HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire a solar panel installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Export payments need an MCS certified installer, and installation is zero-rated for VAT until March 2027. The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a solar panel installer in five steps

  1. Find an MCS certified installerSearch MCS's own installer list; without MCS, Smart Export Guarantee tariffs are not available.
  2. Get a written generation estimateExpected yearly output for your roof, orientation and shading, in writing.
  3. Compare like for likeSystem size in kW, panel and inverter models, scaffolding and any battery, with VAT at 0%.
  4. Plan the roof workScaffolding, the state of the roof and how the panels are fixed.
  5. Keep the MCS certificateYou need it to apply for an export tariff, and a buyer will want it.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

MCS certification

MCS is not a licence to trade, but it is what the government schemes and export payments are built on: an MCS certified installer uses certified products and issues the MCS certificate for the solar installation, and gov.uk says MCS installers must also belong to an approved consumer protection scheme.

Find the installer on MCS's own installer search before you accept a quote. mcscertified.com →

Smart Export Guarantee

Ofgem says the Smart Export Guarantee requires licensed suppliers to pay small-scale generators for exported electricity, for installations in Great Britain. MCS sets two conditions on eligibility: an MCS certified installer fitting certified products, and a smart meter that records what you export.

Ask for the MCS certificate number on handover; your export tariff supplier may ask for it. mcscertified.com →

Building regulations sign-off

Microgeneration and renewable technologies are on gov.uk's list of work a competent person scheme installer can self-certify in England, and the wiring for the solar installation is electrical work that is notifiable when it adds a circuit or alters the consumer unit.

Ask which scheme the installer self-certifies through, and for the compliance certificate and an Electrical Installation Certificate afterwards. gov.uk →

Northern Ireland

nidirect says there is no support for homeowners in Northern Ireland generating their own electricity, and the Smart Export Guarantee covers Great Britain only; the zero VAT rate under HMRC Notice 708/6 does apply to the installation.

In Northern Ireland, ask the installer what export arrangement your supplier offers before relying on payments. nidirect.gov.uk →

VAT

Solar panels fitted in a home are zero-rated (0%) until 31 March 2027 and 5% from 1 April 2027; supply without fitting, and fitting in a hotel or other commercial building, is standard-rated, and a firm turning over more than £90,000 must be registered and show the 0% VAT on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number and check the solar quote shows 0% VAT on the installed system and that nothing on it is charged at the standard rate. gov.uk →

“Are you MCS certified for solar panels, and will I get an MCS certificate?”

A good answer: Yes, with the certification number you can find on MCS's search, and a certificate for the solar installation at handover.

“How much will the solar panels generate on my roof?”

A good answer: A written yearly estimate for your orientation, pitch and shading — not a figure from a brochure.

“Which panels and inverter, and is the inverter battery-ready?”

A good answer: Models named, with their warranties; a hybrid inverter if you may add a battery later.

“How will the panels be fixed, and what about my roof?”

A good answer: A look at the roof's condition first, the fixing system for your tiles or slates, and how the roof is made good.

“Is scaffolding included?”

A good answer: Yes, as a line on the quote, put up for safe working at height.

“Will the quote show 0% VAT?”

A good answer: Yes, on the installed system, until 31 March 2027.

“Who notifies the work and certifies the electrics?”

A good answer: A named competent person scheme for the building regulations side in England, an Electrical Installation Certificate, and the MCS certificate.

Getting the quote right

  • System size in kW, number of panels and the panel and inverter models
  • Written estimate of yearly generation
  • Scaffolding, roof fixings and making good
  • Who actually attends — the MCS installer, the roofers and the electrician, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 0% on the installation shown as its own line
  • MCS certificate, electrical certificate and building regulations notification included
  • Any battery priced as a separate line

Walk away if

  • Not on MCS's installer search
  • Promises payback figures without a written generation estimate
  • Puts standard-rate VAT on a solar system fitted to your house
  • Door-step sale with a 'today only' price
  • No scaffold for a full roof array
  • Vague about who gives the MCS certificate
LOW
£5,000
TYPICAL
£7,000
HIGH
£11,500

