journey so far shows there’s massive pent-up demand for solar when you remove the biggest barrier: high upfront costs,” added co-founder and COO Ben Graves. “Our customers don’t just want solar for the environmental benefits. Going solar can save you real money and help protect you from volatile energy bills. This funding validates our vision of making clean energy accessible and cheap to every UK household. We’re not just selling solar panels – we’re rebuilding the relationship between households and energy, making it more affordable, sustainable, and customer-centric.”
Agate Freimane, General Partner at Norrsken VC said: “Sunsave has cracked the code on making affordable solar a reality for the mainstream, removing the upfront cost that’s long held households back from making the switch. In just a short period of time, they’ve shown outstanding traction, solid unit economics, and secured strategic partnerships that set them apart. With the UK solar market on the brink of major growth, Sunsave is perfectly positioned to become a category-defining force in the energy transition”
Jérôme Michel, Managing Director at Crédit Agricole CIB said “We’re delighted to support Sunsave on their mission to make solar accessible to UK homes. This £100m private securitisation warehouse, structured by our Distributed Generation franchise that associates Project Finance and Securitisation team members, will support the roll out of Sunsave’s first of its kind solar subscription model to tens of thousands of households, underlining our commitment to the green transition”
