New Homeowner Solar Walk-Through
You've moved into a house with solar panels. You're not sure what's on the roof, whether it works, or how to use it. We come to your home, inspect the full system, set up monitoring and WiFi, walk you through the controls, run a health check, and give you a written report covering everything.
An engineer visits your home, inspects the system, sets up monitoring and WiFi, walks you through the controls, and provides a written report. Usually within a week of booking.
Book walk-through → Remote health check — £145The engineer physically inspects every component — inverter, panels (from ground level and via monitoring data), battery, isolators, consumer unit connection, cabling, and earthing. Any visible installation issues, damage, or wear are documented.
The inverter is connected to your home WiFi network (or Ethernet/dongle where applicable). A monitoring account is created in your name or transferred from the previous owner. The manufacturer's app is installed on your phone and you're shown how to read generation, battery charge, and export data.
A face-to-face explanation of how your system works — what the inverter does, how the battery charges and discharges, where the isolator switches are, how to read the display, and what to do if something goes wrong. Tailored to your exact setup, not a generic presentation.
Generation output is compared against expected performance for your panel configuration, orientation, and location. Battery charge and discharge cycles are reviewed. Inverter fault history is checked. Configuration settings are audited — export limits, charge schedules, and tariff settings.
Within 48 hours you receive a written report covering: system identification (make, model, serial numbers), performance assessment, configuration status, monitoring access details, any issues found, and recommended next steps — with costs if remedial work is needed.
The engineer checks whether you have the key documents — MCS certificate, DNO notification, warranty cards, commissioning report. If anything is missing, the report explains how to recover it. We can check the MCS database on the spot.
Who books an on-site walk-through
This service is designed for people who have inherited a solar system and want a proper handover — the kind of handover the previous owner or installer should have provided but didn't.
You've just moved in and the solicitor handed over a folder with nothing useful in it. You can see panels on the roof and a box on the wall, but you have no idea what any of it is or does.
You've acquired a rental property with solar and need a clear record of what's installed, whether it works, and what tenants need to know. The written report gives you a baseline for property records.
A buyer is asking about the solar system and you have no documentation. A pre-completion walk-through provides a professional condition report that answers their questions and unblocks the sale.
How the walk-through works
Four steps from booking to knowing exactly what you've got.
Tell us what you know — inverter brand, panel count, battery, when you moved in. If you don't know any of it, that's fine. We confirm a visit date, usually within a week of booking.
Check what came with the house — anything from the solicitor's pack, estate agent listing, loft files, or the previous owner. MCS certificate, inverter manual, export tariff details, monitoring logins. If you have nothing, we work with what's on-site.
The engineer inspects every component, connects the inverter to your WiFi, sets up monitoring on your phone, walks you through the controls, runs a full health check on generation and battery performance, and answers any questions you have. You'll know how your system works by the time we leave.
A detailed condition report covering system identification, performance assessment, configuration, monitoring access, documentation status, and recommended actions. If anything needs fixing, we include costs so you can decide what to do next.
On-site walk-through vs remote health check
Not in our on-site coverage area? The remote health check covers system identification, monitoring setup, and performance analysis from anywhere in the UK.
On-site walk-throughs across Yorkshire
We're based in Leeds and cover the full region for on-site visits. Here's what we typically see in each area — the housing types, common system ages, and the installer history that shapes what new homeowners inherit.
Our home base — fastest response times. High density of 2012–2015 FiT-era installs on ex-council terraces and semis. Many Mark Group systems from government energy efficiency schemes with ageing Fronius inverters. If you've bought a house with solar panels in Barnsley, there's a good chance the system is 10+ years old and hasn't been serviced since installation.
Also covers: Dodworth, Penistone, Wombwell, Hoyland, Darton, Royston, CudworthHuge install base across the city — from Ecclesall semis to Hillsborough terraces. All Seasons Energy was Sheffield-based and installed thousands of systems through ECO4 and Warm Homes Sheffield before going into liquidation in January 2026. Steep hillside properties create shading challenges that are often misconfigured. New homeowners in Sheffield frequently inherit systems with no documentation and monitoring locked to a defunct installer account.
Also covers: Hillsborough, Ecclesall, Crookes, Dore, Totley, Chapeltown, StocksbridgeLargest city in our coverage area and the highest volume of solar systems. Wide mix of Victorian terraces in Headingley and Hyde Park, suburban semis in Roundhay and Horsforth, and new builds around South Bank. Major Solarplicity territory — thousands of former customers across Leeds and West Yorkshire. SolarEdge and Enphase common on newer installs. If you've bought a house with solar in Leeds, the system could be anything from a basic 2kW FiT string setup to a modern hybrid with battery.
Also covers: Headingley, Horsforth, Roundhay, Morley, Pudsey, Guiseley, Otley, GarforthMix of suburban semis with 3–4kW arrays and rural properties with larger systems. Strong Mark Group presence from government scheme installs. Growing GivEnergy retrofit market on the newer housing estates around Castleford and Pontefract. New buyers in Wakefield often inherit well-maintained systems from long-term owners — but with monitoring access still locked to the original account.
