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Before you buy · Independent design · No installer commissions

Independent solar system design — before you commit

Don't leave the design to an installer whose job is to close the sale. We design your system independently — aerial-imagery layout, PVGIS yield modelling, the inverter and battery brands that actually fit your roof — then you take the spec to installers and make them compete on price. From £245, refundable in saved overspec on the average quote.
from £245 · remote design — on-site formalisation optional
Get an independent designCall 07944 877 329
  • From £245 remote · aerial imagery + PVGIS yield model
  • Panel count correct in 96% of cases · on-site formalisation optional
  • No installer commissions · the spec is yours to tender to any installer
What you get

A written design report you can read, understand, and hand to any installer for a like-for-like quote.

Book a free scoping call
Free 15-minute scoping call
Aerial-imagery panel layout (annotated)
PVGIS yield model — annual + seasonal kWh
Recommended panel count, brand, wattage
Recommended inverter brand + DC/AC ratio
Recommended battery sizing (if relevant)
Optimiser / microinverter recommendation
Realistic ROI under current Octopus / SEG rates
Spec sheet to tender to installers
Red-flag checklist to apply to their quotes
5.0
Rated 5.0 on Google Read all 48 reviews

Very very helpfuland so quick. Made sure that a non expert like myself understood what the problem was and how to resolve it.

Declan S · Jun 2026

STS were incredibly responsive and helpful In diagnosing an issue with my GivEnergy inverter. Although distance meant it was impractical for me to use them to fully solve the issue, I’m grateful for the help and detail they provided. Don is a real professional gent and a hero in my eyes.

Adam Miller · Jun 2026 Google

Ron was extremely helpful and tried his best to repair/reset our GivEnergy inverter remotely. In the event he was unsuccessful but he couldn’t have been more helpful. If you have problems with a GivEnergy system please contact him. Highly recommended

Neil Crichton · Jun 2026 Google

This company are a rare gem, I had a very unusual problem following a failed firmware upgrade on my GivEnergy kit. I then found out GivEnergy were in administration and had dismissed all their support staff! None of the usual fixes to try and restore my inverter comms would work, and I looked everywhere, forums, GivEnergy youtube support videos - even AI couldn't figure it out. My installer was talking about huge sums for system replacements, and being vague / evasive about if they'd even install replacement GivEnergy inverter. Enter Solar Tech Support, reassuring and knowledgeable from the very start, I've learnt loads about my solar system though the friendly chat while my engineer worked as he diagnosed the problem and figured out a fix procedure that I've not found anywhere else - amazing. If you need solar system repairs - especially if you like me have been left high and dry by GivEnergy, I cannot recommend this company enough. Give them a call.

Andy Thomas · Apr 2026

I can’t praise this firm enough. After hearing my solar panels rattling in very windy conditions, I contacted Solar Tech (as my installers no longer trade). Ronald was fantastic at explaining what he thought the issue was likely to be. Communication was great throughout keeping me fully updated. The team worked really hard on the day to carry out the necessary work. I can now sleep soundly at night without worrying about the solar panels on my roof. I would thoroughly recommend this firm. Thank you for sorting the problem out.

Carolyn Addison · Jun 2026 Google

I reached on behalf of a friend, who had lost control of their battery following a storm. A couple giv energy “dealers” had attempted and said different fixes. None worked. Solar tech support solved it remotely on the first attempt almost instantly. Genuinely a 10/10 service.

Will Jay · Jun 2026 Google

Pricing — two stages

Stage 1 — Remote design
from £245

Aerial imagery + PVGIS yield model + written spec. Panel count correct in 96% of cases. Usually enough on its own.

Stage 2 — On-site formalisation
from £245

Additional. Recommended for complex roofs, heavy shading, or where you want a fully signed-off spec before tendering.

Pair with quote sense check
from £75

Once installer quotes come in, we screen each one against the spec and check pricing against trade. Per quote reviewed.

Why use an independent designer
Separate the engineering from the sale

When the installer designs and quotes the same job, the design follows the margin. An independent design follows the roof. You learn what the system should be before anyone tries to sell it to you.

Apples-to-apples installer comparison

Three installers quoting from scratch produce three incomparable proposals. Three installers quoting from the same written spec produce three directly-comparable prices. You stop comparing systems and start comparing installers.

Catch under-spec early

Most common under-specs we see: missing optimisers on a shaded roof, undersized inverter on a south-facing array, no DNO-correct export limit, monitoring left as an optional add-on, panel count rounded down to hit a price-point.

Catch over-spec earlier

Optimisers on a roof that doesn't need them, a battery that's twice the size your usage warrants, an inverter rated 50% higher than the array will ever deliver, premium panels chosen for brand rather than performance per pound.

Know the right questions to ask

You walk into the sales call with a written spec, a yield model, and a list of equipment SKUs to check. Installers respond differently to a customer who quotes DC/AC ratios. Sales tactics get a lot less effective when you know the technical landscape.

