I have spent years fitting solar panels on slate roofs, metal units, farm buildings, shop extensions, and ordinary family homes where the loft hatch is tighter than it should be. I started as an electrician, then moved into renewables after enough customers asked why their roof was sitting unused through every bright summer. I still carry a tape, a clamp meter, and a notebook on most surveys because the best solar jobs are won or lost before the first rail is fixed.
The Roof Usually Gives Me the First Answer
I can tell quite a lot in the first 15 minutes of a survey, even before I open the consumer unit or look at old bills. The roof pitch, covering, age, and access route all shape the job more than most people expect. Roof access tells the truth.
On domestic work, I look for cracked tiles, tired felt, awkward valleys, and chimneys that throw shade across the best part of the roof. A customer last spring had a neat south-facing roof, yet one small dormer cut the usable area down from 12 panels to 8. I would rather be honest about that early than promise a neat-looking drawing that cannot be built safely.
Commercial roofs bring a different kind of caution, especially on older warehouses with lightweight sheets and hidden repairs. I have walked roofs where the plan looked perfect from the car park, then found fixings, fragile skylights, and drainage runs that changed the layout completely. On one small factory, moving the array by about 2 metres kept the service walkway clear and made future maintenance far less awkward.
I do not treat every roof as a sales opportunity. Some need repair first. If I see a roof that may need stripping within 5 years, I tell the owner to deal with that before spending several thousand dollars or pounds on panels that might have to come off again.
Why the Survey Matters More Than the Brochure
A glossy brochure can make every system look tidy, but the survey is where the real decisions happen. I measure roof space, check cable routes, assess shade, inspect the electrical intake, and ask how the building is used through the day. Two houses on the same street can need different designs because one has people home at lunch and the other is empty until 6.
For homeowners comparing installers around the coast and inland villages, I have pointed people toward North Wales project pages so they can see how local firms describe surveys, scaffolding, and aftercare. I like customers to read those details before they meet an installer, because it gives them better questions. A careful firm should be able to explain the route from roof to inverter without waving away the messy parts.
In commercial surveys, I spend more time with half-hourly usage data if the business has it. A cold store, a workshop with compressors, and a small office block all consume power in different patterns. I once priced a 40-panel job for a business that first wanted the largest possible array, then changed course after we saw their weekend demand was almost flat.
Shade is rarely simple. A tree that misses the roof in June can become a real problem in November when the sun sits lower. I have stood in yards with owners who were sure there was no shade, then shown them how a nearby gable would clip the first row of panels during the hours they needed generation most.
Domestic Installs Need Care Around Daily Life
Most home solar jobs are small enough to finish quickly, but that does not mean they are simple. I have worked in homes where a sleeping baby, a nervous dog, and a freshly decorated hallway mattered just as much as the panel layout. A good installer plans around people, not just cables.
I usually talk through where the inverter will sit, how noisy it may be, and whether the customer expects to add a battery later. I avoid sticking equipment in places that make future servicing painful, even if the first fix would be faster for my team. A meter cupboard packed with old gear can turn a neat half-day electrical job into a full day if nobody checked it properly.
Many homeowners ask about batteries before they ask about panel quality. I understand why. A battery can make sense for a family that uses power in the evening, but I have also told people to wait 12 months and watch their usage first because their daytime load was already strong.
The best domestic installs I have seen share one trait: the owner knows what the system is meant to do. Some want lower bills, some want backup during cuts, and some just want to use the roof while they plan an electric car purchase. I can design better once I know which one matters most.
Commercial Jobs Are More About Timing and Disruption
On commercial buildings, the panels are only part of the project. I think about tenant access, loading bays, working hours, fire routes, and how to keep the business running while we are on site. A shop owner may care less about the brand of panel and more about whether scaffold blocks the front door on a Saturday.
I once worked on a small manufacturing unit where the owner wanted no disruption during a busy seasonal run. We planned roof work over 3 quieter days and saved the internal electrical changeover for a short early morning window. That kind of planning is not glamorous, but it keeps everyone calm.
For larger premises, I pay close attention to distribution boards and spare capacity. A roof may hold 200 panels, yet the electrical setup may need extra work before that power can be used safely. I do not like surprises on switchgear, because surprises in that room usually cost money and time.
Commercial clients also tend to ask harder questions about payback, maintenance, insurance, and warranties. That is fair. I give my opinion, then separate it from facts I can verify on site, because a business owner needs a clear basis for spending capital rather than a hopeful sales pitch.
The Kit Is Only as Good as the Workmanship
I have seen decent equipment ruined by careless installation. Crooked rails, pinched cables, poor labelling, and badly sealed roof penetrations can create problems long after the installer has left. Panels are visible from the street, but the hidden details usually decide how well the system ages.
My own checklist is plain, and I still use it after hundreds of installs. I want sound fixings, clean cable management, correct isolation, clear labelling, good monitoring, and photos of the parts the customer cannot easily inspect later. Six checks can prevent a lot of arguments.
I also care about how the handover is done. I have met customers who owned a solar system for 2 years and still did not know which app showed generation and which one showed household import. That is not the customer’s fault if nobody took 20 minutes to explain it properly.
Aftercare is where some installers show their real habits. If a customer calls because monitoring has dropped out after a router change, I do not treat that as a nuisance. Small support calls build trust, and they often prevent a harmless issue from becoming a complaint.
What I Tell People Before They Sign
I tell homeowners and business owners to compare more than the price. A cheap quote can be fine, but only if the survey was detailed, the roof plan makes sense, and the installer has explained the boring parts clearly. Boring parts matter.
I like customers to ask who handles scaffolding, what happens if a tile breaks, how warranties are registered, and where the inverter will be mounted. They should also ask what is excluded, because exclusions are where arguments often start. One customer avoided a nasty surprise simply by asking whether a consumer unit upgrade was included before he signed.
For commercial work, I suggest asking about method statements, shutdown planning, access equipment, and proof that the design matches real consumption. A large system that exports most of its power may still be valid, but the owner should know why it was chosen. I prefer a smaller, well-matched array over a bigger one that exists mostly because the roof had spare space.
Solar is a practical trade to me, not a slogan. If the roof is sound, the survey is honest, the electrical work is tidy, and the owner understands how the system fits their use, the install usually feels calm from start to finish. That is the kind of job I am happy to put my name on.