Solar panel FAQs

Our 4.4kW system of ten panels starts from £6,495, including scaffolding and VAT at 0%. Official 2025/26 figures put the national median at £1,546 per kW for 4 to 10kW systems, so roughly £6,400 to £7,800 for 4kW. A battery adds from about £2,800 on our packages.

For most homes with a reasonably sunny roof, yes. Every kWh you use from the panels replaces one bought at 26.32p under the October to December 2026 price cap, and exports earn an SEG payment. How quickly it pays back depends on your roof, usage and tariff, which we model at survey.

Under the Smart Export Guarantee, rates range from 4.1p per kWh on Octopus’s basic SEG tariff to 12p on Outgoing Octopus, and some supplier-linked tariffs pay more. You need an MCS certificate and a smart meter, and we help you sign up.

Not until after the free survey. Once you accept your fixed price, any deposit is protected under the RECC consumer code, and you have a 14-day cooling-off period.

A typical three bedroom home suits around 10 panels, which at 440W each is 4.4kW. Larger homes, electric cars and heat pumps suit 14 or more. The real limit is often roof space, and we size the system to your usage and roof at survey.

In England a south-facing roof makes roughly 850 to 1,150 kWh a year per kW of panels, more in the south than the north. The Energy Saving Trust puts a 4kW system at about 3,700 kWh a year. East and west roofs make about 15 to 20% less than south.

Yes, but they make much less. Panels respond to daylight, not heat, so they still produce on cloudy days, just at a lower rate. Most of the year’s output comes from spring to autumn, and a battery on a time-of-use tariff helps in winter.

A battery suits homes that use most of their power in the evening, or anyone on a time-of-use tariff. It stores daytime surplus instead of exporting it cheaply. We show you the numbers with and without a battery before you decide.

Yes. We add 5 to 10kWh batteries to existing systems from £3,995, including systems on the Feed-in Tariff. Set up correctly, a battery does not affect your FIT payments.

Most tiled, slate and flat roofs facing anywhere from east through south to west are suitable, if they are in good condition and not heavily shaded. North-facing roofs make much less. We check structure, shading and condition at the free survey.

Usually not. Roof panels on houses in England are permitted development if they project no more than 200mm and do not sit above the highest part of the roof. Listed buildings need consent, and conservation areas have extra limits on walls facing a road.

There is no universal grant. Lower-income households in England may qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, usually with income of £36,000 or less and an EPC rating of D to G. Everyone benefits from 0% VAT on residential solar and batteries until 31 March 2027.

One to two days on the roof for a typical home, with scaffolding usually up the day before. Your power is off for about an hour while we connect. If your system needs G99 network approval, that can add several weeks before the install date.

Panels typically carry manufacturer warranties of 25 to 30 years and often keep working beyond that, slowly losing a little output each year. Inverters usually need replacing once during the life of the system, and typically carry 10 to 12 year warranties.

Very little. Rain keeps most panels clean enough, and a yearly look at the monitoring app tells you if output has dropped. Bird mesh prevents pigeons nesting underneath, a common problem in towns.

Owned panels with an MCS certificate and warranties are generally seen as a plus by buyers, since they lower running costs. Keep your handover pack, as buyers’ solicitors and mortgage lenders usually ask for the paperwork.

Our 10-year insurance-backed workmanship warranty covers the installation, and manufacturers cover the panels for typically 25 to 30 years, inverters for 10 to 12 years and batteries for 10 years or more. RECC membership also protects your deposit.