Solar panels: from roof survey to export payments

Start with your annual electricity use, which is on your bill or your supplier's app, and the roof you have. A south-facing roof gives the most output, east-west roofs spread generation across the day and still work well, and a north-facing roof is rarely worth covering. Chimneys, dormers, trees and neighbouring buildings cast shade that moves through the day and the seasons.

Panels produce most around midday, when many households use little. Electricity you use yourself saves you the full import price; electricity you export earns only the export rate. That is why a sensible design looks at when you are at home, whether you have an electric car or a heat pump, and whether a battery makes sense now or later.

Where part of the roof is shaded, the installer may suggest optimisers or microinverters so that one shaded panel does not drag down a whole string. Ask for a generation estimate with the shading taken into account, not a figure for an ideal roof.

Solar panels on a house or a block of flats in England are usually permitted development, so no planning application is needed, as long as the conditions are met. On a pitched roof the panels must not sit above the highest part of the roof, excluding the chimney, and must not project more than 200mm from the roof slope. On a flat roof the equipment must not be more than 600mm above the highest part of the roof, and on designated land such as conservation areas and national parks a flat-roof installation needs prior approval from the council.

In a conservation area or World Heritage Site, panels must not go on a wall that fronts a highway. The rights do not cover a building within the grounds of a listed building or a scheduled monument, and a listed building itself needs listed building consent. Leaseholders may also need permission from the freeholder or management company. The permitted development rules were updated on 27 August 2026, with a transitional period until 27 August 2027 in which either the old or new rules can be followed.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own planning systems. An installer who works there should check the local rules before quoting.

Source: legislation.gov.uk · planningportal.co.uk

Building Regulations normally apply to rooftop solar. The roof has to be able to carry the extra load, and older roofs sometimes need strengthening. The electrical work is also covered, which is why it makes sense to use an installer registered with a competent person scheme who can self-certify.

Your installer must also tell the local electricity network operator, the DNO, about the system. Small systems are generally notified after they are connected; larger ones, and some combined with a battery, need the network operator's agreement first, which can add weeks to the timetable. A quote should say which applies to you.

Scaffolding is usually a separate cost and is needed for safe work at height. It is not a place to cut corners.

The Smart Export Guarantee pays you for each unit of electricity you export in Great Britain. To get a tariff you need a meter that can record half-hourly exports, typically a smart meter, and you must show that the installation and the installer are certified under MCS or an equivalent scheme. Without the MCS certificate, most homeowners cannot get paid for exports.

Suppliers that offer SEG tariffs set their own rates and terms; the only fixed rule is that the rate must be above zero. Your SEG supplier does not have to be the company that sells you electricity, and tariffs change, so it is worth checking the market once the system is running. A home battery or electric car that can export may also be used with the SEG; the supplier can tell you how.

• the system size in kW, the panel and inverter models, and the number of panels on each roof face
• an annual generation estimate that takes account of orientation, pitch and shading
• an estimate of how much you will use yourself and how much you will export
• mounting system, roof checks and any strengthening, plus bird protection if you want it
• scaffolding, the electrical work and the DNO notification or application
• the MCS certificate and handover documents
• warranties for panels, inverter and workmanship, and what the inverter costs to replace

There is no general solar grant for homeowners in England. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not cover solar panels. Low-income households in England may receive solar panels through the Warm Homes: Local Grant if their council has funding, and in Wales the Nest scheme can include solar for eligible households. In Scotland, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan funds hybrid solar PV-T systems but not standard PV panels.

Installing solar panels in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the reduced rate of 5% applies. Check that the quote shows VAT correctly.

Source: gov.uk

Tell us about the roof, your usage and whether you want a battery, and confirm your phone number by text-message code and your email by link. We offer the request, without anything that identifies you, to solar installers in your area. It can be bought once. The installer who buys it pays Offrano, and the request comes off the shop; using Offrano costs you nothing.

We email you the installer's name, address and phone number before they receive your details, and every email carries a link to withdraw your consent. There is no guarantee that an installer takes the request; unsold requests are withdrawn after 21 days, and you can get quotes elsewhere whenever you like. Offrano confirms that buyers are registered businesses, nothing more, so look up the installer on the MCS website before you sign.