Questions homeowners often ask.

Aerial imagery shows the roof’s pitch, orientation, usable area and the shading around it. That is enough for an honest estimate. The survey then checks what the air can’t see.

It can. The estimate is a range because the survey can find things the air can’t, such as rafters that need extra fixings or a consumer unit that needs work. If anything moves the price, you’ll know why before you sign.

Often, yes, just less than on a clear south-facing roof. Shade is where panel choice and optimisers earn their keep. If the numbers don’t work for your roof, your estimate will say so.

It makes a good deal less than a roof facing south, east or west, and the steeper the slope, the bigger the gap. A shallow north slope can still be worth doing. Your estimate will say whether yours is.

Give us a postcode and your estimate will tell you. We read the pitch, which way it faces, the usable area, the shading and what it’s covered with, and if the roof isn’t worth doing, we’ll say so.

No. We’re an independent consultancy. We size and price your installation, then introduce the installer who clears our bar and prices your job best. They install; we stay on until it is signed off.

Every installer we introduce holds all seven requirements on our installer bar. From those who cover your postcode, we weigh their price for your roof, their accreditation and their recent reviews, and introduce one.

You can. The installer we introduce arrives with their quote already set against what the same system costs elsewhere, so you know where it stands before you compare it with anything else.

Say so before you sign anything, and tell us why. The choice stays yours, and we’d rather hear a doubt now than once the scaffold is up.

Usually a day or two on the roof, with the scaffold going up before and coming down after. A larger or more complicated roof can take longer, and we keep in touch with the installer throughout.

In one of three ways: from savings, on the mortgage or with a loan. Savings give the shortest payback, because nothing is added to the price. Whichever you choose, set the monthly cost beside the monthly saving on your estimate before you sign anything.

On the mortgage, the rate is often lower but spread over longer, so look at the total you’ll repay, not only the monthly figure. On a loan, the small print matters most: the rate, the term, any fee for paying early and what happens if you move. We don’t arrange or recommend finance, and this isn’t financial advice.

Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee, which needs the system to be MCS-certified. Each supplier sets its own export rate and rates vary, so it’s worth comparing. Applying is part of sign-off, and we chase until it’s done.

That depends on the price, how much of the roof’s power you use at home, and your tariff and export rate, which vary by supplier. On the example estimate for a semi-detached house in Exeter, it is about seven years without a battery and about ten with one; the battery on its own would take about 30 years to repay. Your own estimate shows both.

Yes. We work nationwide. The roof is read from above wherever it is, and every installer we introduce holds the same seven checks.

Not yet. It’s coming soon to iOS and Android, and it will let you choose your route to solar and follow every step from application to installation.

With your landlord’s agreement, yes. The app is designed for it: tenants give their landlord’s details and see the approval status. Until it’s out, tell us you rent when you ask for an estimate.

They go into one job file that we, your surveyor and the one installer we introduce work from, so nobody asks you the same question twice. We don’t pass them to a list. Our privacy policy sets out the rest.