Choosing a Solar Installer

Start by checking that a solar installer is MCS-certified, since MCS certification is the route to Smart Export Guarantee payments and to most government heating and renewables incentives, then check the planning rules and paperwork before any panel goes on the roof.

Certification and consumer protection

MCS is the UK's quality mark for small-scale renewable technologies including solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage, and certification is required for incentives such as the Smart Export Guarantee and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. An MCS-certified installation also comes with an MCS financial protection product for the customer. Many installers also belong to a separate consumer code, such as the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) or Home Insulation and Energy Systems (HIES) — ask which protections apply to your job, since MCS's own consumer rules have been changing.

Planning permission and notification

Solar panels on a house are usually permitted development, but conditions apply: panels must not project more than 200mm from the roof slope or wall, and on a flat roof the highest point must not be more than 600mm above the roof. Permitted development does not apply to listed buildings, and a conservation area can require permission if panels would sit on a wall or roof slope facing a road. Homeowners should also tell their local electricity distribution network operator before installing, since larger or unusual connections may need separate approval.

Getting a proper quote

A reliable installer surveys the property in person and puts a firm quote in writing before work starts, rather than pressuring a decision on the doorstep. Get quotes from more than one MCS-certified installer, ask each to confirm their consumer-code or MCS protection cover, and check the Planning Portal for any conservation area or listed building restriction before agreeing a start date. The safest installation is the one with the certification, planning and network paperwork settled first, not the one with the fastest sales pitch.