There are a number of factors that help to inform you if solar panels will be suitable for your business premises.

Your roof size, pitch, direction, and shading are all factors that dictate the amount of energy you can produce based on how many panels can be installed and the total hours of exposure to sunlight. Analysis of these factors helps to calculate the cost of the install, how much electricity you can generate and therefore how long it may take for your solar panel install to pay for itself through energy savings. Our quotation process considers all of these factors.

Separately to these property considerations, we’d also recommend checking with your local planning office but generally solar panel installs are classed as ‘permitted developments’, which means you’re allowed to add them to your business without planning permission. If your premises are in a conservation or historic area, then you will need approval.

Some other factors that impact the solar panel install are:

1. Whether you’re the business owner – you can’t install them if you don’t own the property unless you have specific consent from the landlord to do so.

2. It’s also important to get DNO approval. This is your local energy distribution network operator who operate the power infrastructure in your area. At ScottishPower, we manage this process on your behalf along with registering your solar panel install once it’s completed too.

3. You should also contact your insurance provider to make sure that any existing policies are updated to reflect a solar panel installation

There are a number of factors that need to be considered to understand the financial impact both initially, and longer-term. The following considerations are included in the ScottishPower quotation journey:

1. How much it will cost to buy solar panels and have them installed at your business premise, which will be dictated mainly by your roof size.

2. How much of the energy your business generates you’ll ‘self-consume’, store in a battery or have the potential to sell back to an energy supplier through a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff. Typically, the more self-generated electricity your business uses, the greater the financial benefit you’ll see.

3. Wholesale electricity prices can be volatile. Generating your own electricity means you’ll be less reliant on importing electricity into your business so the financial impact should be less.

Every business is different, and if you’re interested in solar panels we would encourage you to organise a free, no obligation survey to understand what the generation, cost and usage would likely be for you. You can get a can get in touch by calling on 0333 443 2346 (opening hours to 9am – 5.30pm) or email 

Unlike a boiler, your solar panels should work efficiently without a yearly service. You shouldn’t need to pay extra costs for maintenance packages to keep them running well. In fact, you don’t usually even need to clean your solar panels – we get enough rain in the UK to do that for you.

The typical lifespan for a solar panel installation is 25 to 30 years. As part of our typical installation package, you’ll get a 24-month installer warranty, 12-year manufacturer warranty on solar panels, an inverter warranty from 5 years (the inverter converts the electricity you generate into electricity you can use), and a 25 year performance warranty too, which guarantees a minimum generation performance each year. Terms and conditions apply for each warranty.

Government funding is currently not available for commercial solar installations.  Commercial solar installations are subject to VAT however VAT-registered businesses can claim this back on their VAT returns.

Solar batteries aren’t a compulsory addition to a solar panel installation. However, they can add a great deal of value depending on how much electricity your system will generate as well as how much electricity you use, and when you use it. The more electricity you generate and store, the less you’ll need to purchase from an energy supplier. Alternatively, you may be able to sell any surplus electricity you generate back through a SEG tariff. We’re able to provide proposals with and without a battery, so you can understand the costs and benefits of adding one to your business.

The size of battery you need depends on your business’s electricity consumption and solar generation. There’s no benefit to buying a larger battery than you need as you may struggle to generate enough electricity to fully charge the battery and, if you do, you may not use the electricity you generate. We will tailor design the system to suit your actual energy usage.

Solar technology has been refined over the decades and solar panel efficiency is now very high. With the cost of living having increased recently, installing solar now could have a positive impact on your business’s electricity bills. Our proposal will detail the specification of the materials we’ll use, and the estimated payback period for you.

It’s the amount of sunlight the panels are exposed to rather than the temperature that generates the electricity. That means you can generate electricity all year round. It’s worth noting that due to daylight hours being shorter in autumn and winter, generation during those months is likely to be lower.