Also covers: Ossett, Horbury, Normanton, Castleford, Pontefract, Featherstone, HemsworthSnug Energy was headquartered in Doncaster, so a significant number of recent installs here are now orphaned after their liquidation in December 2025. High density of early FiT systems on 1950s–1970s housing stock. If you've bought a house in Doncaster with solar panels, we're the closest independent support — and we can check whether a Snug Energy IBG or RECC claim applies to your system.
Also covers: Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne, Hatfield, Bentley, Askern, TickhillHeavy Mark Group presence from social housing energy efficiency retrofits across the 1960s–1980s housing stock. Many systems now 8–12 years old with inverters approaching end of life. New buyers in Rotherham commonly inherit systems where the inverter has already failed or is showing intermittent faults — a walk-through catches these issues before they become expensive.
Also covers: Rawmarsh, Wath, Maltby, Wickersley, Bramley, Swinton, KilnhurstDense terraced housing in areas like Manningham and Girlington, with many early FiT installs. Mark Group and government scheme systems are common. GivEnergy battery retrofits are growing across the newer suburban developments. Bought a house with solar panels in Bradford? Many of these older terrace installs have unique shading and orientation challenges that affect performance.
Also covers: Shipley, Bingley, Keighley, Ilkley, Baildon, Queensbury, ThorntonSteep hillside properties make shading analysis especially important here — panels on south-facing slopes can outperform flatter sites, but adjacent buildings and trees cause underperformance that's often not configured for. Mix of stone-built terraces and modern estates, with a strong FiT-era install base. Also covers the Dewsbury, Batley, and Cleckheaton corridor.
Also covers: Holmfirth, Meltham, Slaithwaite, Marsden, Mirfield, Dewsbury, BatleyMix of heritage properties with limited panel placement options and modern suburbs with larger arrays. Higher proportion of premium systems — SolarEdge optimiser setups and Enphase microinverters are more common here than in most of Yorkshire. Conservation area restrictions mean some systems have non-standard configurations that new owners need to understand.
Also covers: Haxby, Strensall, Bishopthorpe, Copmanthorpe, Poppleton, Stamford BridgeAffluent area with larger properties and bigger systems — 5–8kW arrays are common. Higher battery uptake than most areas, with premium brands like Tesla Powerwall and GivEnergy All-in-One. Conservation area properties in the town centre have more complex installations. If you've bought a house with solar and battery in Harrogate, the walk-through covers the full combined system.
Also covers: Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge, NidderdalePort city with flat terrain and good solar yield. Many 2010–2014 installs on the 1930s–1960s housing stock. New buyers in Hull often inherit older string inverter systems that are generating well but have never been connected to monitoring. The walk-through gets these systems online and visible.
Also covers: Hessle, Cottingham, Anlaby, Brough, Willerby, BeverleyOutside Yorkshire? Our remote New Owner Health Check (£145) covers system identification, monitoring setup, and performance review — available UK-wide. If you need physical work done afterwards, we can recommend a trusted local engineer.
New homeowner guides
The complete step-by-step for new solar homeowners. System identification, monitoring access, documentation, export payments, and what to do if it's not working.
New homeowner hub →Monitoring locked to the previous owner or installer? Here's how to reclaim it for every major UK inverter brand — with or without the previous owner's help.
Monitoring guide →How to identify the box on the wall. Label locations, common UK brands, and what the model number tells you about your system's capabilities.
Inverter identification →Your system may be earning money from exported electricity — but if the account is still in the previous owner's name, you're not getting paid. Here's how to check and transfer.
Export payments guide →Common questions about the walk-through
The on-site walk-through is £295. This covers the full visit — system inspection, monitoring and WiFi setup, controls walk-through, health check, and written condition report. If additional work is needed (e.g., a faulty inverter or wiring issue), we quote separately before proceeding. No hidden costs. See full pricing →
On-site walk-throughs are currently available across Yorkshire and surrounding areas — including Barnsley, Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Bradford, Huddersfield, York, and surrounding towns. If you're outside our on-site area, our remote New Owner Health Check (£145) covers system identification, monitoring setup, and performance review without the physical visit.
The remote health check (£145) covers system identification, monitoring transfer, performance analysis, and a written report — all done remotely via your monitoring portal. The on-site walk-through (£295) includes everything in the remote check plus a physical inspection of the inverter, panels, battery, wiring, and WiFi connectivity. You also get a face-to-face controls walk-through where the engineer explains your system and answers questions in person. The on-site visit is recommended if you have never used solar before, if the system appears to have issues, or if you want the reassurance of having an engineer check everything physically.
Not at all. Most new homeowners who book a walk-through have no solar experience and very little documentation from the previous owner. The engineer identifies everything on-site — inverter brand and model, panel type and count, battery details, wiring configuration, and monitoring setup. You do not need to know anything beforehand.
Yes. Monitoring and WiFi setup is included as standard. The engineer connects the inverter to your home WiFi, creates or transfers the monitoring account to your name, installs the manufacturer's app on your phone, and walks you through how to read generation, battery, and export data. If the inverter uses an older communication method like wired Ethernet or a cellular dongle, the engineer will configure that instead.
Book your on-site walk-through
Tell us about your situation and we'll confirm a visit date — usually within a week. If you're not sure what system you have, that's fine. Figuring that out is part of the service.