How Our Solar Installer Matching Works

Who we are

Solar Base Energy is a free matching service for UK homeowners who want solar panels, a home battery or both. We are not an installer. We do not survey roofs, employ engineers or fit equipment.

Instead, we pass your enquiry to an MCS-certified installer who covers your postcode. That installer handles the survey, the design and the installation directly. As a result, your contract is with the installer and not with us.

Every enquiry comes through the quote form on this site. We do not run a phone line. Installers follow up using the contact details you give on the form.

Why we put the battery first

Solar panels make most of their power around midday, while most homes use more in the evening. A battery stores the surplus, so you use more of your own power. Therefore this site is written around how each service connects back to the battery.

How we choose and check installers

We only match you with installers that hold MCS certification for the work they carry out. MCS, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, is the UK quality mark for installers and products. Its installers work to published standards, such as MIS 3002 for solar panels and MIS 3012 for home batteries.

MCS certification also matters for your income. Your system must be MCS-certified before you can claim Smart Export Guarantee payments. Our page on MCS-certified solar installations and our guide to choosing an MCS-certified installer explain what to check.

You can also check any installer yourself, because MCS runs a search for certified installers on its website. Make sure the certificate covers the work you want, for example a battery as well as panels. Some installers also join a consumer code such as RECC, whose guidance says a deposit should be no more than 25% of the contract price.

We do not state that each installer belongs to a consumer code. Therefore ask which code an installer follows, and whether your deposit and workmanship warranty are insurance-backed, before you sign.

Our editorial policy

We write our guides from primary sources such as GOV.UK, Ofgem, HMRC and MCS. Each figure carries its source and date in the text. If we cannot source a claim, we leave it out.

Each page shows the date we last reviewed it, and we recheck dated facts when rules change. For example, 0% VAT on home solar and batteries runs until 31 March 2027, and the rate is due to revert to 5% under current legislation. We give prices as ranges and name the source, because a guide cannot give you a quote.

When a fact depends on your supplier or installer, we say so instead of guessing. Smart Export Guarantee rates are one case, since each supplier sets its own. Our guide to the Smart Export Guarantee with a battery shows how to compare them.

What we do not do

We do not install, survey or sell equipment. We do not promise grants, savings or payback, because they depend on your home and your installer. We do not publish reviews or ratings of installers.

Ready to start? Use the free quote form and tell us your postcode. Meanwhile, you can browse our eight solar and battery services to see what each one involves.