How to choose a solar firm in Frodsham

Three public records to check first

Before anyone climbs onto the roof, three records can be searched at no cost, and together they rule out a surprising number of problems.

The MCS register

MCS certifies firms to install small-scale renewable technology, solar PV and batteries among it. Search the MCS installer database for the firm’s name and confirm that its certification covers solar PV, and storage too if a battery is part of the plan. The certification matters beyond workmanship: the SEG scheme pays only for systems installed under MCS, and the MCS certificate issued at the end is one of the papers a buyer will later ask to see.

A consumer code

Firms selling solar to households generally belong to a consumer code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which sets rules on sales, deposits, contracts and complaints and offers a way to settle disputes. MCS expects its domestic installers to belong to one. Ask which code the firm has joined, then look for its name on that code’s own member list.

Companies House

For a limited company, the Companies House register shows when it was incorporated, its registered office, its directors, whether its accounts and confirmation statements are up to date, and any notice of strike-off or insolvency. A long history does not prove quality and a young company is not a warning in itself, but a trading name that does not match the paperwork, overdue filings or directors tied to a run of dissolved companies all deserve a question. Sole traders and partnerships will not appear on the register; ask them for a trading address and proof of insurance instead.

Quotes that can be compared

Ask about three firms to quote, each after visiting the house. A figure produced from a phone call or an aerial photograph cannot take account of the roof’s condition, the fuse board, the cable route or the shade. Ask every firm for the same written breakdown:

• the panels, inverter and any battery, by make and model, and the system size in kWp;
• the estimated yearly output, month by month if possible, and how shade was allowed for;
• scaffold and access, electrical work and any consumer unit upgrade;
• the G98 or G99 paperwork and any planning or consent drawings;
• warranties on panels, inverter, battery and workmanship, and the payment schedule.

Dividing the solar price by the system size gives a price per kW to set beside the national figures on what solar might cost in Frodsham.

What a proper visit looks like

A survey visit tells a household a good deal about the firm. Someone should look at the roof covering and its condition, go into the loft to see the rafters and any signs of damp or past repairs, inspect the consumer unit and the meter, and work out where the inverter and any battery would sit and how the cables would reach them. They should ask how and when the house uses electricity, and whether a battery, a car charger or a hot-water diverter is likely in future. A visit that lasts ten minutes and never leaves the front garden cannot produce a reliable quote.

A shade measurement for homes under the hill

For homes at the foot of the hill south of the centre, the terrain model finds the southern skyline rising to 17.2°, with about 3.6% of a south roof’s year and roughly 32% of its December lost. That is precisely the kind of loss a quick estimate misses. Software working only from a map or an aerial image may leave the terrain out or use a coarse version of it, and a standard table will certainly leave out the trees.

Ask every firm how it measured the horizon at the house. A sound answer names a method, such as a sun-path photograph taken from the roof, a horizon survey with a dedicated instrument, or a terrain-aware model checked against a reading on site, and shows how the result changed the output estimate. Ask to see the December figure on its own. When two firms give very different yearly estimates for the same roof, the shade assumptions are the first place to look. The hill and winter sun gives the background, the hill check offers a starting figure to compare against, and trees and shade covers what the terrain model cannot see.

Heritage work

The 2006 appraisal records many listed buildings along Main Street and a thatched group among them. If the house is listed, or the plan involves a flat roof or a wall in one of the conservation areas, put these questions to each firm:

• Has it prepared drawings for Listed Building Consent or a prior-approval application before, and can it show one?
• Who will make the application, and who pays if the council asks for changes?
• How would panels be fixed to slate, clay tile or older timbers, and how would damage to historic fabric be kept to a minimum?
• For a thatched house, how would cables and equipment be kept clear of the thatch, and has the insurer been asked?

Listed and thatched homes and Frodsham’s conservation areas and solar explain the rules behind these questions.

Insurance and deposits

Ask for proof of public liability insurance before work starts, and for details of how the workmanship warranty is protected if the firm stops trading; an insurance-backed warranty is the usual answer. Consumer codes set limits on deposits and require them to be protected, so ask how that has been done for this job. Paying part of the cost by credit card can add the card issuer’s protection for purchases between £100 and £30,000. Whatever the route, keep every payment linked to a stage of the work that has actually been completed.

Reading the contract

Read the contract in full before signing. Check the total price and what it includes and leaves out, the deposit and how it is protected, the payment stages, the start and finish dates, and what happens if the council or the network operator takes longer than planned. Contracts agreed at home or online normally carry a cooling-off period of 14 days, and a firm that wants to start inside it should explain what that does to the right to cancel. Pressure to sign on the day, prices that are only valid today, and approaches that begin with a cold call or a knock at the door are all reasons to slow down.

The grid paperwork

The firm normally deals with the network operator, which the Energy Networks Association postcode search identifies for any address. Systems up to 16 A per phase are connected and then notified within 28 days under G98; anything larger, including many systems with a battery, needs a G99 application approved before connection. Ask which applies and when it will be submitted. Grid connection sets out the detail.

What should be handed over at the end

• The MCS certificate for the system.
• The electrical installation certificate and confirmation of building regulations compliance.
• The G98 notification or the G99 approval.
• Warranties for panels, inverter, any battery and the workmanship, with details of any insurance behind the workmanship warranty.
• Manuals, monitoring access and any planning, prior-approval or consent decisions.

Those papers matter long after the scaffold comes down, because an export supplier will ask for some of them and a buyer’s solicitor for most; buying a Frodsham home with solar explains why.

Where this guide stands

This guide is published by SEO-DONS LTD as an independent source for Frodsham households. It does not install, sell or survey anything. Questions about a particular house, or about a quote already received, can be sent through the question form, and more about the publisher is on about this guide.