DIRECTORY · FOR UK SOLAR INSTALLERS · 10 MIN READ

UK Solar Wholesalers and Distributors: A Directory for Installers

UK solar wholesalers at a glance

Each sells to installers on trade terms. Locations and delivery are as each company describes them.

Specialist solar distributors

Solar and storage are their core business.

If you are comparing design tools as well as suppliers, our guide to solar design software for UK installers covers the wider market.

Electrical and plumbing merchants with solar ranges

Handy for a local branch and accounts you may already hold. Check solar stock depth before relying on them for a commercial job.

How to choose a solar wholesaler

Price matters, but lost install days cost more. Check:

• Stock on what you fit. Check live stock on the panels, inverters and mounting you specify most. Running out of your inverter costs install days.
• Technical support. Commercial jobs raise three-phase, export and storage questions. Ask who answers, and whether they know your brands.
• Design help. Some offer software (Easy PV, Segen's portal tools) or design support (Wind & Sun, YESSS). Useful for quoting; the design is still yours.
• Delivery to site. Wind & Sun and Solar Trading UK deliver pallets kerbside, so you need access and a way to unload. Ask about timed slots.
• Credit terms. Trade pricing and credit are usually separate applications. On commercial jobs you often pay for kit before the customer pays you.
• Warranty handling. Ask how a faulty inverter or panel is handled, through them or the manufacturer, and how fast a swap arrives.
• Grid-compliant inverters. Your DNO application needs compliance evidence. The ENA's Type Test Register closed on 16 April 2024 and moved to Connect Direct, so check the exact model there.
• MCS-listed products. Under MCS, only products with an active MCS Product Directory listing can be installed, battery storage excepted.

The connection rules themselves are covered in G98 explained, our G99 application guide for commercial solar and which DNO to apply to and how. For the scheme side, see MCS certification for solar installers.

Opening a trade account

Each supplier sets its own process, so treat this as a guide to what to have ready, not a checklist any of them publishes in full:

• your company details: legal name, address, contact and, where you have them, company and VAT numbers;
• what you install and roughly how much, since some accounts are aimed at businesses with regular requirements;
• a separate credit application if you want terms rather than paying up front;
• who in your business can order, and where deliveries should go.

What suppliers say: Solar Trading UK uses a short online form, usually decides within 24 to 48 hours, has no minimum order and expects invoices paid by Bacs. Alternergy offers credit terms subject to application.

Two or three accounts help when one supplier is out of stock.

Buying kit for commercial jobs

A commercial roof changes the order: more panels, three-phase inverters, more mounting and often storage. Things to raise with your supplier:

• Volume. Segen says it handles anything from a set of stickers to a container of modules. On larger orders, ask about project pricing.
• Reserving stock. Solar Trading UK lets account holders reserve equipment for upcoming projects. Commercial jobs can wait on a grid connection, so ask how long a reservation holds.
• Storage. Powerland lists battery storage systems up to 1000kWh, and Wind & Sun SMA-based commercial packages up to 50kW/120kWh.
• Delivery. Pallet drops are often kerbside. Agree access, a forklift or tail-lift and a delivery slot with the site before the lorry turns up.
• Certification. MCS applies to electrical installations up to 50kW. Above that it does not apply, so check early what certification the customer and anyone funding the project expect.

Order quantities come from the survey: roof area, supply, point of connection and consumption. Our commercial solar survey checklist covers what to capture so the kit list is right first time.

Wholesalers supply kit, not customers

A good wholesaler keeps your installs moving, but it won't fill your diary. Once you have the accounts, the design tools and the grid paperwork sorted, the limit on growth is usually how many business owners you get in front of. Our guide to how to get commercial solar leads compares nine channels, and how to sell commercial solar covers turning a survey into a signed contract.

Solar Surveys UK books qualified commercial solar survey appointments with business owners for UK installers. You pay per booked appointment, with no retainer, from £400+VAT to £1,000+VAT per lead depending on system size; see how much commercial solar leads cost, what makes booked solar leads different from form fills, or browse our commercial solar leads.

UK solar wholesalers: FAQ