Solar Repair & Support in Bradford
Bradford has one of the densest concentrations of FiT-era solar installations in West Yorkshire — thousands of 2–4kW systems on terraced streets across Manningham, Girlington, Great Horton, and Allerton, many installed through government energy efficiency schemes. The inverters on these systems are now 10–12 years old and failing. We're 25 minutes from our Leeds base.
Tell us what's happening with your system. We'll confirm whether it needs a remote diagnostic or an on-site visit, and give you a clear price before any work starts. Bradford is core coverage — 25 minutes from our Leeds base.
Book a visit → Remote diagnostic — £75 →Independent — not affiliated with any installer or manufacturer.
Solar in Bradford — government scheme territory, now reaching inverter failure age
Bradford was a major target for government-backed solar installation programmes during the FiT era. Mark Group, A Shade Greener, and HomeSun all installed heavily here — mainly on terraced and semi-detached properties across the inner city and suburbs. These systems did their job for a decade, but the Fronius and Solis string inverters fitted at the time are now reaching end of life. At the same time, GivEnergy battery retrofits are growing fast on properties where owners want to add storage to their existing panels.
Manningham, Girlington, Great Horton, Allerton, and Laisterdyke have some of the highest solar panel densities in Yorkshire. Most are compact 2–3kW FiT-era arrays on narrow south-facing terraced roofs — installed under government schemes by Mark Group, HomeSun, or A Shade Greener. The panels are usually fine. The inverters are not — Fronius IG and Solis Mini models are failing at 10–12 years old.
Mark Group was the single biggest installer in Bradford before going into administration in 2015. Their standard setup was a Fronius IG 15 or IG 20 string inverter with REC or Sharp panels. The panels still generate, but the Fronius IG series has a known lifespan of around 10 years. We stock common replacement models and can usually complete a swap in a single visit. Your FiT payments continue unaffected.
Bradford homeowners with existing FiT-era solar are increasingly adding GivEnergy battery storage to capture surplus generation instead of exporting it for pennies. These AC-coupled retrofits need careful CT clamp placement and eco mode configuration to work correctly alongside the existing string inverter. Many installations we see in Bradford were rushed — the battery works but isn't configured properly for the homeowner's tariff.
Bradford sits in the Aire Valley with steep terrain across much of the district. Properties in Shipley, Bingley, Baildon, and the hillsides around Thornton can have significant shading from neighbouring buildings, trees, and the terrain itself — particularly in winter. Systems on these properties often underperform compared to expectations. A generation review identifies whether the issue is shading, inverter degradation, or configuration.
What we do in Bradford
Bradford has thousands of solar systems from the FiT era, many installed by companies that no longer exist. We diagnose remotely before every visit — checking generation data, fault codes, and system history — so we arrive prepared. No call-out fees. Written quotes before any work.
Fault diagnosis and on-site repair — covering inverter failures, DC isolator faults, generation drops, panel issues, and battery errors. From £249.
Fault diagnosis →Full inverter swap — removal, installation, configuration, and commissioning. All common brands stocked. £795.
Inverter replacement →Bradford's hilltop estates and exposed suburbs are prone to weather-related outages. We add a dedicated EPS circuit so your battery system keeps essentials powered.
EPS installation →Annual service — generation benchmarking, inverter health check, DC isolator inspection, wiring review, firmware updates. Written report with action items. From £195.
Annual maintenance →Inherited a solar system in Bradford? We visit, identify every component — panels, inverter, isolators, meter — set up monitoring, and hand you a clear written report. From £295.
On-site walk-through →Remote diagnosis — we analyse your monitoring data, review fault history, check firmware compatibility. Written report with clear recommendations. Usually same-day. £75.
Remote diagnostic →What goes wrong with solar systems in Bradford
Bradford's solar landscape is dominated by ageing FiT-era systems and a growing number of battery retrofits. The faults reflect this — mostly inverter end-of-life and battery configuration issues.
