Solar Panel Installation Services Northampton
Design and installation, battery storage, servicing and repairs, and commercial solar. Everything we do is carried out by our own MCS certified and NICEIC approved team.
A complete range of solar services for Northampton properties
Whether you are considering solar for the first time, adding storage to a system you already own, or trying to work out why your generation has dropped, we cover the whole of it.
Appleby Electrical Contractors are MCS certified solar installers and NICEIC approved electrical contractors, working across Northampton and the wider Northamptonshire area. Because we hold both, the panels and the electrical work behind them are handled by the same team rather than split between a solar firm and a subcontracted electrician.
Every job starts with a survey. We would rather spend an hour at your property and quote accurately than send a figure over from an aerial photograph and revise it once the scaffolding is up.
Solar Panel Design and Installation
Every solar panel installation we carry out in Northampton begins with a proper survey of your property. We look at the pitch and orientation of your roof, the condition of the tiles or slates, how much shading you get through the day, and where your consumer unit sits. That survey tells us what array size your roof can genuinely support and where the panels will produce best.
From there we design a system around your actual electricity usage rather than a standard package. We size the array and inverter to suit how much power your household or business gets through, then set out the panel layout so it works with the shape of your roof instead of fighting it.
Installation is carried out by our own MCS certified team. Scaffolding goes up, the mounting rails and flashings are fitted so the roof stays weathertight, the panels are secured, and the DC and AC sides are wired back through isolators to your consumer unit. We commission the system, walk you through the monitoring, and hand over your certification and MCS paperwork before we leave.
- Full roof, shading and electrical survey before any design work begins
- System sized around your real electricity consumption
- In roof and on roof mounting to suit tile, slate and flat roofs
- Scaffolding, installation, wiring and commissioning handled by our own team
- MCS certification and handover documentation on completion
Solar Battery Storage
Solar panels produce the most in the middle of the day, which is often when a home in Northampton is using the least. Battery storage closes that gap. Instead of exporting surplus generation, the battery holds it until you need it, typically through the evening peak when you would otherwise be buying electricity at the highest rate.
We install battery storage alongside new solar installations and retrofit it to systems that are already in place. The right capacity depends on how much your panels generate and how your household uses power through the day, so we size the battery around both rather than fitting the largest unit available.
Battery systems can also provide backup power to selected circuits during an outage, which matters for businesses that cannot afford downtime. We will talk you through what your system can realistically hold and what it can keep running.
- Battery storage fitted with new installations or retrofitted to existing solar
- Capacity matched to your generation and your evening usage
- Hybrid and AC coupled inverter options
- Backup supply to selected circuits where the system allows
- Monitoring so you can see what is stored and what is being used
Solar Panel Maintenance and Repairs
Solar panels are low maintenance but they are not maintenance free. Output drifts down when panels get dirty, when a bird nest blocks part of an array, when an optimiser fails, or when an inverter starts throwing faults that nobody has looked at. Most owners only notice once a bill arrives higher than expected.
We service solar installations across Northampton whether or not we installed them. A service covers a visual check of the array and mountings, cleaning where access allows, inspection of the DC and AC wiring, isolator and earthing checks, and a review of the inverter data to see whether the system is producing what the design said it would.
Where something has failed we will find it and quote to put it right. That covers inverter faults and replacements, damaged or underperforming panels, faulty optimisers, water ingress at roof penetrations, and monitoring that has stopped reporting.
- Servicing for systems we installed and for systems installed by others
- Performance checks against expected generation
- Inverter fault diagnosis, repair and replacement
- Panel, optimiser and wiring repairs
- Roof penetration and weatherproofing checks
Commercial Solar Installation
Commercial premises are often a better fit for solar than homes are, because most businesses use the bulk of their electricity during the hours the panels are generating. Offices, warehouses, workshops and light industrial units in and around Northampton frequently have large uninterrupted roof areas going unused.
