Solar panel installation, step by step: from survey to switch-on

The short answer

Getting solar panels fitted usually follows seven steps: quotes and a survey, a written contract, any permissions, scaffolding, the installation itself, switch-on and paperwork, then signing up to be paid for what you export. The fitting is the quick part. Which? says that once the scaffolding is up, the panels could be installed in less than a day.

This guide walks through each step, what your installer should do, and what you need to check along the way.

Step 1: Quotes and a survey

Start by getting quotes from more than one installer. Check each one is MCS certified (MCS is the quality scheme for home solar installers) before you sign and again before work starts, as MCS advises. Our checklist for comparing solar quotes covers what each quote should include.

Which? says only a surveyor can give an accurate quote, after doing a survey. A good survey should include:

• a look in your loft to check the roof and rafters can take the panels
• the direction your roof faces and its angle (tilt)
• anything that shades the roof
• your fuse box and meters
• where the cables and equipment will go

Before you sign, ask for the installer's estimate of how much electricity the system will produce, in writing. MCS has a standard (MCS 032) covering the pre-sale information and performance estimate that installers must give customers. If you want to see the numbers for yourself first, try our solar savings calculator.

Step 2: Signing the contract

Read the contract carefully. Which? suggests asking for a breakdown of the quote and checking it includes the full cost of the installation, such as scaffolding, and any VAT. Solar panels and home batteries are currently zero-rated for VAT. HMRC says the 0% rate runs until 31 March 2027, and from 1 April 2027 it goes back to 5%. Our guide to the end of 0% VAT on solar explains what that means for timing.

If you agree the work at home, online or by phone, Citizens Advice says you have a 14-day cooling-off period, starting the day after you give the go-ahead. If you ask the installer to start work inside those 14 days and then cancel, you will have to pay for the part that has been done.

Step 3: Permissions

There are three things to sort out before or around the installation. Your installer should handle most of them, but it helps to know what they are.

Planning permission

Most home solar does not need planning permission, as long as it stays within the limits for "permitted development". In England, the Planning Portal says panels on a pitched roof should not stick out more than 200mm from the roof slope or sit above the highest part of the roof (not counting the chimney). The rules were updated on 27 August 2026, and until 27 August 2027 you can follow either the old or the new rules. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats have extra limits. See our guide to solar panels and planning permission.

Building regulations

The Planning Portal says building regulations will normally apply when you fit panels to your roof. The roof's ability to carry the weight has to be checked, and some strengthening may be needed. The electrical work is covered too. The Planning Portal suggests using an installer who belongs to a Competent Person Scheme, which lets trades sign off certain work themselves instead of getting separate building regulations approval.

Telling the electricity network

Every solar system has to be registered with your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO), the company that runs the power lines in your area. MCS guidance sets out two routes:

• Smaller systems (G98): up to 16 amps per phase. The DNO is told within 28 days of the system being switched on.
• Larger systems (G99): over 16 amps per phase. Permission to connect must be granted before the installation.

MCS guidance uses 3.68kW as the cut-off when it describes systems with batteries. If your quote is for a bigger system, ask whether a G99 application is needed and allow time for the reply before you book a fitting date. MCS's advice for homeowners is simpler: register before work begins, and in some cases your installer can do this for you. Either way, check in writing who is doing it and when.

Step 4: Scaffolding

Which? says you will probably need scaffolding for panels on your roof. Check with the surveyor that there is space for it and that the cost is in your quote. Let your neighbours know if it will go near their boundary.

Step 5: Installation day

Which? describes the roof work simply: fixing brackets are attached to the rafters of your roof, then the panels are clamped onto the brackets. The size and complexity of your system affects how long it takes, but the panels themselves could go up in less than a day once the scaffolding is in place. Cables then run to the inverter (the box that turns the panels' power into the kind your home uses) and on to your fuse box. If you are adding a battery at the same time, it is connected now too. Our page on solar battery quotes explains the options.

Step 6: Switch-on and paperwork

Once the system is tested and switched on (installers call this "commissioning"), you should get a handover pack. MCS says this covers product details and warranty information. Which? adds that the installer should give you written details of any maintenance checks you need to carry out, and notes that you will need to replace the inverter within 25 years.

The most important document is your MCS certificate, a record that the system was designed and fitted to industry standards. MCS's guidance on timing varies: its solar page says within 10 working days of completion, and its certificate page says within 14 days of commissioning, or 30 days if the installer is on its redeveloped scheme. If you have heard nothing after a month, chase your installer. If the installer stops trading, MCS can issue a copy for a fee of £36 including VAT.

Step 7: Getting paid for what you export

Payments under the Smart Export Guarantee are not automatic. MCS says you need to apply directly to a supplier that offers a SEG tariff, and that your MCS certificate can help you access incentives such as the SEG. Ofgem says payments are worked out from export meter readings and rates must always be above zero, so it is worth shopping around for the best tariff.

The steps at a glance

We put this table together from the sources below, so you can see who does what.

What to do next

The first step is the same for everyone: get a few quotes from MCS certified installers and compare them carefully. Quotes Buddy matches you with installers in your area, so you can get free solar panel quotes in a couple of minutes. If you would like a battery too, compare solar battery quotes. With 0% VAT ending on 31 March 2027, it is worth starting early so the survey, any DNO permission and the fitting all happen in time.