Solar panels, insulation and EV charging in Southampton
Southampton is forty minutes west of our yard along the M27. It is a city with a huge stock of 1930s semis, which means plenty of empty cavities to fill and thin lofts to top up, and plenty of roofs that suit solar.
Southampton's housing and what goes wrong with it
Southampton expanded hugely between the wars. Shirley, Bitterne, Sholing, Woolston, Bassett, Highfield, Swaythling and Millbrook are full of 1930s semis with 50mm cavities, bay windows and hipped roofs. These are among the best candidates for cavity wall insulation anywhere, because they are sheltered inland compared with the coast, their brickwork is generally sound, and a surprising number were never filled. Where they were filled, the fibre is often fine on the sheltered elevations and wet on the south-west gable.
Post-war estates at Thornhill, Townhill Park, Harefield, Lordshill and Millbrook have 1950s to 70s cavity stock, some of it ex-council and some of it non-traditional construction that needs checking before anyone fills it. Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Hedge End, West End and Totton have large 1960s to 1990s private estates with wide, simple roofs.
A 1970s detached in Hedge End or Chandler's Ford often has 25 square metres of unshaded south-facing roof, a garage for the battery and a driveway for the EV charger.
What Southampton homes typically need
- Solar panels and SigenStor battery storage, especially in Hedge End, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh and Totton.
- EV chargers, often fitted with the solar.
- Cavity wall insulation into the empty cavities of 1930s semis in Shirley, Bitterne and Sholing.
- Cavity wall insulation removal where fibre has failed on exposed gables, and in non-traditional construction that should never have been filled.
- Loft insulation top-ups across the whole 1930s stock.
Typical Southampton houses and what we usually look for
This is general local knowledge about the houses, not a list of finished jobs.
1930s semis in Shirley, Bitterne and Sholing
Proper cavities, often sheltered, and some were never filled. We check the cavity is clear and the wall sound before quoting.
Post-war estates
A mix of cavity and non-traditional construction, which needs checking before anyone fills it.
1970s to 90s detached houses in Hedge End, Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh
Wide, simple roofs, a garage for a battery and a drive for a charger.
Grants in Southampton
Southampton City Council, Eastleigh Borough Council and New Forest District Council are all part of the Portsmouth-led consortium that runs the Warm Homes: Local Grant locally as Warmer Homes, operated by Agility Eco. It is currently oversubscribed, with a waiting list. The government's eligible list includes 1,221 Southampton postcodes (concentrated in SO16 9, SO19 6, SO14 0 and SO16 4), 60 in Eastleigh and 127 in the New Forest. We have applied to join the Warmer Homes installer network and are not confirmed on it yet.
Warm Homes: Local Grant guideNow open
Warm Homes Loan — solar and battery finance
The Warm Homes Loan Scheme opened on 27 October 2026. It gives homeowners a lower-interest loan — up to £15,000 for solar panels and a further £15,000 for battery storage. No means test. We provide the written MCS quote a lender needs; you apply to a participating lender and we install once funding is confirmed.
Get a lender-ready quoteSouthampton FAQs
Is my 1930s Southampton semi suitable for cavity wall insulation?
Very often, yes. These houses have proper cavities, are relatively sheltered, and many were never filled. We confirm the cavity is clear and the wall sound with a borescope before quoting.
Can you do solar and insulation together?
Yes, and we recommend it. Insulate first so the house needs less, then size the solar to what is left. We can survey for both in one visit.