Solar and battery, sized to what a Broadstairs household actually uses.

What is included

• Solar PV array sized to your south, east or west-facing roof pitch, using tier-1 monocrystalline panels and a hybrid inverter suitable for retrofit battery
• Battery storage sized to overnight demand (typically 5 to 13kWh for a Broadstairs household), with the charge and discharge controller integrated at the inverter, not a bolted-on afterthought
• MCS-certified design and install, so the system qualifies for Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments from your electricity supplier
• UK Power Networks G98 fast-track notification for arrays up to the single-phase threshold (typically up to 3.68kW inverter export, sometimes 5kW depending on the specific product's classification), or G99 pre-approval where the array or battery pushes past that
• Roof-side scaffold, membrane check, flashing kit and rail system sized for Kent coastal wind loading (approximately 26 to 28 m/s basic wind speed under BS EN 1991-1-4)
• DC isolators at the array, AC isolator at the inverter, dedicated meter-side connection with UKPN-compliant meter tails
• Full commissioning, MCS certificate and DNO notification, application to your chosen SEG supplier

Why MCS matters for Broadstairs installs

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme is the route that unlocks Smart Export Guarantee payments and any current or future grant funding on solar and battery. A non-MCS install is legal, but is invisible to your electricity supplier for SEG purposes and to insurers who want a certificated installation on file. On the fleet we install MCS-route only, since the cost delta at install is small and the cost of retrofitting compliance later is high.

Broadstairs specifics that change the design

• Roof pitch and orientation. Victorian villas along Ramsgate Road and Stone Road are typically 40 to 45 degree pitches, oriented east-west (the ridge runs north-south along the plot). East-west split arrays generate slightly less than a south-facing array but flatten the daily curve, which suits a battery well and matches Broadstairs' actual usage pattern of morning tea and evening cooking.
• Conservation-area setback. Thanet DC's conservation areas across the Old Town, Harbour Street and the seafront treat solar panels on a front-facing pitch visible from a protected street view as needing consent. Rear pitches and side pitches typically fall under permitted development. We check the elevation before quoting.
• Listed properties. Any listed dwelling needs listed building consent for a PV installation, even on a rear pitch. Consent is not automatic and we do not quote a full install until consent is either in hand or clearly achievable.
• Larger Kingsgate and North Foreland roofs. Plenty of headroom for 6kW+ arrays. Above 3.68kW single-phase export the G99 route applies and adds four to eight weeks to the schedule at the UKPN end.
• Seafront corrosion. Rail, clamp and flashing kits within a few streets of the bays are specified with marine-grade stainless. Standard alloy hardware surface-oxidises within a couple of winters and can loosen at torque points; we do not use it here.

Battery sizing, honestly

Battery sizing is where installers oversell. The honest sum is: a 4kW array in Kent produces roughly 3,600 to 4,000kWh a year, most of it between March and October, most of it in the middle of the day. A 5kWh battery covers a typical Broadstairs household's evening from about 5pm to bedtime. A 10kWh battery adds overnight cover in summer, which for most households the export tariff monetises better anyway. A 13kWh or larger battery only pays back on households running a heat pump, an EV charging overnight on Octopus Go, or both. We size to actual half-hourly consumption data if your supplier provides it, not to a manufacturer's marketing curve.

How the install runs

Scaffold day one. Panels, rails and DC side day two. Inverter, battery and AC side day three, usually with power off for a couple of hours mid-morning. Commissioning and paperwork day four, though on a straightforward semi we can often collapse days two and three into a single long day. Weather is Broadstairs weather; we do not roof-work in wind above 25 m/s or in rain heavy enough to compromise the membrane check.

Pricing

Solar and battery is quoted per property after a site visit. Panel type, roof pitch, orientation, existing consumer unit, battery size, DNO capacity and any conservation-area or heritage work all move the number, and a real quote reflects the actual system that will be installed. VAT on domestic solar and battery is currently zero-rated to 31 March 2027 under the Energy-Saving Materials scheme; the quote reflects that. Structural work (if the roof needs reinforcement) is scoped and priced separately once we have seen the property.

Compliance in short

Work is completed to BS 7671:2018 Amendment 2:2022 including Section 712 for PV, MCS installation standards and MIS 3002 for domestic PV. UK Power Networks G98 or G99 filed per install. MCS certificate issued for SEG registration. Notified under Part P to Thanet DC building control.