For residential customers, you should budget between £5000 and £8000 for a 4-5KW Solar PV array. This includes the inverter. If you are looking to add battery storage, you should budget between £8000-£12000. The costs relate to the size of your roof, complexity of install and also the brand of panels, inverter and battery you choose. Premium brands will ultimately be more expensive. Commercial projects can range anywhere between £5000 and £500k depending on the size of the roof!

Most residential projects will take 1-2 days to install and commission but this depends on weather and safety of the installers. Our teams are fully MCS-accredited and include a lead installer who will take care of the system commissioning. Once installed, you will be able to use your Solar PV system instantly. The operating requirements of the system depend on the brand and type chosen. Most modern systems come with access to the inverter and battery so that you can see in real time how much energy is being generated, stored and used.

Solar PV can be installed onto existing roofs, flat roofs or even as an in-roof system on new roofs. The securing of the panels is usually carried out by inserting a mounting rail which is clipped into place using the roof tiles. From there, the panels are carefully placed into position and firmly fixed using durable parts. The inverter and battery is usually installed in either the loft space, utility or garage. An electrical feed is connected from the panels to the inverter, known as a string and this requires consideration before installation to ensure that cabling is appropriately run within becoming a trip hazard.

With modern technology, you should be alerted to any system faults and in any event, Solar PV systems are generally reliable, low maintenance and user friendly. It is worth considering having the panels cleaned and maintained periodically, especially if you live in areas of high pollution. If your roof is susceptible to pigeons, seagulls or other birds, you may consider an annual cleaning regime to keep the panels clean. There are usually local companies that offer Solar PV cleaning and maintenance. We do not recommend that you get up on your roof and clean yourself due to the need for scaffold and potential isolation of the electricity supply.

We offer a 25 year workmanship guarantee on the install itself. The Solar PV panels are usually warrantied for up to 25 years whilst inverters and batteries have varying warranties depending on size and brand. Most inverters are expected to last for 10-15 years before they may require replacing whereas the lifespan of storage batteries is usually linked to the expected number of cycles that they can withstand. A cycle represents the charging and discharging of the battery and most batteries tend to have a 90% discharge availability with 10% of energy retained within the battery. Certain warranties can be extended for longer periods by paying an additional charge.

This really depends on your current usage and the price you pay your current energy supplier per kilowatt hour. With electricity expected to break 30 pence per kilowatt hour this autumn, Solar PV can reduce your KWh normalised rate to between 10-20 pence. This means that the implementation of a system can give you long term energy security at a lower price per KWh. During the winter, the solar generation will drop off, whereas summer months may exceed usage. This is where batteries play their part to equalise and straighten out the peaks and troughs. You may also consider switching to an Economy 7 tariff for cheaper nighttime energy from the grid.