How to choose a solar panel installer

To choose a solar panel installer, start with two separate checks: that the company is MCS certified on the MCS website, and whether it belongs to a consumer code such as RECC or HIES, which MCS no longer requires on its redeveloped scheme. Then insist on a proper survey, a written quote with the MCS performance estimate and datasheets, and clear answers on guarantees and payment. The best installer for you is the one that puts its design and promises in writing and lets you compare them.

Our guide to comparing solar quotes shows how to line quotes up; this page is about the company behind them.

Check MCS certification on the MCS website

MCS certifies installers and products for small-scale renewable energy such as solar panels and home batteries. To get paid for exported electricity under the Smart Export Guarantee in Great Britain, suppliers ask for proof that the installation and installer are certified, usually an MCS certificate; Ofgem also accepts schemes equivalent to MCS. See our Smart Export Guarantee guide for how export payments work.

Search for the company by name on MCS's installer search and check that it is certified for the technology you want, solar PV and, if you are adding one, battery storage. A logo on a van or a website is not proof. Our guide to the MCS certificate explains what the certificate is and why you need it.

MCS is changing how it certifies installers. Under its redeveloped installer scheme, which most installers are moving to during 2026, each installer signs an agreement directly with MCS, MCS handles complaints centrally, and installers must follow the MCS Customer Commitment. That commitment says, among other things, that the installer will not pressure you to sign, will give you a clear written quotation, will explain your cancellation rights and will tell you how any deposit is protected.

MCS certification shows that an installer works to MCS standards and is checked against them. It is not a guarantee that every installation will be done well. On the redeveloped scheme, MCS also requires the installer to give you a written guarantee covering the system's design and workmanship, and an MCS-approved financial protection product, which MCS says gives at least six years' cover from installation. Installers still on the original scheme must belong to a consumer code instead (below). Either way, ask which protection you'll get, who provides it, and how your deposit is covered if the company stops trading.

Check consumer code membership separately

Installers still on MCS's original scheme must belong to a consumer code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute: the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) or HIES. On the redeveloped scheme, consumer code membership is no longer mandatory. So an MCS installer may or may not be a member, and the protections below apply only if it is.

Check on the code's own register: RECC members or HIES installers.

If the installer is a RECC member, the code requires it to:

• give you at least 14 days after you sign to cancel any contract, including one signed at its premises (where the law gives no cancellation right), and refund you within 14 days;
• keep any deposit to a reasonable share, for example 15%, and never above 25%, with deposit and further advance payments together no more than 60% of the price, all insured;
• give a written workmanship guarantee at no extra cost, for at least two years, transferable if you move, and backed by insurance if the company stops trading;
• hold public liability insurance of at least £2 million per incident;
• avoid pressure selling, such as sales visits over two hours, "sign today" discounts on an inflated price, or unrealistic forecasts of energy prices.

HIES says its installers operate under a CTSI-approved code and offers insurance-backed guarantees of 2 to 10 years and a deposit and stage payment protection certificate. HIES's deposit protection covers up to 25% of the contract value or £5,000, whichever is lower, for 120 days from signing; anything above that isn't covered.

Understand who guarantees what

Several companies stand behind a solar installation:

An insurance-backed guarantee does not extend what the installer promised: HIES describes it as covering the product and workmanship included in the installer's workmanship guarantee if the installer ceases trading or cannot honour it, subject to the insurer's terms. Ask for the insurer's name and the certificate.

A product warranty is only as good as the company behind it. GivEnergy Ltd, which made home batteries and inverters, went into administration on 9 April 2026 and has stopped trading; our GivEnergy page explains what owners can do. Your legal rights are against the company you contracted with, which is why the installer's standing matters as much as the brand on the panels.

Find out who will do the work

Check the company's full legal name and number on Companies House, and that it matches the name on the MCS search.

Some installers use subcontractors for scaffolding, roofing or electrical work. That need not be a problem, but you should know who they are. On MCS's redeveloped scheme, the Customer Commitment says installers must tell you who any subcontractors are and how they will be involved. A RECC member must name them, describe their work and make clear that it remains responsible for them.

Treat energy suppliers and national firms like any other installer: check the MCS certification of the company that will install, and ask who will be on your roof.

Expect a proper survey

MCS requires the installer to have your building assessed by a competent professional with experience of solar PV, to confirm it is suitable. A good survey checks the roof structure and covering, access for scaffolding, where the inverter and any battery will go, the cable route, your consumer unit and meter, and shading from chimneys, trees and neighbouring buildings. The installer should also ask how much electricity you use, when you use it, and whether you plan a heat pump or electric car.

If the design was done remotely, from satellite images, the performance estimate must say that actual performance may be significantly lower or higher. That is fine for a first price, but ask for a site visit before you sign. If your roof covering is under warranty and the work might invalidate it, the installer must tell you in writing and get your explicit written agreement.

The installer should also tell you what permissions are needed and who handles them: planning permission, which depends on your nation, your property and whether it is listed or in a protected area; any building regulations notification; and the application to your network operator if your inverters add up to more than 3.68 kW on a normal single-phase supply.

