Glossary an independent guide
Solar glossary for Chester homeowners
The words installers, planners and the network operator use, in plain English, each with a link to the page that explains it properly.
- Article 4 direction
- A council order that removes permitted development rights in a defined area. If one covers your street, panels that would normally need no application may need one. Ask Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning team. Read more
- Article 2(3) land
- The planning order’s name for conservation areas, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now National Landscapes), the Broads and World Heritage Sites. In Chester it means the thirteen city conservation areas. Read more
- Conservation area
- An area the council has designated for its special architectural or historic interest. Chester has thirteen. Roof slopes stay permitted development there; walls, balconies and railings facing the road do not. Read more
- Consumer code
- A code of practice approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute that MCS installers must belong to, such as RECC or HIES. It covers deposits, contracts and complaints. Read more
- DNO (distribution network operator)
- The company that runs the local electricity network, as opposed to the supplier that bills you. In Chester it is SP Energy Networks. Read more
- EPC
- Energy Performance Certificate, rating a home from A to G. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is for homes rated D to G. Read more
- Export tariff
- What a supplier pays for electricity your panels send to the grid. Large suppliers must offer one to homes with an MCS-certified system (the Smart Export Guarantee rules). Read more
- G98
- The engineering recommendation for small generators: up to 16 A per phase, 3.68 kW on a single-phase supply. The installer fits the system, then notifies SP Energy Networks within 28 days. Read more
- G99
- The process for anything larger, including solar plus a battery above the G98 limit. The installer applies to SP Energy Networks before fitting. Read more
- GPDO Part 14
- The part of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 that covers renewable energy. Class A is equipment on a house or block of flats; Class B is stand-alone equipment in the grounds. Changed on 27 August 2026. Read more
- Insurance-backed guarantee
- Insurance that honours an installer’s workmanship warranty if the firm stops trading. It does not replace the manufacturer warranties on panels and inverter. Read more
- Inverter
- The box that turns the panels’ direct current into the alternating current your home uses. Usually the first part to need replacing. Read more
- kWp (kilowatt peak)
- The rated size of a solar array under standard test light. A 4 kWp array is about nine or ten of today’s panels. Read more
- kWh (kilowatt-hour)
- A unit of electricity, the same unit as on your bill. Our output figures are kWh a year. Read more
- Lawful Development Certificate
- A council decision confirming that a proposal is lawful without a planning application. Useful where the permitted development position is borderline. Read more
- Listed Building Consent
- Permission needed for works that affect the character of a listed building, in addition to any planning permission. Required for solar on any listed home. Read more
- MCS
- The Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which certifies installers and products. An MCS installation is needed for export payments. Read more
- Optimiser and microinverter
- Devices fitted to each panel so that shade on one panel does not drag down the others. Useful under Chester’s chimney stacks. Read more
- Permitted development
- Building work that national rules allow without a planning application, subject to limits and conditions. Most roof solar on houses is permitted development. Read more
- Plug-in solar
- Panels that connect to a home through a standard plug and socket. Since 27 August 2026 they count as solar PV under the planning rules, with no fixing to timber allowed. Read more
- Prior approval
- A step in which the council decides whether it needs to approve details, such as appearance, before permitted development goes ahead. Needed for flat-roof panels in a conservation area. Read more
- PVGIS
- The European Commission’s Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, which models solar output from satellite sunlight data. Our Chester output figures come from it. Read more
- Switch Together Solar
- The group-buy run by Cheshire West and Chester Council with Cheshire East, Warrington and iChoosr, in registration rounds. Read more
- Warm Homes: Local Grant
- Government funding, run by councils, for lower-income households in EPC D to G homes. In west Cheshire it can include solar panels and runs to 31 March 2028. Read more
Sources for this page
Read at source on 3 November 2026. If something has changed, tell us through the form and we will correct it.
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14 (renewable energy), as amended · legislation.gov.uk
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) Order 2026 (SI 2026/896) · legislation.gov.uk
- Connecting to the grid · SP Energy Networks
- Find an MCS certified installer · MCS
- Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) · Ofgem
- Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS 5.3) · European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Support schemes (home energy) · Cheshire West and Chester Council
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