After switch-on

The first fortnight

1. Collect the papers. The MCS certificate, the electrical installation certificate, the network notification or approval, the inverter settings (including any export limit), datasheets, warranties and the workmanship warranty's insurance details.
2. Set up the monitoring. Most inverters have an app. Connect it to your Wi-Fi and check that it shows today's output.
3. Apply for an export tariff. Any licensed supplier offering one will need the MCS certificate and readings from a meter that records exports, usually a smart meter.
4. Tell your home insurer. Panels become part of the building; most insurers simply want to know.

Reading the monitoring

Daily figures swing with the weather, so judge the system by the month. In Widnes a south-facing system makes roughly four times as much in May as in December. Compare each month with the same month last year; a clear drop with no obvious cause, such as a new tree or a dull summer, is worth raising with the installer. A completely flat line usually means the inverter has tripped or lost its connection to the app.

If there is an export limit

On a system approved with a cap, the monitoring may show output flattening at the limit on bright middays when the house is not using much. That is the limit working. If it happens often, using appliances at midday, adding a hot-water diverter or a battery will put that power to use. The export limits page shows how much it can cost.

Upkeep

• Cleaning. Rain usually does it on tilted panels. If they need more, use a firm with water-fed poles; do not climb onto the roof.
• Birds. Pigeons sometimes nest under panels. Mesh around the edges, fitted by the installer, stops it.
• The inverter. Inverters usually wear out before panels do. Note the warranty's end date and budget for one replacement.
• The roof. If roof work is ever needed under the panels, they will have to come off and go back; keep the installer's details.

Adding to the system later

A battery, more panels or a larger inverter added later is new work. The installer has to notify SP Energy Networks again, or apply first if the new total of inverters is over the limit, as G98 and G99 explains, and the MCS certificate for the original system does not cover the addition. Ask for a certificate and the network paperwork for the new work too, and keep them with the originals.

Selling a home with panels

A buyer's solicitor will usually ask about the panels. Keep the MCS certificate, the electrical certificate, the network notification or approval and the warranties with the deeds so they can be handed over. If the panels were fitted after the home's last energy certificate, a new one will show them; the old certificate will not.

If something goes wrong

Contact the installer first, in writing. If that fails, the consumer code the firm belongs to, RECC or HIES, has a complaints and dispute process. Keep a note of dates, readings and what was said.

Related pages

• Getting paid for exports
• G98 and G99
• Choosing an installer
• FAQs

Sources for this page

1. MCS MIS 3002 v6.0: the installation standard for solar PV
2. SP Energy Networks, connections: small generation and how to notify or apply
3. Ofgem: SEG export tariffs explained
4. RECC: the Renewable Energy Consumer Code
5. HIES: Home Insulation and Energy Systems consumer code
6. PVGIS 5.3, European Commission Joint Research Centre: long-term yearly output for Widnes by tilt and direction