Resident hub
Solar and battery works
Your home is having solar panels fitted, and in some homes a battery as well. This page explains what they are, what happens while we fit them, and what you need to do.
If anything here worries you, ring us on 01935 315315. You can call us directly. You do not have to go through your landlord.
The short version
- Panels go on the roof, so scaffolding goes up first
- Most homes take one or two working days
- Your electricity is off for part of one day
- An electrician needs to get to your fuse box
- Nothing costs you anything
What is being installed, and why
The panels
Solar panels sit on your roof. When it is light, they make electricity. That electricity goes into your home first, so while the panels are working you are using less from the grid.
They work in daylight, not only in sunshine, so they still make some electricity on a grey day. They make most in the middle of the day and in summer.
Panels have no moving parts. They do not make a noise. They do not need cleaning by you.
The battery, if your home is getting one
A battery is a box, usually fitted in the loft, a cupboard or a garage. It stores electricity your panels made during the day so your home can use it in the evening.
It is quiet. It gives off a small amount of heat, like a games console. It does not need topping up or maintaining.
Not every home in a programme gets a battery. Your letter will say if yours does.
What it means for your bills
When your panels are making electricity and you are using it, you are buying less from your supplier. That is where the saving comes from.
How much you save depends on your roof, your tariff and when you use electricity. Because of that, we do not put a figure on this page. Nobody can honestly tell you your saving before your system is on and running.
Your bills still come from your energy supplier as usual, and you still pay a standing charge. Solar panels do not make your electricity free.
What it means for your home
You do not have to change how you live. The system runs by itself. There is no switch you have to remember and nothing you have to turn on.
If you want to get more from it, running the washing machine or dishwasher in the middle of the day helps, because that is when the panels make most.
You can leave everything alone and it will still work.
Day by day
The installation, step by step
Most homes follow this pattern. Your dates will be confirmed with you in writing before we start.
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01
Before the work: the survey
A surveyor visits, looks at the roof and the loft, checks your fuse box and works out where the equipment will go. It usually takes under an hour.
What you need to do: be at home and let the surveyor reach the loft hatch and the fuse box. Tell them about pets, parking, and any support you need.
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02
Scaffolding goes up
Usually one or two days before the work. A separate team does this and they do not need to come inside. It is noisy for an hour or two while poles are handled.
What you need to do: move cars off the drive if we have asked you to, and bring in washing lines and garden items near the wall.
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03
Day one: the roof
The team lifts a few tiles, fixes the mountings to the roof timbers and puts the tiles back. Then the rails and the panels go on. Most of this day is outside.
What you need to do: keep pets and children away from the scaffolding, and expect knocking noise above you for much of the day.
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04
Day one or two: inside
An electrician runs a cable from the roof down to the inverter, which is the box that turns the panels' electricity into the kind your home uses. The inverter and any battery are fitted, usually in the loft or a cupboard.
What you need to do: clear a path to the loft hatch and to the fuse box, and clear the wall or floor space we agreed at the survey.
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05
Connecting up: power off
Your electricity is switched off while the new circuits are connected to your fuse box. This is usually a few hours, not a whole day.
What you need to do: charge phones the night before, and tell us beforehand if you use medical equipment, a stairlift or anything else that needs power.
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06
Testing and switching on
The electrician tests the system, switches it on and checks the panels are producing. You may hear a short beep from the inverter as it starts up.
What you need to do: nothing. Ask questions if you have them. This is a good moment to have them answered.
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07
Handover
Before we leave, we show you what has been fitted and how to read it. See the handover section below for exactly what you get.
What you need to do: be at home for this if you can. If you cannot, we will come back another time.
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08
Scaffolding comes down
Usually within a few days of the work finishing. Bad weather can hold this up. We will tell you if it does.
What you need to do: nothing. Ring us if the scaffolding is still up and nobody has told you why.
What to expect while we are there
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Scaffolding It goes up before and comes down after, so it stands for longer than the days we work. It will cover part of your view from one or two windows. Please do not climb on it or hang anything from it.
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Noise Drilling and knocking above you, mostly on the roof day. It is not constant, but it is loud when it happens. If you need quiet hours, tell us and we will agree them before we start.
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Roof access People will be on your roof and going up and down the scaffolding all day. Tiles are lifted and put back. If a tile breaks, we replace it.
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A short power cut Your electricity goes off for part of one day while the system is connected. We tell you the day before and we tell you again on the morning.
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Access to your fuse box An electrician needs to work at your fuse box, which is often in a hall, a cupboard or by the front door. Please make sure they can get to it.
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Loft access If your inverter or battery is going in the loft, we need the hatch clear and we may need to move things stored underneath it.
How to get ready
None of this is complicated. If any of it is difficult for you, tell us and we will do it for you.
- Clear the loft hatchMove anything stored under or around the hatch, and anything directly under where we will be working. If you cannot lift it, leave it and tell us.
- Clear the fuse boxMove coats, shoes, boxes or shelving away from the fuse box so the electrician can stand in front of it.
- ParkingLeave space for a van near the house if you can. If parking is difficult on your street, please tell us before the day.
- PetsKeep pets in one room away from the work, or somewhere else for the day. Doors will be opening and closing a lot.
- The day beforeCharge phones and anything else you rely on, because the power goes off for part of the next day.
- Tell us anything we should knowShift work, a baby who naps, a hospital appointment, a carer visit, a nervous dog. All of it helps us plan.
Handover: what happens at the end
Who explains the system
The electrician who commissioned your system shows you round it before they leave. They will show you where the inverter is, where the battery is if you have one, and what the display means.
They will show you how to tell that it is working, and what to do if it stops. If anything is not clear, ask them to go over it again. It is a normal thing to ask.
If nobody can be at home on the day, we will arrange a separate handover visit rather than push the paperwork through the door.
What paperwork you get
You get the manuals for the equipment fitted in your home, a written record of what was installed and where, and the electrical certificate for the new work.
You also get the contact details you need if something goes wrong later, and the date the aftercare period runs to.
Keep the paperwork somewhere safe. If you lose it, ring us and we will send another copy.
Questions about solar and batteries
Will the panels damage my roof?
No. The mountings are fixed to the roof timbers, not just to the tiles, and the tiles go back over them so the roof stays weathertight.
If a tile breaks while we work, we replace it at our cost. If we find a problem with your roof during the survey, we tell your landlord before any panels are ordered.
Will it make a noise in my home?
The panels make no noise at all. The inverter gives a very quiet hum when it is working hard, similar to a fridge, and a battery is quieter still.
If the inverter is going somewhere you would hear it, tell the surveyor and we will look at another position.
Will my electricity still work in a power cut?
Normally no. For safety, most systems switch themselves off in a power cut so that nobody working on the network can be hurt.
Some batteries can keep a few sockets running. If yours can, we will show you which ones at handover.
Do I have to pay for the electricity the panels make?
You do not pay us anything for it, and there is no charge to you for the installation.
You still have an account with your energy supplier for anything you use from the grid, and you still pay the daily standing charge on that account.
Do I need to clean the panels?
No. Rain does the job. Please do not go up to clean them and do not pay anyone who knocks on your door offering to.
Something is beeping or a light has changed colour
Ring us on 01935 315315 and tell us what you can see or hear. Do not open the inverter or the battery.
Most warnings are minor and can be sorted over the phone or on a short visit.