What solar installers do

Designing and fitting solar photovoltaic (PV) panels that turn daylight into electricity, with an inverter and the wiring and meter connection needed to use it in the building and export any spare to the grid.

Fitting a home or business battery that stores electricity — from your panels, or from the grid at cheaper times — to use later. Can be fitted with new panels or added to an existing system.

Installing a dedicated charge point for an electric vehicle at a home or business, which can be set up to use your own solar electricity.

Fitting a device that sends spare solar electricity to an immersion heater (or similar) to heat water, instead of exporting it.

Installing air source or ground source heat pumps for heating and hot water. Listed here only for installers that also fit solar.

Fitting solar thermal collectors that heat water directly, rather than making electricity.

Checking, fixing and servicing existing solar and battery systems — including systems the company didn’t fit, such as inverter faults or underperforming panels.

Cleaning solar panels, usually with purified water and soft brushes or poles, sometimes as part of a maintenance plan.

Fitting mesh or guards around the edge of roof panels to stop birds nesting underneath, and clearing out nests and mess.

Solar for businesses, schools, public buildings and other organisations — usually larger roof-mounted systems.

Solar panels mounted on frames on the ground, or on farm buildings, for farms, estates and other sites with land.

Stand-alone solar and battery systems for places without a mains connection, such as cabins, outbuildings, boats and remote sites.

Panels fitted into the roof in place of some tiles or slates, sitting flush with the roof rather than on top of it — often chosen for new builds and re-roofs.