Mounting & placement
How solar panels are installed on a house
A rooftop solar installation is usually one to two days of on-site work sitting inside a longer process of surveying, paperwork and commissioning. Knowing the steps helps you judge quotes and spot corner-cutting.This guide describes the standard professional process for a pitched roof. The plug-in world is deliberately different — no roof work at all — which we cover at the end.
Written and edited by Christopher Panteli
Christopher is the founder and editor of MyPlugInSolar. He oversees the site’s research standards, data tools and editorial process. He is not an electrician or solar installer, and specialist technical claims are sourced from official documentation or reviewed by appropriately qualified professionals.
The on-roof work
After a survey checks the roof's structure, orientation and shading, scaffolding goes up and the roof work follows a standard pattern: tiles are lifted where needed and roof hooks are fixed to the rafters (not the tiles), aluminium rails are bolted to the hooks, and panels are clamped to the rails and wired together as they go. In-roof systems replace tiles with a weatherproof tray instead — see integrated solar panels. Good installers seal every penetration and replace broken tiles; this is where cheap jobs go wrong.
The electrical side and the paperwork
Cables run from the roof to an inverter (loft, garage or utility spot), which connects into the consumer unit alongside protective devices and an isolator, and usually a generation meter or monitoring. The system is then commissioned — checked, tested and switched on. Afterwards comes the paperwork that matters for years: the electrical installation certificate, the DNO notification under G98 or G99, the MCS certificate (needed for Smart Export Guarantee payments), and warranties. If a quote is vague about any of these, ask why.
Safety and compliance
The plug-in contrast
Plug-in solar exists precisely to skip almost all of the above — no scaffolding, no roof anchors, no consumer-unit work: a panel on a balcony, wall or frame and a microinverter with a lead. The trade-offs are smaller output and, in the UK, the unresolved legal position: plug-in use is not yet legal, with the Government's consultation response awaited. If you're weighing the two routes, start with plug-in vs rooftop solar.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does a solar panel installation take?
- Typically one to two days on site for a domestic system, once the survey is done and scaffolding is up. The end-to-end process — survey, scheduling, installation, commissioning and paperwork — usually spans a few weeks.
- How are solar panels attached to the roof?
- On a pitched roof, hooks are anchored to the rafters beneath the tiles, rails bolt onto the hooks, and the panels clamp to the rails. The panels never rest on the tiles themselves. Flat roofs typically use ballasted frames instead.
- Can I install solar panels myself in the UK?
- Physically mounting hardware is one thing, but the mains connection must be done by a qualified, registered electrician, the system needs DNO notification, and without MCS certification you generally can't receive export payments. See our DIY solar guide for where the honest limits sit.
Sources
- 1. BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IET Wiring Regulations) — Institution of Engineering and Technology
- 2. Microgeneration Certification Scheme — MCS
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