The single most common fault in Bradford. Fronius IG 15 and IG 20 string inverters fitted by Mark Group during the 2012–2015 FiT era are reaching end of life. Symptoms: blank display, red fault LED, no generation, or intermittent tripping. These inverters are past economic repair — replacement is the route. We stock the most common models and typically complete the swap in a single visit. Your FiT payments continue unaffected. Inverter replacement →
A growing problem as more Bradford homeowners add GivEnergy batteries to existing string inverter systems. The battery is AC-coupled to the older inverter, and the CT clamp tells the GivEnergy unit how much surplus solar is available. If the clamp is on the wrong cable or facing the wrong direction, the battery ignores the solar and stays empty. Resolved remotely via the portal in most cases. GivEnergy support →
Properties across Shipley, Baildon, Bingley, and the Bradford hillsides can lose 20–40% of expected generation due to shading from neighbouring buildings, trees, and terrain. The system appears to work but the numbers are disappointing. A generation review identifies the cause — it could be shading, degraded panels, partial inverter failure, or a combination. Remote diagnostic →
Many Mark Group and HomeSun installs in Bradford were commissioned without any monitoring — the homeowner has never had visibility of what the system generates. When something goes wrong, the only clue is a higher electricity bill. We set up monitoring on any system — even older ones — so you can see generation data, spot faults early, and verify your FiT meter readings match reality. No monitoring guide →
Your Bradford installer has closed — we take over from here
Bradford was saturated with government-backed solar installers during the FiT era. Mark Group, HomeSun, and A Shade Greener all installed hundreds of systems here — and all have since either gone into administration or stopped providing aftercare. If your installer has gone and your inverter is now failing, we handle the full recovery — replacement, monitoring setup, warranty verification, and ongoing support.
Administration 2015. Government scheme installs across Bradford. Fronius inverters now 10+ years old and failing.
Mark Group guide →Dissolved November 2023. Combined energy supplier and solar installer. Some Bradford customers affected via council-scheme properties.
Solarplicity guide →Sheffield-based. Voluntary liquidation January 2026. Operated across West Yorkshire including Bradford via ECO schemes.
All Seasons guide →Installer not listed? The recovery process is the same regardless of who installed your system. Full installer gone bust guide or book a call.
GivEnergy is the most common battery brand in Bradford — and the one we fix most
GivEnergy dominates the retrofit battery market across Bradford. Homeowners with existing FiT-era panels are adding 5.2kWh or 8.2kWh batteries to capture surplus generation and shift consumption to cheap-rate electricity. The AC coupling between the old string inverter and the new GivEnergy unit creates configuration challenges that many installers don't fully resolve before moving on. We fix these every week.
Areas of Bradford we cover
The entire Bradford metropolitan district and the Aire Valley corridor. All within our core coverage zone — same response times and pricing throughout.
Not listed? If you're in the Bradford area, we cover you. Get in touch and we'll confirm availability.
Just bought a house in Bradford with solar panels?
Bradford has one of the highest concentrations of older FiT-era solar systems in Yorkshire. When a property changes hands, the documentation rarely comes with it — and the original installer (Mark Group, HomeSun, A Shade Greener) is long gone. We visit, identify the entire system, check whether the inverter is still healthy, verify FiT registration and export payments, set up monitoring in your name, and hand over a written report with recommendations.
Solar repair in Bradford — common questions
Bradford is about 25 minutes from our Leeds base — well within our core coverage area. For urgent faults like a dead inverter or total generation loss, we can usually attend within one to two working days. Scheduled work such as inverter replacements and annual maintenance is typically within the same week. A remote diagnostic at £75 can identify most faults same-day if you need answers before the on-site visit.
Yes. Mark Group installed thousands of solar systems across Bradford through government energy efficiency schemes before going into administration in 2015. These were typically 2–4kW arrays with Fronius string inverters on terraced and semi-detached properties. The inverters are now 10 to 12 years old and reaching end of life. At STS Solar Tech Support, we handle the full transition: inverter replacement, monitoring setup, system health check, and ongoing maintenance. Your FiT payments and manufacturer warranties are unaffected by the installer change. Mark Group guide →
Yes. GivEnergy battery retrofits are increasingly common across Bradford — homeowners adding battery storage to existing FiT-era solar systems. The most common faults we see are battery not charging from solar (CT clamp direction or eco mode misconfiguration on AC-coupled installs), charge schedule not matching the homeowner's tariff after switching to Octopus Go or Flux, and portal showing offline after router changes. Most are resolved remotely for £75. On-site GivEnergy repair starts from £249. GivEnergy Yorkshire hub →
Yes. We cover all of Bradford and the wider metropolitan district including Shipley, Bingley, Keighley, Ilkley, Baildon, Queensbury, Thornton, Idle, Eccleshill, and surrounding areas. All are within our core coverage zone with the same response times and pricing. Ilkley is the furthest point at around 40 minutes from our base.
Solar panels not working in Bradford? Tell us what's happening.
Describe the fault — what you're seeing (or not seeing), the brand if you know it, when it started. We'll come back with a clear plan and price, usually same day. Bradford is core coverage — 25 minutes from base, no call-out fee.