Solar PV Installation London — MCS Certified, 0% VAT Until 1 May 2027

Two days on a 4 kWp install with a battery — scaffolding goes up day 0, panels and inverter on day 1, battery and AC-side work on day 2. Single-day on a 3 kWp solar-only install with no battery. DNO G99 turnaround (11 working days at UKPN) is the longest item before install begins.

G98 covers small generators up to 16A per phase (about 3.68 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase) — it is a notification-only process and the DNO is informed after install. G99 covers anything above 16A per phase — it requires a formal DNO application and consent before install. Most 4 kWp+ London solar installs sit in G99 territory.

South is best but not required. South generates ~100% of nameplate; south-east and south-west sit at 95–98%; east and west at 80–85%; pure north is not normally installed. East-west splits across a hipped roof are common in London and lose only 10–15% versus a single south face — but spread generation across the day, which improves self-consumption with a battery.

A typical 4 kWp London install with a 9.5 kWh battery saves £900–£1,400 per year off a £1,800–£2,200 starting bill — a 50–65% reduction. Without a battery the saving is £350–£550 per year because surplus generation is exported (paid at the lower SEG rate) rather than self-consumed at the higher import rate.

Solar-only on a 4 kWp install: 6–9 years. Solar + 9.5 kWh battery on a 4 kWp install: 8–12 years. After payback the system continues for the balance of its 25–30 year design life. Battery-only retrofit on an existing solar system: 7–10 years.

For most London properties — no. Solar PV is permitted development under Class A and Class B. Conservation areas with Article 4 directives and listed buildings need planning permission. We check on survey and run the planning application where required — see our Solar Conservation Area London guide.

Solar PV adds +8 to +15 EPC points on a typical 4 kWp install — enough to move most band-D Victorian conversions to band C, or to lift a borderline band-C semi into the upper band-C / band-B range. Critical for landlords ahead of the 1 October 2030 MEES band-C deadline.

Yes — AC-coupled retrofit is standard. The new battery has its own dedicated inverter that talks to the AC bus; the existing solar inverter is unchanged. Most installs we do are battery-ready from day one even when no battery is specified — the consumer unit has the spare way reserved and the cable route is provisioned.

25-year panel performance warranty (typically 84%+ output retention at year 25). 10–12 year inverter warranty. 10-year battery warranty to 60–80% of nameplate capacity. 2-year workmanship warranty from us, backed by the MCS 10-year insurance-backed workmanship scheme.

Negligible maintenance. Panels are self-cleaned by London rainfall. Inverters run unattended; the manufacturer app alerts on any fault. The only material event is inverter replacement at year 12–15 (around £1,495 for a string inverter, more for hybrid) and battery replacement at year 12–20 depending on cycle depth.

London is hard for volume installers. Conservation areas and Article 4 directives need pre-application planning work that national installers price out of. Leasehold consent processes add 8–12 weeks. Scaffolding access in narrow terraced streets needs traffic management. We are a London-based installer — we built around these constraints rather than against them.

For leasehold flats and houses we draft the licence-to-alter application to the freeholder or block management, including MCS installer insurance, structural roof-load sign-off and leak-remediation undertaking. Typical timeline 8–12 weeks. We sequence the planning, consent and install as one project so the customer holds a single deadline.