We design commercial arrays around your metered consumption and your working pattern, so as much of the generation as possible is used on site rather than exported. Where the roof structure, plant layout or existing switchgear limits what can go up, we will tell you at survey stage rather than after the design is done.
Our electrical work is not limited to the solar side. As NICEIC approved electrical contractors we can also handle the associated distribution board work, submetering and supply upgrades that a commercial installation often needs.
- Roof surveys for warehouse, office, workshop and industrial premises
- Arrays designed around metered daytime demand
- Distribution board, submetering and supply work carried out in house
- Commercial battery storage for sites that need continuity of supply
- Work programmed around your operating hours where possible
Flexible Finance Options
The main obstacle to going solar is usually the initial outlay rather than any doubt about the technology. We offer flexible finance so the cost of an installation can be spread rather than paid in full at the start.
Finance is arranged around the system you actually need. We will set out what the installation costs, what the payment terms look like, and how that sits alongside what you currently spend on electricity, so you can make the decision with the full picture in front of you.
As members of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code, we are held to clear standards on how quotations, contracts and finance are presented. You will get the figures in writing, with no pressure to sign on the day.
- Finance available on domestic and commercial installations
- Terms explained in writing before you commit
- Quotations that stand on their own, with no obligation
- Renewable Energy Consumer Code members
The accreditations behind our solar work
Electrical work handled in house
A solar installation nearly always touches the rest of the electrical system. Older consumer units sometimes need replacing before an array can be connected, commercial sites often need distribution board alterations, and battery storage brings its own wiring requirements.
As NICEIC approved electrical contractors with over fourteen years behind us, that work is ours rather than someone else's. It means fewer trades on site, one point of contact, and a single set of certification at the end.
Solar services FAQs
The questions we are asked most often about how our solar services in Northampton work in practice.
What solar panel installation services do you offer in Northampton?
We cover the full range: system design and installation, battery storage, servicing and repairs, and commercial installations. We also handle the associated electrical work, such as consumer unit changes and distribution board alterations, because we are NICEIC approved electrical contractors as well as solar installers.
How do you decide what size solar system I need?
We start with your electricity usage, then look at what your roof can physically accommodate once pitch, orientation and shading are taken into account. The design is a balance of those two things. Fitting the largest array a roof can hold is not always the right answer if your property will never use that much generation.
Can solar panels be fitted to a flat roof?
Yes. Flat roofs are handled with a mounting system that sets the panels at an angle, either ballasted or fixed depending on the roof build up and the wind loading on the site. We assess the roof structure at survey stage before recommending an approach.
What happens if my inverter stops working?
The inverter is the component most likely to need attention over the life of a system. We diagnose inverter faults, carry out repairs where the unit can be repaired, and replace it where it cannot. If your system has stopped generating or your monitoring has gone quiet, get in touch and we will look at it.
Do you install solar panels on commercial buildings in Northampton?
Yes. Warehouses, offices, workshops and light industrial units across Northampton often have large unused roof areas and daytime electricity demand that suits solar well. We design commercial arrays around metered consumption so that as much generation as possible is used on site.
Is finance available for a solar installation?
Yes. We offer flexible finance so the cost of an installation can be spread rather than paid upfront. Terms are set out in writing with your quotation. As Renewable Energy Consumer Code members we are held to clear standards on how quotations and finance are presented.
Do you provide certification when the work is finished?
You will receive your MCS certification along with the electrical certification for the installation. That paperwork is what you need for the Smart Export Guarantee and for your own records, so it is handed over as part of completion rather than sent on later.
Book a survey for your property
Tell us which service you are interested in and a little about the property, and we will arrange a time to come and look. Quotations are free and written down, with the finance options set out alongside.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call 01933 697 231 or 07879 553 063, or email solar@applebyelectric.com.
- Free, no obligation quotation
- Covering Northampton and the whole of Northamptonshire
- Domestic and commercial work
Request a Quotation
Let us know what you need and we will come back to you.
Not sure which service you need?
Describe what is happening at the property and we will tell you what is worth doing. If solar is not the right answer for you, we will say so.