Ask about solar for your Chester home

This is a guide to choosing and checking a solar installer in Chester, not an installer. Tell us about the house and what you are unsure of; the message goes to SEO-DONS LTD and we answer by email.

• Asking costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
• We do not pass your details to installers, and nobody will call you.
• Before you sign with any firm, check it on the registers listed in how to choose an installer.

Useful things to mention: the type of house (terrace, semi, detached, flat), which way the main roof faces, whether you think the house is listed or in a conservation area, and anything an installer has already told you.

Examples of questions you could send

• “We live on a street in the Hoole Road conservation area. Can panels go on the front slope, or only the back?”
• “Two installers quoted for our semi in Upton. One is a third dearer. What should we compare?”
• “Our flat is in a converted building by the canal. Who decides about the roof?”
• “The quote says our system needs a G99. What does that mean for the timetable?”
• “Is it worth waiting for the next Switch Together Solar round?”

What a useful answer looks like

For a planning question we will tell you which rule applies to the position you describe, quote the paragraph, and say what to confirm with the council. For an output question we will give you the PVGIS figure for your roof’s direction and pitch and explain what shade might take off. For a quote you have received we will point out what it includes, what it leaves out and how its price per kW compares with the government’s figures. We will not tell you which installer to choose.

What we can and cannot do

We can explain the rules and the numbers, point you to the right register or council page, and tell you which questions to put to an installer. We cannot inspect your roof, design a system, give a planning decision or recommend a firm. For a planning decision the council is the authority; for a design you need an MCS installer’s survey. What happens to your message is set out in the privacy notice and the terms; for corrections or complaints use the contact page.