Solar & Battery Planning Guide

Where to start: understanding what you are trying to achieve

Before engaging any installer, it helps to have a clear sense of your primary objectives. The three most common are: reducing electricity bills (financial motivation), increasing energy independence and resilience (autonomy motivation), and reducing carbon footprint (environmental motivation). Most customers cite all three, but the weighting affects the system design.

A financially-motivated customer may be best served by a smaller, highly optimised system on a smart tariff — maximising ROI per pound invested. An autonomy-motivated customer may prefer a larger battery for backup coverage, even if the financial payback is longer. An environmentally-motivated customer may prioritise maximising solar generation capacity over optimising tariff returns.

There is no wrong answer — but being clear about your priorities helps us design a system that is genuinely right for you, rather than a generic package.

Assessing your roof for solar panels

Roof orientation has the biggest single impact on solar generation. South-facing roofs (180°) are optimal, producing 100% of theoretical yield. South-east and south-west (135° and 225°) produce 90–95%. East and west-facing roofs (90° and 270°) produce 70–80%. North-facing roofs are not suitable for solar.

Roof pitch matters too. The ideal pitch for UK conditions is 30–40°. Shallower roofs (under 15°) generate slightly less and can accumulate more dirt. Very steep roofs (over 55°) are not hazardous but require additional safety equipment during installation.

Shading is the other critical factor. Any shading between 9am and 3pm — from chimneys, trees, neighbouring buildings or dormers — will reduce generation. Modern string inverters include shade mitigation features, but significant shading may require microinverters or optimisers for effective management.

Roof condition: your roof should be in good structural condition for at least 15–20 years. We do not install on asbestos-containing roofs, fragile roofing materials, or roofs showing significant structural concerns. If your roof needs work in the near future, it is worth doing it before installation to avoid the cost of temporarily removing panels.