Solar panel installation: what happens from survey to handover

How are solar panels installed?

A domestic solar panel installation runs in nine stages, from a survey of your roof to registering the system for export payments. MCS-certified installers work to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) standards, the industry quality scheme. Two versions run side by side until 31 March 2027, the current scheme and a redeveloped one [7], so a few rules below differ by scheme.

1. Survey and design. A competent person assesses the building and checks the roof can carry the load; an accurate shade estimate usually needs a site visit [2][4].
2. Written estimate and quote. Before you sign, an MCS installer gives a performance estimate in a set format, which says it is not a guarantee, with the panel and inverter datasheets and a layout drawing [4]. The quote should say how long the job will take and when it can start [11].
3. Contract and cooling-off. For a contract signed at home, or agreed online or by phone, you can usually cancel from signing until 14 days after the last of the equipment is delivered [17][18][15]. Work starts inside that period only if you ask for it, in writing or by email for a contract signed at home [19].
4. Network permission, if needed. Larger systems, including some with a battery, need the network operator's approval before installation (the G99 process) [25][2].
5. Scaffolding. May go up a few days before installation day [1]. Scaffolding that obstructs a pavement or road in England and Wales needs a licence from the highway authority, usually the council [31]; Medway Council, for example, says the scaffolding company or builder applies [32].
6. Installation. Brackets, rails and panels on the roof, then the inverter and wiring. The power may be off briefly while the system is connected [1].
7. Testing and handover. The system is commissioned to a documented procedure; you get a demonstration and a handover pack [2][5].
8. Notifications and certificates. The installer tells the network operator, registers the MCS certificate and tells you who is responsible for the building regulations notification; if it is registered with a competent person scheme, it can self-certify the work itself [2][3][5].
9. Export payments (Great Britain). You apply to a Smart Export Guarantee supplier with your MCS certificate or an equivalent; it provides the export meter number (export MPAN) [14][30][29].

Flat roofs differ in the mounting and in the planning limits: see solar panels on a flat roof.

How long does it take to install solar panels?

Installing solar panels takes one to two days for a typical home, and longer for a more complex system, according to the Energy Saving Trust [1]. We found no official figure for the wait from survey to installation day; MCS guidance says your quote should state how long the job will take and the expected start date [11]. The time limits that do apply are below.

Does the network operator need to approve it first?

Only for larger systems. The test is the total rated AC output of the generating equipment at the property: the solar inverter plus any battery with its own inverter. A battery that shares a hybrid inverter with the panels counts through that inverter's rating, not on top of it [25][2][24]. The limit is 16 amps per phase, which is 3.68 kW on an ordinary single-phase supply or 11.04 kW on three-phase [25]. Under that, the installer fits the system and tells the network operator within 28 days of switching it on (the G98 process) [24]. Above that, the G99 process applies and the network operator is consulted before installation [25].

Adding a battery can take a home system over the limit: MCS gives the example of a 3 kW solar system and a 3 kW battery connected side by side to the same single-phase supply, which together need G99 [2]. The 16 amp test is about the rated AC output of the equipment, not the size of the panel array or what you export. Network operators run a fast track for some home systems with a battery (not where the battery is set up to run the house in a power cut) [24]; SSEN, for example, aims to respond within 10 working days [27]. This is the Great Britain process. Northern Ireland has its own versions, G98/NI and G99/NI, run by NIE Networks: within 16 amps per phase the installer can usually fit the system and then tell NIE Networks, and larger systems go through a separate application [26]. The Smart Export Guarantee covers Great Britain only [29].

What should you check on installation day?

On the day, check the paperwork you agreed to, the kit that goes on the roof and that you can see the system working before the installer leaves.

What paperwork should you get after installation?

After installation you should get an MCS certificate, a handover pack with your guarantees and, where needed, a building regulations compliance certificate and proof the network operator was told. Keep them for the life of the system [5]; under the redeveloped MCS scheme the certificates and the network proof arrive within 30 calendar days of completion [5].

If you cannot find your MCS certificate, the MCS helpdesk on 0333 103 8130 can tell you whether one exists. Ask the installer for a copy first: MCS issues one, for £36, only if the installer is no longer certified or no longer trading [8]. RECC members cannot hold back handover documents until you have paid in full [15].

What protects your money before installation?

RECC caps the deposit and requires it to be insured; HIES insures deposits up to a limit. Installers who belong to RECC take a deposit of no more than 25 per cent of the estimated cost, and no more than 60 per cent with any advance payment, and insure both [15]. HIES covers deposits up to 25 per cent of the contract or £5,000, whichever is lower [16]. Under the redeveloped MCS scheme, consumer code membership is optional [10], so ask the installer how your deposit is protected. Checking a quote line by line is covered in how to check a solar quote.

Do you need planning permission or building regulations approval?

Most homes do not need planning permission for roof panels, the Energy Saving Trust says [1]; the limits differ by nation, with extra restrictions for listed buildings, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites. Building regulations normally apply in England [20]. If your installer is registered with a competent person scheme, it self-certifies the work and you do not apply yourself [21]; ask which scheme it belongs to.

In England, roof panels on a house generally stay within permitted development if they stand no more than 0.2 m out from a pitched roof and no higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney), under rules that changed on 27 August 2026 [33]. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own limits. This is not a full permission check: listed buildings, conservation areas, flat roofs and flats are covered in do you need planning permission for solar panels.

Can you install your own solar panels?

It is legal to install your own solar panels, but the Energy Saving Trust advises against fitting solar panels yourself and says a qualified electrician still has to connect them [1]. In England, a new circuit needs a building notice or approval unless a registered competent person does the work [23]. The network operator still has to be told about the system [28]. Without an MCS installer there is no MCS certificate, and Smart Export Guarantee payments need MCS or an equivalent certification [8][30].

What if something goes wrong with the installation?

Contact the installer first: MCS says 14 days is a reasonable maximum time to expect a reply [9]. If that fails, MCS is the single point of contact for complaints about MCS installers. It acknowledges a complaint within 5 working days and aims to resolve most within 8 weeks [9]. What happens next depends on your contract.

Whether the installation pays for itself is a separate question, and for some homes it does not: are solar panels worth it weighs it up, and solar panel costs gives the government price figures.