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  • Established 1985over 40 years in the Borders
  • 9 full-time electriciansAll 18th Edition qualified
  • SELECT 17074 · ECA 1683735NSI, MCS, OZEV & RECC
  • £10m / £5m insuredEmployers' & public liability
  • Free fixed-price quotesSupplied free, no obligation

Service overview

Solar specified around how you use electricity

Solar returns money in one way only: by displacing electricity you would otherwise buy. That makes your consumption profile, when you use power, not just how much, the starting point for the design.

What the service covers

We design, install, commission and certify solar PV systems for homes, farms and commercial premises. That includes roof survey and orientation assessment, array design and string layout, mounting on GSE in-roof, Schletter or Renusol systems, SolarEdge inverters and optimisers, SIG Energy and DMEGC panels, DC and AC cabling, isolation and protection, generation metering, grid application where required, and MCS certification through NAPIT (NEP-66400). Battery storage and EV charging are installed by the same team where they improve the case.

Who it is for

Homeowners across the Borders wanting to cut a rising electricity bill; farms with large, well-oriented shed roofs and strong daytime load; and commercial and industrial sites whose consumption peaks during the hours the sun is producing, which is the profile solar suits best of all.

When it is needed

When your electricity bill has become a fixed operating cost you can no longer absorb; when a roof is being replaced or a building erected, since mounting and cabling are far cheaper before the roof is finished; when adding an EV charger or heat pump increases consumption; and when you have roof area doing nothing.

Why professional work matters

The difference between a good and a poor solar installation is design and workmanship, not panel brand. Shading assessment, string layout, roof integrity, correct DC protection and clean commissioning determine both output and safety for the next twenty-five years. MCS certification and RECC registration exist to hold installers to that standard, and we hold both.

The cost of leaving it

What poorly specified solar costs

A badly designed array does not fail dramatically. It simply generates less than promised for two decades while the roof quietly takes the strain.

  • Oversizing against a low daytime load

    An array far larger than your daytime consumption exports most of its output at a low rate. Without battery storage or a shifted load, the payback stretches out well beyond what the sales figure suggested.

  • Shading nobody assessed

    A chimney, a tree line or an adjacent building can cut string output disproportionately. Optimiser-based systems mitigate it, but only if the shading was identified and designed around at survey stage.

  • Roof damage and water ingress

    Poorly fitted mounting, incorrect flashing and penetrations through a roof that was already near end of life turn a generation project into a roofing bill. Roof condition has to be part of the survey.

  • DC safety shortcuts

    Poor DC connector terminations, unprotected cable routes and inadequate isolation are the most common serious defects found on other people's arrays. DC faults are unforgiving because the array is live whenever the sun is up.

  • No certification, no protection

    Installations outside MCS lose access to export arrangements and consumer protection, and the warranty position becomes whatever the installer says it is, which is worth very little once they have moved on.

Our process

How the job runs, start to finish

  1. 01

    Step 1: Consumption review and roof survey

    We look at your bills and usage pattern, then survey roof orientation, pitch, structure, shading and available area, plus the existing supply and board capacity.

  2. 02

    Step 2: System design and fixed-price quote

    You get array size, panel and inverter specification, mounting system, expected generation and a written fixed price. Free quotes supplied.

  3. 03

    Step 3: Installation

    Mounting on GSE in-roof, Schletter or Renusol systems, panels and optimisers installed, DC and AC cabling run with correct protection and isolation by our own electricians.

  4. 04

    Step 4: Commissioning, testing and verification

    String testing, insulation resistance, polarity, earthing, inverter commissioning and monitoring set up so you can see what the array is actually producing from day one.

  5. 05

    Step 5: Certification and handover

    MCS certification via NAPIT (NEP-66400), electrical certification, grid notification and a handover covering monitoring, isolation and what to do if anything looks wrong.

Payment by bank transfer (preferred) or card. Deposits on larger jobs only, agreed case by case before we start.

What you get

The difference it makes on your site

MCS certified and RECC registered

Certification through NAPIT (NEP-66400) and RECC registration, required for export arrangements and the consumer protection that comes with them.

25-year panel warranties

Panels carry a 25-year warranty, SolarEdge inverters a 10-year warranty and SIG Energy broadly matches it. The figures are the manufacturers', and we put them in writing at quotation.

Sized to your consumption

The design starts from your bills and daytime load, so you are not paying for generation you will export at a poor rate.

Shading engineered around

SolarEdge optimisers allow per-panel performance, so one shaded module does not drag down a whole string on a complex Borders roof.

Installed by electricians, not fitters

The same SELECT and ECA approved firm that installs and certifies your electrical system does the connection, so supply capacity and protection are verified rather than assumed.

Ready for storage and EV charging

Systems are designed so battery storage and OZEV approved EV charging can be added later without re-engineering the installation.