Your post-install baseline

Whichever installer you choose, our independent design becomes the spec you measure them against. If commissioning data, monitoring readings, or on-site work diverges from what they signed up to, you have written evidence to push back with.

How it works — 6 steps

1
Free scoping call

You tell us postcode, roof shape if you know it, what you're trying to achieve (bill cut, EV charging, off-grid, FIT-replacement, etc.). 15 minutes by phone or video. We confirm whether a remote design is enough or you should plan for the on-site formalisation too.

2
Aerial design

We pull high-resolution aerial imagery (Bluesky, Google, Aurora-equivalent) plus LiDAR-derived 3D model of your roof. Identify panel positions, vents, obstructions, shading sources. Mark up an annotated layout.

3
Yield model + sizing

PVGIS yield model under your actual roof tilt + azimuth + shading profile. From the yield + your consumption pattern, we size the inverter (1.15–1.30:1 DC/AC ratio typically), pick the optimiser / microinverter strategy, and size the battery if relevant.

4
Written design report

Single PDF — typically 8–12 pages — with: scoping summary, layout, yield, sizing logic, recommended SKUs, ROI under realistic Octopus / SEG export rates, and the tendering spec sheet you give to installers.

5
Optional on-site formalisation

If the roof is complex or you want a fully signed-off spec, we visit, formalise the panel count, verify mounting access, and update the spec. Roughly 4% of remote designs change materially after a site visit; the rest just get confirmed.

6
Tender + post-install snag check

You send the spec to three (or more) installers. After install, our post-install snag inspection compares what was actually fitted against the spec we wrote. Catches non-compliances while they're still the installer's problem.

FAQ

Independent system design — frequently asked questions

Because the "free" design and the quote are the same document, written by someone whose job is to sell you a system. The same firm sizes the array, picks the inverter, decides whether you need optimisers, sets the export limit — and quotes the bill. Their interest is in closing the sale at the highest margin the customer accepts, not in the technically best system for your roof. An independent design separates the engineering from the sales: you get the spec first, then take it to installers and let them compete on price. The from £245 you pay is reclaimed many times over by either avoiding overspec or catching underspec.
Very. We use the same satellite + LiDAR-class aerial imagery and PVGIS yield-modelling tools the larger MCS installers use — Aurora-equivalent layout, PVGIS for irradiance, shading and yield. In our experience, the remote panel count is correct 96% of the time. The remaining 4% needs an on-site visit to confirm — usually because of an obstruction (rooflight, vent, satellite dish, antenna) that aerial imagery missed. That's what the on-site formalisation service is for.
A written design report covering: scoping summary, recommended array size (kWp), proposed panel count and layout on an annotated aerial photo, recommended inverter brand and model with kW rating and DC/AC ratio justified, recommended battery sizing (if relevant) with justification, optimiser/microinverter recommendation (with reasoning either way), PVGIS yield model showing expected annual generation and seasonal split, expected ROI under realistic Octopus / SEG export assumptions, the spec sheet you give to installers to quote against, and a red-flag list to apply when their quotes come back.
Often not. Roughly 96% of remote designs are accurate enough for an installer to quote against without a separate site visit — the installer's own pre-install survey then confirms the final detail. The on-site formalisation (additional from £245) is worth doing when the roof is complex (multiple pitches, dormers, heavy shading), when you're unsure of access, or when you want a fully signed-off spec before tendering. It's your decision; we tell you on the scoping call whether it's likely needed.
Any installer. The whole point of an independent design is that it's portable. We don't take referral commissions from installers and we don't add a markup to whoever you choose. If you want the spec to also go to our sister installer brand (Alectrona), you can — but you're under no obligation, and most customers tender it to three or four firms to get the best price.
Yes — usually with relief. Most installers are happier quoting against a clear written spec than scoping from scratch and getting compared on apples-and-oranges proposals. A few will push back if the spec includes premium equipment they don't stock — that's useful information. If an installer refuses to quote a spec that other firms accept, they're telling you something about how their sales process works.
PVGIS (European Commission satellite data, irradiance + shading model) for the yield numbers. Aurora-equivalent aerial-imagery and LiDAR-derived 3D roof modelling for the panel layout. Industry-standard sizing rules for the inverter DC/AC ratio (typically 1.15–1.30:1 in the UK depending on roof orientation). G98/G99 thresholds factored into the export-limit recommendation. The same toolset the better installers use — just pointed at your interests.
Yes if you want. The design becomes the baseline for our post-install snag inspection service. Once your chosen installer is done, we run a structured comparison against the spec we wrote, the commissioning report, monitoring data, and the on-site evidence. Catches non-compliances early while it's still the installer's problem to fix.
Independent design enquiry

Get an independent solar system design

Tell us your postcode, roughly what you want from a solar system, and any quotes you've received so far. We confirm scope and pricing within one business day. No installer commissions; the design is yours to use however you like.

  • Free 15-min scoping call — no commitment
  • Written design report within 5 working days of payment
  • No installer commissions — the spec is yours to tender to anyone

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