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. Darlington is in our extended coverage area — two to three working days for urgent faults.
Book a visitFree remote diagnostic · no fix, no feeIndependent — not affiliated with any installer or manufacturer.
I’ve used Ron a couple of times regarding issues with my Givenergy inverter and batteries after Givenergy went bust. My system stopped working properly so it was a stressful time but Ron resolved the issues and got my system working properly again. He’s really helpful and knowledgeable and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him and to use him again if the need arose.
What a fantastic service. Had my fault diagnosed within minutes and actually managed to resolve the issue remotely within a few minutes more. This guy is like a “Solar Batman” helping consumers fix their problems using his extensive industry knowledge and expertise. Outstanding service. Thank you so much.
My GivEnergy hybrid inverter + battery system had worked faultlessly for 3 years when it suddenly stopped charging and discharging the battery. On contacting my supplier, who had used a sub-contractor for the installation work, I was provided with an email address at GivEnergy but, as it turned out, this is only for GivEnergy Software who are not able to assist. A Google search led to the Solar Tech Support web site, which contains a wealth of helpful information. I requested a remote solar diagnostic, and after providing Ron access to my inverter, he was able to identify and fix the problem within minutes. I am very impressed by Ron’s expertise and knowledge, which included useful information on the current state of GivEnergy Ltd. I would thoroughly recommend Solar Tech Support.
Ron was really helpful. He remotely adjusted my battery settings on the same day I contacted him, and at a reasonable price. Great service.
I can add to the list of customers who had already 'given up' on GivEnergy due to their appalling customer service, and that was before they went into administration. So you can imagine my desperation when, having changed my ISP and my Inverter, predictably, proving to be the only device that didn't connect automatically to my new network, I found zero prospect of any customer support with GivEnergy having called in the administrators just five days earlier! The salvation came from Solar Tech Support. My IT advisor stumbled across their web site and some very helpful tips for beleaguered GivEnergy customers, as well as an offer to provide direct assistance. Nothing ventured, I decided to drop them an E-Mail, with very low expectations based on my experience of GivEnergy customer support. Within an hour Ron had responded with some pin point advice, and after a few exchanges of E-Mails he had nailed the problem, enabling the combined efforts of my IT advisor and solar installer to resolve it and reconnect my Inverter. Thank you Solar Tech Support, and Ron in particular, for coming to the aid of a deserted and despondent GivEnergy customer. Expert, razor sharp advice and first class customer service, even though I wasn't officially a customer.
Ron is a super star. Two months ago my GivEnergy battery failed a firmware upgrade leaving it a brick. My installer couldn't/wouldn't fix it. GivEnergy couldn't/wouldn't fix it. Then they went into administration and all hope was lost. A flurry of emails later and Ron had diagnosed the fault (failed USB flash drive, something I'd suspected) and talked me through resolving it. Two months of nothing resolved in about 3 hours. It's great to work with someone who pays attention to the details, knows that they're doing (not just following a script) and gets stuff sorted without a fuss or up-charging.
Darlington and south County Durham don't have the sheer density of solar installations you see in West Yorkshire or the East Midlands, but there's a steady spread — mostly FiT-era systems on post-war housing estates and government-scheme installs on social housing. The area also includes the Catterick Garrison corridor, where military and ex-military housing saw a particular concentration of installations. Many of these systems are now 10+ years old, the original installers are gone, and the hardware is reaching the age where faults become common.
Darlington's residential solar is concentrated on the 1950s–1970s housing estates — Cockerton, Haughton, Mowden, Whinfield. These properties have large, unobstructed roof areas ideal for solar, and many took advantage of FiT incentives between 2011 and 2015. Typical installations are 3–4kW arrays with Solis or Growatt string inverters. The panels are still performing well, but the inverters are reaching end of life.
The Catterick Garrison and Richmond area has a concentration of solar installations on military and ex-military housing estates. Some were installed through government energy efficiency programmes, others by private installers under FiT. The high turnover of military tenants means systems go unmonitored for years at a time, minor faults go unreported, and documentation gets lost between occupants.
The rural areas west of Darlington — Barnard Castle, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Stanhope, and the Wear Valley — have scattered larger systems on farmhouses and rural properties. These tend to be 4–6kW installs, often with no monitoring and limited mobile signal making remote diagnostics harder. When they do develop faults, owners often don't notice for months because there's no monitoring in place.
Homeowners across the Darlington area with existing FiT-era systems are increasingly adding battery storage — typically GivEnergy or Sunsynk. Rural properties with higher electricity consumption and off-peak tariff availability benefit most, but the battery needs proper configuration to deliver savings. We see a growing number of retrofit installs where the battery was fitted but never optimised for the household's actual usage pattern.
