Panels sized to your roof, not your postcode.
An MCS-certified surveyor checks your actual roof, whether that’s a 1930s mock-Tudor semi in Woking or a Victorian villa in Reigate, before we spec anything. Solar and battery installations are also currently zero-rated for VAT, a relief that runs until 31 March 2027.
Surrey, the county’s highest ground
The right fit for a Surrey plot.
Roof-mounted covers most homes we quote in the commuter towns, where plots tend to be smaller and the roof is the obvious choice. Further out towards the Surrey Hills and the county’s rural edges, larger gardens sometimes make a ground-mounted array worth considering instead, particularly where mature trees shade the roof itself.
Either way, panels generate most of their power in the day, often while a household is out commuting. If that’s your pattern, battery storage is worth adding so generation doesn’t just get exported at a lower rate than you’d pay to buy it back that evening.
String inverter
One unit runs the whole array. The cheapest option, and fine for a simple, unshaded roof.
Microinverters
One small unit per panel. Costs more, but a mature tree or a dormer shading part of the roof won’t drag the whole array down.
Hybrid inverter
Built with battery storage in mind from day one. The sensible default if a battery’s on the cards now or later.
Looking after your system.
Panels have no moving parts, so there’s very little to go wrong. An occasional check for moss, debris or shading from new tree growth is generally enough. Manufacturers typically back panels with a 25-year-plus performance warranty on top of a shorter product warranty, and we add our own workmanship warranty on the install itself.
On Surrey’s older housing stock, particularly the 1920s and 30s mock-Tudor detached homes common around Weybridge, Esher and Cobham, we check tile type and roof structure as part of every survey. Listed buildings and homes in conservation areas, common around Guildford and the historic market towns, sometimes need planning permission even where it wouldn’t otherwise be required.
How long does an installation take?
One to two days for most homes, depending on system size and roof access. Scaffolding usually goes up the day before, and your installer will walk you through the system before they leave.
Will I need planning permission?
Most Surrey properties fall under permitted development, so no application is needed. Listed buildings, homes in conservation areas and properties within the Surrey Hills National Landscape boundary are the main exceptions, where permission can be required even for work that would be permitted development elsewhere.
Do mature trees affect a solar quote?
They can. Surrey has a lot of tree cover, especially around the Hills and the more wooded commuter towns. We model shading as part of every survey, which sometimes points towards microinverters or a different roof face rather than ruling solar out.
How much roof space do I need?
It depends on your household’s electricity usage and how many panels you want fitted, which is exactly what a site survey establishes. We model your roof’s usable area, orientation and shading before recommending a system size.