Crediton is a Mid Devon market town in the Creedy valley, about 8 miles north-west of Exeter. The surrounding area, with its mix of traditional Devon farmhouses, rural residential properties, and agricultural land, makes it one of the more active solar markets in the county, particularly for larger domestic and agricultural installations.
M&E Contrax Renewables is based in Newton Abbot, around 25 miles from Crediton via the A377. We cover the EX17 postcode and the wider Mid Devon area for solar panel and battery storage installations, and we are MCS-accredited and NICEIC-approved.
Why Mid Devon properties are well-suited to solar
Crediton and the surrounding Mid Devon area sits in a relatively sheltered inland valley position with good solar exposure. The area receives around 1,500 to 1,550 sunshine hours per year, close to the Devon average and comfortably above the UK national average. For rural properties on oil or LPG heating, combining solar with a heat pump is increasingly the strongest financial case available.
Mid Devon has a high proportion of off-gas-grid properties on oil or LPG. From July 2026, these properties qualify for a £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant towards an air source or ground source heat pump, the highest grant ever available under the scheme. Solar panels paired with a heat pump means the panels reduce the running cost of the pump by providing daytime electricity. For a rural EX17 farmhouse on oil, this combination delivers significant energy cost reduction and protection from future fuel price volatility.
Agricultural solar near Crediton
The parishes surrounding Crediton, Sandford, Kennerleigh, Morchard Bishop, Copplestone, Newton St Cyres, have a mix of working farms and rural residential properties. For agricultural buildings with south or south-west facing roof areas, commercial solar delivers some of the strongest financial returns available. Large barn and machinery store roofs, high daytime electricity consumption from farm equipment, and agricultural permitted development rules that generally allow solar without a planning application combine to make farm solar a straightforward investment for most holdings.
We carry out agricultural surveys across Mid Devon and design commercial farm systems from actual site consumption data and DNO requirements rather than generic estimates.
Domestic solar in Crediton town
Crediton town has a mix of older stone-built properties in the conservation area around the collegiate church, Victorian and Edwardian terraces, and more recent residential development on the town’s edges. Many properties on the south-facing slopes of the Creedy valley have good roof orientations for solar.
For properties in Crediton’s conservation area, the standard permitted development rules apply, most installations are permitted unless the panels would be visible from a highway or the property is listed. We check the planning position for every Crediton property at the survey stage.
Solar and battery storage for rural Mid Devon properties
For rural Mid Devon properties with higher than average electricity consumption, from heat pumps, EV chargers, or agricultural equipment, battery storage significantly improves the return on solar investment. Self-consumption rises from around 35% without storage to 70-80% with a well-sized battery.
For remote rural EX17 properties where power cuts are more common in winter, a battery system configured for backup power adds resilience, as well as financial return.
Book a free solar survey in Crediton
Call 01364 654271 or contact us online. We cover Crediton and all EX17 postcodes, including Sandford, Kennerleigh, Copplestone, and the wider Mid Devon rural area.
MCS Accredited | NICEIC Approved | Newton Abbot, Devon | 20 miles from Dartmouth
Written by Lee Bullingham, Solar PV Installation Lead, M&E Contrax Renewables. Published September 2026.
