What a genuinely exclusive solar lead should cost you in 2026

If you buy solar enquiries, you have almost certainly been offered a £12 lead. You have also almost certainly rung it and found three other installers had already quoted. Price per lead is the wrong number to argue about — the number that pays your fitters is cost per install.

Shared versus exclusive, in money

A shared solar lead sold to four installers converts at a fraction of an exclusive one, because you are quoting against three firms who already had the homeowner's attention. The lead is cheaper, the survey rate is lower, and the discounting is worse.

The cheaper lead is rarely cheaper per install. Every shared lead you chase costs a call, a follow-up, and a slot in your surveyor's diary that a real prospect could have used.

What the higher price is buying

• One buyer per enquiry, never resold or recycled later
• A homeowner who said so on the form, not a renter or a competitor's form fill
• Property type, roof orientation and rough bill size captured at source
• A consent record with timestamp and source page
• Delivery as soon as the enquiry has passed its checks

What to ask any supplier before you buy

• Is this lead sold to anyone else, now or in 90 days?
• How was the enquiry generated — your own site, or bought in?
• What happens if the number is dead?
• Can I cap volume by postcode and by week?
• Can I pause without a notice period?