Solar and Battery Questions Answered

The same handful of questions come up on almost every solar panel installation we quote, so Ashley answered them on camera instead of writing yet another page about them. He filmed this at his own house, walking round the setup he lives with: all-black panels on the roof with bird mesh protection underneath, two batteries giving 10kWh of battery storage, the inverter on the gable end, and the Alpha ESS EV charger he plugs the van into. There is no script and the questions come from Conor, another electrician here.

What does a solar panel installation actually cost?

Between £6,000 and £12,000 covers most homes, depending on how many panels the roof takes and how many batteries you want installed. It depends on your particular home as well - which way the roof faces, what else is on it, how the cable run goes. The honest number comes from the survey, not a price list. Ashley designs the system and sends the quote for free; you only need to send your name, address and email. Domestic solar panel and battery installations also carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, applied on the invoice rather than claimed back, so the total on the quote is the total you pay. What drives the cost is covered on the solar and battery installation page.

How does it all work?

There are no moving parts. The panels generate renewable energy from daylight, cloudy days included, and the power comes in off the roof to the battery and inverter, which sit on the side of the house. The batteries charge up while you are out during the day, then run the house when you come home from work, college or school. Every day you go out, they fill up again, and you can charge them overnight from the grid at off-peak rates when you need to. For houses where the roof does not suit panels, the same idea works on its own - that is the home battery installation version.

How much will you save?

Ashley's answer on camera is between 60 and 80% of the electricity bill written off, depending on how many panels and batteries you go for. Then he does what he would rather do anyway and shows his own bills. His house runs at about £40 a month with the standing charge in it, and that includes charging the electric van. The diesel van it replaced was costing about £250 a month in fuel, and the van now charges overnight when electricity is cheap.

One part of the bill the panels do not touch is the standing charge - the fixed daily amount every household pays before a single unit is used. Ashley's runs about £15 a month, which lands close to the national average: the Ofgem price cap puts the average electricity standing charge at 54.83p a day for 1 October to 31 December 2026, roughly £17 a month depending on region and supplier. That part of the bill stays whether the roof has panels on it or not.

That is one house with one usage pattern, not a promise about yours. The survey models the numbers for your actual roof, tariff and usage, and are solar panels worth it in Manchester? covers the honest maths behind the percentages.

Where does all the kit go?

The panels go on the roof. Everything else can go outside - in the video the batteries and inverter sit on the gable end of the house, keeping the indoors for living in. Batteries do not go in lofts any more; lithium batteries need sensible siting, and outside on a gable end or in a garage is where they do best. Inside is possible too if you would rather, and the survey settles where yours goes.

The EV charger installation side is the same story: an electrician choosing the charger location, the supply, the cable route and the protection, not whoever turned up with a box.

How long does an installation take?

Start on a Monday, usually finished by Friday, sometimes earlier, weather permitting. The roof work itself is commonly one to two days, and the scaffolding, electrical work and commissioning fill out the rest of the week. Every house is different, so the quote tells you what to expect for yours.

What about warranty and certification?

Ten years on the batteries, ten years on the inverters, 30 years on the panels, and a five year workmanship warranty from us on everything we have installed. We are MCS-certified as well, number NAP-66870, which is what makes the installation eligible for Smart Export Guarantee payments from your supplier.

And the quote costs nothing

Send your name, address and email - WhatsApp, text or phone, whichever suits - and Ashley comes back to you with a design and a price for your actual house. Book a free survey to get it moving.