Darlington is our northern service hub — we cover the town and surrounding areas on a regular schedule. Most systems here are FiT-era installs now needing their first inverter replacement or professional maintenance. Remote diagnostic before every visit. No call-out fees. Pricing in writing.
On-site fault diagnosis — inverter errors, low generation, grid relay faults, panel damage, battery issues. From £245.
Fault diagnosis →Full swap — old inverter removed, new unit fitted, configured, and tested. We cover all mainstream residential brands. £795.
Inverter replacement →County Durham sees more overhead-line outages than average. Adding an EPS circuit means your battery keeps lights, heating controls, and broadband running during cuts.
EPS installation →Annual maintenance visit — system health check, generation analysis, wiring inspection, firmware review, written condition report. From £195.
Annual maintenance →Bought a house with solar in the Darlington area? We survey everything, identify brands and installation date, set up monitoring, and deliver a written system report. From £295.
On-site walk-through →Remote system review — monitoring data, generation history, fault logs, and firmware all checked without a visit. Written diagnostic report usually same-day. Free — £75 only if we fix it remotely.
Remote diagnostic →The Darlington area's solar install base is predominantly FiT-era systems from 2011–2015, now reaching the age where hardware failures become common. The rural spread and military housing turnover add complications unique to this part of the North East.
The majority of solar systems across Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, and Bishop Auckland were installed between 2011 and 2014 under FiT incentives. They typically run Solis, Growatt, or Fronius string inverters that are now past the 10-year mark. Symptoms: blank display, no generation, intermittent fault codes, tripping the consumer unit. The panels are almost always fine. Replacement with a modern hybrid inverter restores full output and adds battery-ready capability. Inverter replacement →
Rural properties across Teesdale, Weardale, and the Richmond corridor often have larger solar arrays that were never connected to monitoring. Without monitoring, a fault can reduce output by 30–50% and go unnoticed for months or even years — the homeowner just assumes winter generation is always low. We start with a remote diagnostic where possible, or an on-site performance check where mobile signal is too weak for remote access. Remote diagnostic →
Several installers who operated across County Durham and North Yorkshire have since closed — Mark Group, Solarplicity, and a number of smaller regional firms. Homeowners are left with no support route, missing documentation, and locked monitoring accounts. The systems are usually still generating — they just have no one managing them. We handle full recovery: monitoring transfer, documentation rebuild, warranty verification, and ongoing maintenance. Installer gone bust guide →
A growing number of Darlington-area homeowners with existing FiT systems are adding GivEnergy or Sunsynk batteries to take advantage of off-peak tariffs. When the battery isn't delivering the expected savings, the cause is almost always configuration: charge schedule not aligned to the tariff window, CT clamp direction wrong, eco mode disabled, or a firmware update that has reset values. We diagnose and fix this remotely in most cases. GivEnergy support →
County Durham and North Yorkshire had a mix of national and regional solar installers operating during the FiT era. Several have since closed. If your installer has gone into liquidation or stopped trading, we handle the full recovery — monitoring transfer, documentation, warranty claims, fault diagnosis, and ongoing maintenance.
Administration 2015. Government scheme installs across County Durham and North Yorkshire. Fronius inverters now 10+ years old.
Mark Group guide →Dissolved November 2023. Combined energy supplier and solar installer. Active across the North East — locked monitoring and missing documentation.
Solarplicity guide →Sheffield-based. Voluntary liquidation January 2026. Operated across Yorkshire and into County Durham via ECO and government 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.
The Darlington area's install base leans toward Solis and Growatt on older FiT-era systems, with GivEnergy and Sunsynk growing on battery retrofits. Fronius appears on Mark Group installs. Each brand has different diagnostic methods, firmware management, and warranty processes — we know them all.
Darlington and the wider south Durham and North Yorkshire area. All at the same pricing — the only difference from our core Yorkshire coverage is a slightly longer booking window.
Not listed? If you're in south Durham or North Yorkshire, we likely cover you. Get in touch and we'll confirm availability. We also cover nearby Middlesbrough and Harrogate.
The Darlington area has a steady number of homes with solar panels from the FiT era and government schemes. When these properties change hands, the new owner rarely receives the MCS certificate, FiT registration details, monitoring login, or warranty information. Military housing around Catterick changes hands particularly frequently. We visit, identify every component, check performance, set up monitoring in your name, and hand over a written report.
GivEnergy battery retrofits are increasingly common across Darlington and south Durham — added to existing FiT-era solar systems on the 1960s–1980s housing stock. If your GivEnergy battery isn't delivering the tariff savings you expected, or the monitoring has never been properly set up, we provide specialist diagnostics, configuration, and ongoing support. Darlington is covered by our Teesside GivEnergy hub.
GivEnergy support on Teesside → · All GivEnergy guides → · Bought a house with GivEnergy? →
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. Darlington is extended coverage — same pricing, about 70 minutes from our Yorkshire base.
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