Commercial Solar Installers: How to Choose One for Your Business

What a commercial solar installer does for a business

On a business site the installer does far more than fit panels. A proper job covers:

• The survey and design. Roof or land, structure, shading, access and the electrics, then a system sized to how you use power.
• The grid application. Generation above 16A per phase must comply with G99, which means applying to the network operator before connection (NGED). Most business systems are above that.
• Safe work at height. Scaffolding, edge protection and fragile rooflights, planned around a business that stays open.
• Commissioning and paperwork. Testing, certification, handover documents and what you need for export payments.
• After-care. Monitoring, maintenance and warranty claims.

How to check an installer

• MCS certification. MCS calls itself "the UK's quality mark for small-scale renewables". Its search tool finds certified installers near you and checks whether a business is certified, by name or certification number (MCS). MCS says certification is a requirement for accessing many government incentives (MCS). Every installer we match a business with is MCS certified.
• The standard they work to. MCS's solar PV installation standard, MIS 3002, covers systems up to 50 kWp (MIS 3002). For larger systems, ask how the design and testing are done and certified.
• Insurance. Ask to see public liability and the cover for the work and the design.
• Similar jobs. Sites like yours, ideally a reference you can call: a farm, a factory roof, a school.
• Who does the work. Whether the design, the roof work and the electrics are in-house or subcontracted, and who is responsible for each.

Questions to ask before you accept a quote

• How did you size it?. From 12 months of half-hourly data or bills, or from the size of the roof?
• How much will we use ourselves?. The self-use figure drives the saving more than anything else.
• How was the roof structure checked?. By whom, and is a structural engineer's report needed? What about the roof warranty?
• Does it need a G99 application or export limitation?. And who applies, and what happens to the timetable if the network operator says no?
• What is excluded?. Scaffolding, roof repairs, asbestos work, the network operator's charges, out-of-hours working.
• Where do the inverters and any battery go?. Your fire risk assessment is yours to keep up to date as the responsible person (GOV.UK), so ask how the installer has thought about it, and tell your insurer.
• What warranties cover the equipment and the work?. And who you call if something stops working.
• How will we get export payments?. Suppliers set their own Smart Export Guarantee rates (Ofgem). Ask what the proposal assumes.

How to compare two commercial solar quotes

Put the numbers side by side, not the totals:

Our payback guide explains why self-use matters so much, and what commercial solar panels cost gives the government's average cost per kW to sense-check a price.

Why one matched installer instead of five cold calls

Asking several companies for quotes usually means several site visits, several sales conversations and your details on several lists. We do it differently. Our UK team checks first that your site is a fit: ownership or landlord consent, your energy spend, the roof or land and the supply. Then we match you with one MCS certified installer that covers your area and the size of job, and your details go to that installer only.

The survey is free and there is no obligation. If the proposal isn't right for you, you don't go ahead. See what the site survey checks.