Frequently asked questions

As a broad 2026 guide, commercial rooftop systems tend to land between £700 and £1,100 per kWp installed — so a 100 kWp array on a warehouse roof sits very roughly in the £70,000–£110,000 band — with the per-kWp rate falling as systems get larger. Prices are plus VAT: the domestic zero rate does not apply to business premises, but VAT-registered businesses normally recover it as input tax. What moves the number most is scale, roof type and grid works — a clamp-mounted array on a sound sheet-metal roof is the cheap end; structural reinforcement or substation work is the expensive end. We quote fixed, itemised prices from a survey, not a rate card.

Yes — with an honest caveat about scale. A well-oriented commercial roof in the North East typically generates 800–950 kWh a year for each kWp installed, against a UK average of around 900; the south coast does better, northern Scotland worse. The bigger driver for a business is not latitude but timing: commercial buildings use power in the daytime, when the panels generate, so far more of the output offsets electricity you would otherwise buy at full price. Panels generate on overcast days too, at reduced output — the North East’s weather is priced into the yield figures, not hiding from them.

Usually not. Most rooftop solar on non-domestic buildings in England is permitted development, and the old 1 MW capacity cap on that right was removed in November 2023. Conditions still apply — panels must sit within set projection limits, and systems above 50 kW involve a prior-approval application to the council covering design and glare, which is a lighter process than full planning permission. Listed buildings and some conservation-area sites are the exception. We handle the planning legwork as part of the design stage.

Yes — it is slower, but it is work we take on. Permitted development rights do not cover listed buildings, so a Grade II listed property needs listed building consent and usually a planning application, with the council’s conservation officer involved in panel placement and visibility. Expect the consent stage to add months rather than weeks, and expect the approved layout to prioritise concealment — valley roofs, outbuildings, ground arrays — over maximum yield. We would rather tell you that at the survey than after a refused application.

Not if the roof is assessed properly first — which is the first thing we do. Panels and mounting typically add in the region of 12–20 kg per square metre, and a structural check on the purlins and fixings is part of every commercial survey, not an optional extra. On sheet-metal and trapezoidal roofs — our preferred territory — arrays clamp to the seams or fix through the crown with sealed, purpose-made brackets, so there is no wet trade and, on standing-seam profiles, often no penetration at all. If a roof is near the end of its life, we will say so: recovering a roof after panels are on it costs far more than sequencing the work correctly.

No — not until at least 2035. Eligible plant and machinery used in onsite renewable generation and storage, including rooftop solar and batteries serving the building’s own consumption, is 100% exempt from business rates in England from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2035. The Valuation Office Agency applies the exemption automatically when valuing the property; there is nothing to claim.

For buildings with evening or overnight load, usually yes; for a pure nine-to-five daytime load, sometimes not — and we will tell you which you are. A battery lets you use daytime generation after dark, and on half-hourly tariffs it can also shave expensive peak-time demand by discharging when prices spike. We install Fox ESS battery systems, sized from your half-hourly consumption data rather than a standard bundle. One honesty note: a battery adds capital cost and has a shorter life than the panels, so it has to earn its place in the numbers. If it does not, we will design without it.

Different lifespans, and any installer who says "lifetime" for all three is overselling. Solar panels are designed to last 25–30 years, with manufacturer performance warranties commonly guaranteeing output across 25 years or more. Inverters and batteries are working electronics: expect roughly 10–12 years before replacement, and budget for that in the payback maths — we do, in every quote. It is also why equipment choice is not just a price decision: we fit tier-1 monocrystalline panels and established inverter platforms from Sigenergy and SMA, because a 25-year asset needs manufacturers likely to still exist in year 15.

Any of it — that is the trade the firm was built on 30+ years ago. Design and installation: power distribution, lighting, fire alarm and security systems, CCTV, data and communications, EV charging points, generator and UPS backup, surge and lightning protection, distribution-board upgrades, smart building controls. Inspection and maintenance: EICR fixed-wire testing, PAT testing, emergency-lighting testing, thermographic scanning and fault-finding. Commercial clients use us as a single electrical contractor rather than a solar company with a sideline — the solar pages get the headlines, but this work is the foundation under them.

Yes. Our focus is commercial and agricultural work, but the firm has always taken on projects for private clients too — domestic electrical work, home EV charge points and residential solar are all in scope, particularly across County Durham. The same rules apply at any scale: a survey first, an itemised quote, and a straight answer if the job is not worth doing.