What a solar panel installer costs: £5,000–£11,500 per install

Solar PV is quoted per installation, mainly by system size; roof type, scaffolding, panel and inverter choice and any battery move the price, and VAT is 0% on an installed home system. Solar PV Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Solar panel installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyThe installer checks the roof, shading, the consumer unit and the meter, and produces a generation estimate.
  2. ScaffoldScaffolding goes up for safe work at height.
  3. Mount the panelsRoof fixings and rails fitted, panels mounted and the roof made good.
  4. Inverter and wiringInverter installed, DC and AC wiring run, and the system connected to the consumer unit.
  5. Test, certify and registerThe system is tested and commissioned, and you receive the MCS certificate and electrical certificate.

kW / kWp
The peak power of the system.
kWh
A unit of energy: what the panels generate over time.
Inverter
Converts the panels' DC power into AC for the home.
Hybrid inverter
An inverter that can also run a battery.
MCS certificate
Proof that an MCS certified installer fitted the system; export tariffs ask for it.
Smart Export Guarantee
The scheme under which licensed suppliers pay for electricity exported in Great Britain.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the MCS certificate and the warrantiesThe MCS certificate, the electrical certificate, any compliance certificate, and the panel and inverter warranties.
Apply for an export tariffWith the MCS certificate and smart meter details, to a licensed supplier of your choice.
Check the generationCompare the first months' output with the written estimate; ask the installer back if it falls well short.
Leave the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the solar installation falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

GOV.UK · ADMINISTERED BY YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL (ENGLAND) · GRANTVerified 18 August 2026

Warm Homes: Local Grant

Free of charge — the council organises and pays for improvements such as wall, loft and underfloor insulation, an air source heat pump, smart controls or solar panels.

Who: Privately owned homes in England with an EPC rating of D–G, where household income is usually £36,000 a year or less (or someone is on certain benefits, or you live in an eligible postcode).

Official details on gov.uk →

Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.

STEP 1Raise it with the installer in writingKeep it factual: what was agreed for the solar installation, what is wrong, and a reasonable date to fix it. Reasonable care and skill is a term of every trader's service under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies are a redo or money off.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the solar installation under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Certification or grant problemsMCS handles complaints about installers it certifies, so a faulty MCS installation like the solar installation can go there; Ofgem is the route for Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant problems. For a dispute about the solar installation with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the solar installation is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a solar panel installer: questions people ask

Not by law, but MCS says export payments under the Smart Export Guarantee need a system installed by an MCS certified installer with certified products, in England, Scotland and Wales.

An MCS certificate, an Electrical Installation Certificate for the wiring, and in England a building regulations compliance certificate through the installer's scheme.

£5,000–£11,500 an installation, typically around £7,000. System size, roof access and scaffolding, the panel and inverter models and any battery decide the price. See the Solar PV Installation price guide for the detail, then search your postcode above to compare solar panel installers nearby.

Installed in a home, they are zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then 5% from 1 April 2027.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for heat pumps and biomass boilers, not solar panels; nidirect says Northern Ireland has no support for homeowners generating their own electricity.

In Great Britain, through a Smart Export Guarantee tariff from a licensed supplier, if your system has an MCS certificate and a smart meter records exports.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Battery Storage InstallationHow to hire: EV Charger InstallationHow to hire: Consumer Unit / Fuse Board UpgradeHow to hire: Three-Phase InstallationHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Generator InstallationHow to hire: Electrical Safety Inspection (EICR)How to hire: Full RewiringAll 701 hiring guides →

Solar panel installers near you

Solar panel installers in LondonSolar panel installers in ManchesterSolar panel installers in BirminghamSolar panel installers in GlasgowSolar panel installers in BelfastAll solar panel installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. MCS — the Smart Export Guarantee for consumers
  2. Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee: generators
  3. gov.uk — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6)
  4. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and the work they cover
  5. nidirect — support to generate your own electricity
  6. MCS — the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for consumers
  7. gov.uk — find a heat pump installer
  8. HSE — work at height: the law
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  14. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  15. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  16. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  17. Energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6) — 2.1 Zero-rated installations; 2.11 Solar panels
  18. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  19. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register