The useful starting point
A good solar installation begins before the panels arrive and finishes after they are fixed to the roof. Design, permissions, commissioning and handover all matter.
1. Build a clear project brief
Gather electricity bills or meter data, your tariff details and any plans for an EV, battery or heat pump. Identify roof repairs you already know about. If you do not own the property, establish the owner’s permission before arranging work.
Share your priorities: reducing daytime imports, improving long-term resilience, or fitting a system within a budget. Be clear about which goals are essential and which are optional.
2. Ask for a survey and a layout
The survey should consider roof condition, orientation, shading, access, mounting and cable routes, alongside the electrical installation. Ask how the proposed panel layout has been chosen and whether the inverter location has suitable access and operating conditions.
The installer should explain the connection process and any network restrictions. Planning and building requirements can vary by property and location; listed buildings and unusual roof arrangements deserve particular attention. Ask who is responsible for the relevant checks instead of assuming a general rule covers your home.
3. Compare a written proposal
- Exact panel and inverter models, total kWp and proposed layout.
- Estimated annual generation and its principal assumptions.
- Scaffolding, electrical alterations and any exclusions.
- Battery and backup scope, if included.
- Total price, VAT treatment, deposits, payment stages and cancellation terms.
- Workmanship cover, product warranties and the complaints route.
Verify certification claims independently. A logo on a quotation is not a substitute for checking the actual business and the technology it is registered to install.
4. Agree the work and access arrangements
Ask when scaffolding will arrive and leave, whether power needs to be switched off, and who will protect access paths and neighbouring property. Agree how any additional work discovered on site will be priced and authorised.
A schedule should leave room for safe installation and checks. Weather, roof repairs, connection requirements or equipment availability can affect timing. An advertised number of installation days is not a complete project timetable.
5. Treat commissioning as part of the job
Before handover, the installer should test and commission the system, explain the controls and show how to read generation and fault information. If storage or backup is included, ask for those functions to be demonstrated within the agreed scope.
The MCS solar handover checklist is a useful reference for the documents to request. Keep the design information, test records, certificates, equipment manuals, warranties and network paperwork together.
6. Set up export and keep the support details
Do not assume export payments begin automatically when the system turns on. Ask the chosen supplier what documents, metering and account steps it requires. The export tariff guide explains the questions to check.
Record a normal week of generation and monitoring so you can recognise a later problem. Keep the installer’s aftercare contact and the escalation route. Review the app occasionally, but compare output against weather and season before concluding that a change means a fault.
Start your own checklist with the energy planner, and use the cost guide to assess the full proposal.
Published information supports your research. Your installer should confirm the exact product, suitability, scope and terms for your property.
Suggest a correction ↗Your next useful step
Put the information to work.
Take the questions that matter to your project, explore the numbers and decide what to ask next.