UK SOLAR PV OWNER GUIDE
Solar Panels Just Installed? Your First 30 Days Checklist
Put your handover documents, app, export status and first meter readings in order without touching electrical equipment.
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Solar Panel Owner Guides: What to Check After Installation
The panels are installed. The next job is understanding the paperwork, the measurements, the payment route and the signs worth investigating—without touching the electrical system.
Why does my solar electricity bill still arrive?
Solar generation can reduce grid imports while the panels are producing, but the household may still import at night or in low-light conditions, and standing charges generally remain. Export payments may appear separately. Use the meter-and-bill comparison guide before assuming the app or bill is wrong.
Am I automatically paid for solar electricity exported to the grid?
No. In Great Britain, the Smart Export Guarantee involves a supplier application and qualifying metering and documentation. A running solar system does not itself confirm an active export account or start date. Northern Ireland has different arrangements. Start with the SEG and export MPAN guide.
What should I do when the app reports zero generation?
Check the app's refresh time and any owner-visible status before assuming the panels stopped working. A stale data connection and an equipment fault can look similar. Avoid resets outside the manufacturer's approved owner instructions. See the symptom-first guide.
A practical owner rhythm
First month: identify equipment, secure handover records, establish export-account status and record matched readings. Monthly: check generation, import/export records, bills and payment statements. Annually: review comparable performance, warranties, tariff terms and unresolved issues.
FREE PRACTICAL GUIDES
Start with your specific question
Each guide isolates one owner problem, suggests safe checks and identifies which organization can take the next action.
UK SOLAR PV OWNER GUIDE
Solar Export Payments: SEG, Export MPAN and Missing Credits
Separate solar generation from a registered export contract and identify the next step when credits do not arrive.
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Solar App, Smart Meter and Electricity Bill Do Not Match?
Work out which number measures what before deciding whether your solar monitoring or electricity bill is wrong.
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Solar Panels Not Generating—or Is the Solar App Offline?
Distinguish an out-of-date app, a genuine system warning, a seasonal dip and a supplier-account problem.
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Use Solar Electricity or Export It? Compare the Whole Tariff
Understand why maximizing self-consumption or choosing the highest export rate is not always the cheapest option.
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Bought a House With Solar Panels? Check Ownership, FIT and Records
Find out who owns the installation and payment rights before switching an inherited solar tariff or accepting incomplete paperwork.
Read the guideRead the complete operating guide
By Gareth Fenwick, Solar Panels Installed — Now What? brings the owner’s 30-day startup, document register, meter explanations, export-payment checks, worked bill examples, seasonal comparisons, fault reporting and monthly worksheets into a single reference.
Explore the solar owner’s book
Managing other home energy systems? See the separate UK heat pump owner guides.
Owner safety boundary. The information here does not certify an installation or replace a supplier's current tariff terms. Keep away from exposed wiring, roof equipment and electrical enclosures; ask a qualified professional to assess suspected defects.