Get the paperwork before you sign

Every MCS installer must give you in writing, before the contract is agreed, the MCS performance estimate, datasheets for the panels, inverter and any battery or optimisers, and a drawing of the panel layout, plus the sun-path diagram if the MCS method found shading. This applies on both schemes: under MIS 3002 Issue 6.0 on the original scheme and MCS 032:2025 on the redeveloped one.

The quote should name the make, model and power of each product and the usable capacity of any battery. For a battery, ask where it will go and how that spot meets PAS 63100:2024, the BSI specification for fire safety in the installation of home batteries. Our solar battery storage guide covers sizing.

If the installer offers finance, it must be authorised by the FCA or be an appointed representative of an authorised firm; RECC also requires this of its members. Check the firm on the FCA Register and compare the total amount payable, including interest, with the cash price.

Warning signs

Walk away, or at least slow down, if an installer:

• offers a discount only if you sign today, or says prices or availability will change within days;
• stays for hours or won't give a written price until the end of the visit;
• bases the quote on energy prices rising fast, or on one tariff you would have to switch to (MCS says you shouldn't sign on the basis of specific energy prices, because tariffs vary and can change);
• asks for most of the price upfront, or won't say how your deposit is protected;
• shows scheme logos you can't find on the scheme's own register;
• can't produce an MCS performance estimate, datasheets or a layout drawing.

Your rights if something goes wrong

Your contract is with the installer, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you rights against it: the work must be done with reasonable care and skill, the goods must be of satisfactory quality, and goods that are installed incorrectly don't conform to the contract. Remedies include having the work done again or a price reduction.

Cancelling. If you sign at home during a visit, or entirely at a distance, the law lets you cancel from the day you sign until 14 days after the last of the equipment is delivered to your home. This is extended by up to 12 months if the installer didn't give you the cancellation information. If you ask in writing for installation to start before then and then cancel, you may have to pay for the work done so far.

Paying by card. If you pay any part of the cost by credit card, and the item costs more than £100 and no more than £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes the card provider jointly liable with the installer. A loan arranged through the installer with its lender can give the same protection.

Complaining. Complain to the installer first; MCS says 14 days is a reasonable maximum to expect a reply. If that fails, you can complain to MCS, and then use the independent dispute resolution MCS arranges. In England and Wales, Citizens Advice's consumer helpline can also advise you and pass your complaint on to Trading Standards; in Scotland, Advice Direct Scotland does this, and in Northern Ireland, Consumerline gives advice and takes complaints about traders. If you paid by credit card, you can also claim from the card provider. With an installer on the original scheme, contracts signed before 2025 go through the installer's consumer code instead, and later ones can use MCS's route if the installer agrees in writing.

At handover

On the redeveloped scheme, MCS's Customer Commitment says the installer should show you how the system works and give you a handover pack with a list of key parts, safety guidance, a maintenance schedule, the manuals and all guarantees. Within 30 calendar days you should receive the MCS certificate, any building regulations compliance certificate, and proof of notification or approval from your network operator. On the original scheme, MIS 3002 also requires a handover pack with commissioning records, maintenance requirements, manuals and warranty details. Keep them together: you'll usually need the MCS certificate to claim export payments, and the set is worth handing on if you sell your home.

Ten checks before you hire an installer

Tick each one before you sign.

• MCS. Company found on MCS's installer search, certified for solar and any battery.
• Consumer code. RECC or HIES membership checked on the code's register, or confirmed as none.
• Company. Legal name and number match on Companies House and the quote.
• Subcontractors. Named, with the installer responsible for their work.
• Survey. Site visit done, or remote design confirmed before signing.
• Paperwork. MCS estimate, datasheets and layout drawing in writing.
• Permissions. Planning, building regulations and G98 or G99 assigned to someone.
• Guarantees. Product, workmanship and insurance-backed guarantee or MCS financial protection identified, with the provider named.
• Payment. Deposit amount, how it is protected and when each payment is due.
• Cancellation. Cancellation terms and form in the contract.

Estimate before you talk to installers

Knowing roughly what size of system suits your roof and usage makes an out-of-line quote easier to spot. The calculator estimates generation, savings and payback for your address in Great Britain, with its assumptions shown, and gives the figures with and without switching supplier for export. It is an estimate, not a quote. Prices by size are in our solar panel cost guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an MCS-certified installer?

For most people, yes: you'll usually need an MCS certificate, or an equivalent, to get Smart Export Guarantee payments in Great Britain (Northern Ireland has no SEG), and MCS certification gives you its standards and complaints process.

Does MCS certification mean the installer is a RECC member?

Not any more. On MCS's redeveloped scheme, consumer code membership is optional. Check RECC's or HIES's register separately.

What is an insurance-backed guarantee?

Insurance that honours the installer's workmanship guarantee if the installer stops trading or can't honour it. It covers what the installer promised, on the insurer's terms, not more.

How much deposit should a solar installer ask for?

If the installer is a RECC member, a reasonable share such as 15%, never more than 25%. Whatever the installer, ask how the deposit is protected and link payments to stages of the work.