No marketing fluff, no greenwash, no installer push. The questions every UK SME asks before signing — answered with current numbers and a buyer's perspective.
Installers default to south-facing because it generates the most electricity. But for a commercial buyer, total generation isn't the goal — self-consumed generation is. Here's why an east-west split frequently beats south.
A Power Purchase Agreement puts solar on your roof with no upfront cost — someone else owns it and sells you the power cheaply. It's genuinely useful in the right case, but you give up the returns that make owning so lucrative. Here's the honest trade-off.
Most SMEs lease their premises, and a lease can make or break a solar project. The lease length, the landlord's consent, and who keeps the benefit decide whether it's worth doing — here's what to sort out first.
Commercial solar proposals are designed to look attractive. Here are the twelve numbers and clauses to interrogate before you sign — and the ones installers hope you'll skim past.
Since the 1MW cap was scrapped in late 2023, most commercial rooftop solar is permitted development and needs no planning application. But 'most' isn't 'all' — here's exactly where the line falls, and the other consents people forget.
Installers wave both acronyms around as proof of quality. For a business buyer, only one of them matters the way you think — and the other protects homeowners, not your company. Here's the real distinction.
The panels are commodities; the installer is what you're really buying. Here's how to vet a commercial solar installer properly — track record, financial stability, contract, and the red flags that should end the conversation.
Most businesses default to the roof, usually rightly. But if you have spare land — or an unsuitable roof — ground-mount changes the maths. Here's how the two compare on cost, planning, scale, and upkeep.
If you're electrifying a fleet or offering staff charging, pairing it with solar is a natural fit — daytime sun for daytime charging. But the two have to be managed together, and there's a grant worth claiming. Here's how it fits.
The most common objection to commercial solar is 'does it even work in Britain?' The short answer is yes — demonstrably. Here's what the weather really does to output, and why cooler, cloudier conditions matter less than you'd think.
Most solar advice online is written for homeowners, and applying it to a business will mislead you. VAT, tax relief, consumption patterns, consumer protection and planning all work differently. Here's what actually changes.
The site survey is where an indicative quote becomes a real one — or falls apart. Here's what the surveyor checks, what to have ready, and the findings that can change your costs or kill the project.
An honest, jargon-free breakdown of commercial solar payback periods in the UK for 2026 — the inputs that matter, the assumptions installers don't always volunteer, and how to sanity-check any quote you get.
There's no big cash grant for ordinary SME commercial solar in 2026 — the real money is in tax relief and exemptions. Here's exactly what's available, what isn't, and how the financial case actually stacks up.
A battery is the upsell installers love, but for many SMEs adding solar it doesn't pay for itself. Here are the four cases where commercial storage genuinely earns its keep — and the honest signs you should skip it for now.