In detail

Panels, inverters, mounting and roof types

Component choice is dictated by the roof, the shading and the load profile. Here is what we specify and why.

Panels and inverters

We install DMEGC and SIG Energy panels with SolarEdge inverter and optimiser systems. Optimisers manage each panel individually, which suits roofs with dormers, chimneys, multiple pitches or partial shading, common on Borders housing. Panels carry a 25-year warranty; SolarEdge inverters carry 10 years, with SIG Energy broadly matching it.

Mounting systems

GSE in-roof mounting sets panels flush within the roof plane, which suits new roofs, re-roofing projects and properties where appearance matters. Schletter and Renusol on-roof systems mount above existing tiles or sheets and suit retrofits and agricultural and commercial roofs. Fixings and flashings are selected for the covering: slate, tile, profiled sheet or standing seam.

Domestic installations

Typical household consumption peaks in the morning and evening, so a domestic array is sized to cover the daytime base load with self-consumption improved by shifting appliances and, where the numbers support it, adding battery storage. Roof structure, existing consumer unit capacity and earthing arrangements are all checked before design is fixed.

Agricultural installations

Farm buildings offer large, unshaded, well-oriented roofs and often a genuinely daytime load: driers, fans, milking, refrigeration and workshops. That combination gives some of the strongest self-consumption cases we see. Structural suitability of older sheet roofs is assessed before anything is specified.

Commercial and industrial installations

Commercial premises operating through daylight hours consume most of what they generate, which is the best economic case for solar. Three-phase connection, G99 grid application where required, export limitation and coordination with existing distribution boards are all handled as part of the design.

Monitoring, maintenance and lifespan

Monitoring is configured at commissioning so underperformance is visible rather than discovered years later. Panels degrade slowly and predictably; inverters are the component most likely to need attention within the system's life. Periodic inspection of DC connections, isolation and mounting keeps the array both safe and productive.

Accredited for this work

  • SELECT17074
  • ECA1683735
  • NSI Approved (Fire)NSI-000082/FS/S
  • BAFESP203 Registered
  • MCS via NAPITNEP-66400
  • OZEV ApprovedEV chargers
  • RECCRegistered
  • SMAS WorksafeSSIP approved

Before you call

Solar PV Installation: your questions answered

How much does solar PV cost?

Cost depends on array size, roof type, mounting system and whether storage is included. We survey and design against your consumption, then issue a written fixed price with the expected generation stated in the same document.

How long will I wait for a quote?

Free quotes supplied. Larger commercial and agricultural systems take one to two weeks to design and price.

How long does installation take?

A typical domestic installation is completed in a small number of days. Larger farm and commercial arrays follow a programme issued with the quote and are phased around your operation.

Are you MCS certified?

Yes: MCS certified via NAPIT (NEP-66400) and RECC registered, alongside SELECT (17074) and ECA (1683735) approval.

What warranties come with the system?

Panels carry a 25-year warranty. SolarEdge inverters carry a 10-year warranty and SIG Energy broadly matches it. Other components follow their manufacturer's terms, confirmed at quotation. We do not issue a formal written workmanship guarantee, but we always return to put right anything we have done incorrectly.

How long do solar panels last?

Panels are warranted for 25 years and typically continue producing beyond that at gradually reduced output. Inverters are the component most likely to need replacement within the system's life.

Does solar work in the Scottish Borders?

Yes: output follows daylight, not temperature, and panels actually perform well in cooler conditions. The variable that matters most is your consumption pattern, which is why we design from your bills rather than a national average.

Should I add battery storage?

It depends on how much of your generation you would otherwise export. Where daytime consumption is low, storage transforms the case; where a site runs hard through daylight hours, it may add little. We model both and tell you which applies.

What if something goes wrong after installation?

Monitoring shows underperformance early. Call-outs are available, including out of hours for existing customers at approximately 1.5 times the standard hourly rate, and warranty items are handled by us with the manufacturer.

Which areas do you cover?

The Scottish Borders and North Northumberland from Coldstream, including Duns, Kelso, Eyemouth, Greenlaw, Chirnside, Jedburgh, Wooler and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Related services

Solar PV Installation near you

Working from Unit 4 Home Pl, Coldstream TD12 4DT across the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland.

See the full list of service areas, read about the company, or return to the homepage.

Get a price

Find out what solar returnson your roof, with your bills.

Send us a recent electricity bill and a note of the roof. You will get an honest, MCS certified design and a fixed price, and a straight answer if it does not stack up.

01890 882981
  • Established 1985 | over 40 years' experience
  • SELECT 17074 · ECA 1683735 · SMAS Worksafe SSIP
  • £10m employers' and £5m public liability cover
  • Free quotes supplied

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Related electrical services and areas we cover

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