Identify the business you would contract with
Check the legal entity on the proposal, deposit terms and who does the survey and installation. If subcontractors are involved, ask which business retains responsibility for the work and aftercare. A trading name or logo is not enough to trace a contract.
Use the MCS verification guide to check the relevant technology and current directory entry. Certification has a scope; it is not a general guarantee of every financial forecast or sales claim.
Compare the design and included work
Record module model/count, array kWp, inverter, mounting, usable battery capacity and backup. Align scaffolding, roof repairs, cable routes, electrical upgrades, monitoring and commissioning. Ask what is provisional and who approves price changes.
Keep tax and cash/finance bases consistent. If a contractor cannot itemise a bundled battery, compare the total with unresolved scope visible instead of calculating a misleading solar price per kWp.
Request evidence for the savings model
Ask for annual AC generation, household use, direct-use assumptions and tariff rates. A storage-inclusive self-consumption percentage needs a split before it can be tested as direct solar use. Distinguish bill reduction from export receipts.
Use the quote checker to generate specific missing-information questions, then calculate a consistent scenario. A difference from an online model is a question to investigate, not proof of dishonesty.
Keep an acceptance checklist
Before accepting: verify identity and certification; receive a roof-specific design; agree all inclusions and variations; read each warranty’s provider, term and exclusions; agree payment stages; and identify the handover and aftercare process. Save the accepted version and later changes together.
Do not pay on the strength of a manufactured rating, a claimed universal grant or an unsupported deadline. Our site does not publish partner rankings or certify installers. An enquiry received by the website does not mean an installer has accepted it.
Sources and review dates
Research-based guidance. Source checks do not imply product testing or verification of an individual installer.
- Energy Saving Trust: Solar panels. Solar suitability, generation, roof and installation considerations; not a local quote dataset. Scope: UK. Checked .
- MCS: Find an installer. Official directory destination retained. Automated retrieval blocked; verify current certification directly in directory. Scope: UK. Checked . Limited verification; see the stated uncertainty.
Registry sources-2026-11-01. Tariffs have a 30-day internal review interval. Methodology and assumptions.