Checking the firm
- MCS. Look the installer up on the MCS register for solar PV. An MCS certificate for your system is what lets you sign up for an export rate.
- A consumer code. MCS installers must belong to a code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, such as RECC or HIES. The code covers selling, deposits and complaints, with a dispute service if things go wrong.
- TrustMark. Many firms are also TrustMark registered, which publicly funded schemes commonly ask for.
- Companies House. Look up the company number on the quote. The name, registered address and directors should match, and a company formed recently with a long trading story deserves a question.
Reading a quote for a Leeds house
Insist on a written, itemised quote. The lines marked Leeds are the ones most often missing on terraced streets.
| Line | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Size and panels | kW, make and model, number of panels, a layout drawing with stacks, dormers and roof lights marked |
| The slope (Leeds) | Which slope, which way it faces, and confirmation it belongs to your house; on a back-to-back only the front slope does |
| Expected output | kWh a year by the MCS method; compare with the roof picker |
| Shade | What shades the roof and when, with the loss estimated; optimisers or microinverters if justified |
| Scaffold (Leeds) | Included, with its position; who applies to the council for a highway licence if it stands on the pavement |
| Planning (Leeds) | A statement that the design is permitted development, or what consent is needed for a listed house or in a conservation area |
| Network (Leeds) | G98 notification to Northern Powergrid, or a G99 application if above 3.68 kW, with who handles it |
| Warranties | Panels, inverter, workmanship (insurance-backed) and any roof work |
| Payment | Deposit and how it is protected, stage payments, VAT shown (0% until 31 March 2027) |
Is the price reasonable?
The government's 2025/26 figures put the average for MCS-certified systems in Yorkshire and the Humber at £1,972 per kW up to 4 kW and £1,745 per kW from 4 to 10 kW, across 18,822 MCS-certified installations (DESNZ). Divide the quote by its kW to compare. Small back-to-back systems, pavement scaffold and shade electronics all push the figure up for good reasons; a quote far above the average with none of those deserves a question, and so does one far below it. The costs page gives totals by size.
Before signing
- Take your time. A price that only lasts until tonight is a sales tactic. The VAT change is fixed for 1 April 2027.
- Know your cancellation rights. Contracts made at home or at a distance usually give 14 days to cancel, which must be explained in writing (Consumer Contracts Regulations).
- Keep the deposit protected. The consumer codes set out how.
- Read finance offers as loans. Compare the rate and total payable with other lenders.
- For a rented or leasehold home, get the owner's or freeholder's consent in writing first.
Back-to-backs, rented and protected homes
- Back-to-backs. The council's evidence puts the number still in use at about 19,500 (Leeds City Council). Each house owns only the slope on its own side of the spine wall, so a quote should show the panels on that slope alone and confirm it belongs to the house; see back-to-back houses.
- Rented homes. 21.8% of Leeds households rent privately and 15.1% from the council (Census 2021). The landlord chooses the installer. The city's Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation is about changing a house's use, not about solar (Leeds City Council).
- Listed or in a conservation area. Leeds has 80 conservation areas and 2,368 listed entries. Ask each firm who will deal with the council and whether the contract waits for consent; see planning and conservation areas.
Scaffolding on a Leeds street
On a terrace or back-to-back the scaffold often has to stand on the pavement. Leeds City Council publishes an application form for scaffolding on the highway (Leeds City Council), so ask each installer whether the quote includes making that application and any charge that comes with it, and how long the scaffold will stand. A firm that has worked on your kind of street before will know the answer at once. Ask too how long each quote is valid, and whether the price moves if the work slips past 31 March 2027, after which installed solar carries 5% VAT rather than 0%. Then set each price per kW against the Yorkshire and the Humber mean of £1,972 on the costs page, and check what each roof should make on which roof is yours: a south slope in the city centre gives about 952 kWh per kW a year (PVGIS 5.3).
The paperwork afterwards
Expect an MCS certificate, an electrical installation certificate, confirmation of building regulations compliance, the Northern Powergrid notification or agreement, warranty documents and the consumer code paperwork. Keep them together: the MCS certificate is needed to sign up for an export rate, and a buyer's solicitor will ask for the set. Then see looking after panels and export payments.