Home energy, explained properly.
Every guide here is written by people who do not sell installations, sourced to the manufacturer datasheet or the scheme rulebook, and dated so you can see how current it is. Start with the technology you are weighing up.
Solar
27 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full solar guide sits alongside them.
Are solar panels worth it in 2026? Here is the actual maths
Roughly £1,000 per kWp installed, offsetting electricity at 26.32p a unit. The real arithmetic.
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Do solar panels increase home value? What the actual data shows
The largest UK study found a 6.1% to 7.1% sale price premium. Here is the full picture.
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Do solar panels need direct sunlight? Not really, and here is why
No. Solar cells respond to light hitting them, not to a clear line of sight to the sun.
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Do you need planning permission for solar panels? Usually not
Usually not, provided the installation stays within the limits updated on 27 August 2026.
Read the guide →How do plug-in solar panels work, and what changed on 27 August 2026
A panel, an 800W-capped micro-inverter and a standard socket. Legal in Great Britain since 27 August 2026.
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Best solar panels UK 2026: what the datasheets actually say
One pick per job, the specs behind each, and what moves payback more than the badge.
Read the guide →How many solar panels do I need? The honest way to count
One panel is 2.26 square metres. The rest is measuring your roof honestly.
Read the guide →Solar installation day: exactly what happens, hour by hour
The week before, the day itself hour by hour, and the paperwork that follows.
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How long does a solar inverter last, and when does replacing it make sense?
The one component you should expect to replace, and the decision tree when it goes.
Read the guide →Solar panel grants and funding in 2026: what actually exists, and what is a sales pitch
No blanket grant exists, and the four supports that do exist are better than most of the adverts.
Read the guide →East, west or south facing: what your roof direction really costs you
An east west split gives up about a fifth of the annual total, and can still be worth more than south.
Read the guide →How to clean solar panels, and whether you need to at all
Cleaning is oversold and pigeon mesh is undersold. The numbers behind both.
Read the guide →What a solar service costs, and how often you actually need one
MCS advises a contractor visit at year 10 on a privately owned home. Most plans sell one a year.
Read the guide →Why solar panels stop working, and how to work out which one it is
There is an order to this, and it starts at the inverter display rather than the roof.
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DNO application timescales, network by network: from a G98 notification to a G99 approval
Fit and notify within 28 days, or wait ten working days to 45 for a yes. System size decides which.
Read the guide →Do solar panels work in winter? Yes, just less than summer
Panels run on light, not sunshine. Cloud turns them down, not off. What that means for an awkward roof.
Read the guide →G98 vs G99: the 28-day form and the eight-week wait, in plain English
One number on your quote decides between a formality and an eight week wait.
Read the guide →How do solar panels work? The full explanation, from photon to plug socket
Light into silicon, DC into AC, AC into your bill. The whole chain, explained.
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How to size a solar and battery system, properly
Usage, storage, connection, array. Four decisions, and the order between them matters.
Read the guide →Microinverters, optimisers or a plain string inverter: who needs what
Shade and roof layout decide this. An honest triage of the three approaches.
Read the guide →Single phase or three phase? The sixty-second check that decides your system size
One look at your fuse board sets the ceiling on how much solar you can connect.
Read the guide →Why your inverter is smaller than your panel array, and why that is correct
More panel capacity than inverter capacity is a deliberate design choice.
Read the guide →What solar actually costs in 2026, and where every pound goes
Around £8,677 average, £1,550 to £1,800 per kW. Where every pound actually goes.
Read the guide →How long do solar panels last? 25 to 30 years, in practice
The panels outlast the inverter by a wide margin. Plan for that, not for cleaning.
Read the guide →Solar panel types, and the four numbers that actually matter
TOPCon, HJT and back contact decoded, plus the four numbers worth comparing.
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0% VAT on solar and batteries: what qualifies, and what does not
Zero VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5% returns. What qualifies, and what it is worth.
Read the guide →What is a DNO, and why does a company you have never heard of get a say in your solar?
The company that owns your street's cables decides what solar you can connect.
Read the guide →Batteries
14 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full batteries guide sits alongside them.
Sigenergy SigenStor review: the 5-in-1 tower examined
The 5-in-1 tower reviewed by a site that does not sell it, warranty arithmetic included.
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GivEnergy in administration: what owners should do now
The sourced timeline, the warranty position, and the owner's checklist for this month.
Read the guide →Tesla Powerwall 3 vs Duracell Dura16: which fits your home?
The two packages we actually price, compared on the numbers that decide it.
Read the guide →Tesla Powerwall 3 against the alternatives, and where each one wins
The strongest single box in the market, and the houses it is still wrong for.
Read the guide →AC coupled or DC coupled? The 60 second answer
AC for retrofits, DC for new installs. The reasoning, the efficiency gap and when the rule flips.
Read the guide →Adding a battery to solar panels you already own
Retrofitting a battery to working solar is straightforward. The paperwork is where people trip up.
Read the guide →Battery warranties and what retained capacity really means
Years, retained capacity and a usage limit. Three promises, and the third is the one people miss.
Read the guide →Inside a home battery: capacity, power and losses
Usable capacity, kW output, round trip losses and chemistry, in plain terms.
Read the guide →Does a standalone battery actually pay back?
No panels means one job: buy cheap, use later. The tariff decides whether it pays.
Read the guide →How much a battery saves by charging on cheap night rates
What charging at 8p and using at 26.11p is actually worth over a year.
Read the guide →What a battery gateway actually does
Without a gateway your system shuts down when the grid does. Here is what the box actually does.
Read the guide →Which battery size band does your home fall into?
Where UK homes actually land, why oversizing costs you, and what shifts the band.
Read the guide →What happens to your battery warranty when the manufacturer fails
The hardware keeps running. The promise attached to it does not. What the 2026 collapse taught owners.
Read the guide →Whole home backup or partial backup? The runtime arithmetic
Whole home backup sounds obvious until you do the runtime maths. Here is how to choose the right tier.
Read the guide →EV charging
10 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full ev charging guide sits alongside them.
Charging an EV from your own solar
Every surplus kWh is 3.6 to 5 miles. Whether that beats a 7p overnight rate is arithmetic.
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What an EV charger installation actually involves
Main fuse, DNO notification, load balancing and the paperwork. What really happens.
Read the guide →How time of use charging windows actually work
How a cheap overnight window is metered and billed, and what a battery does inside it.
Read the guide →Home EV charger types and speeds, explained properly
Granny cable, 7kW wall unit or 22kW three phase. What each adds per hour, and which you need.
Read the guide →The main home EV chargers, compared on what actually differs
Eight popular UK home chargers on cable, connectivity, warranty and tariff integration.
Read the guide →What it really costs to charge an EV at home versus in public
Home off-peak charging costs a fraction of the public price. The arithmetic, and the tariff it depends on.
Read the guide →How solar aware EV charging actually works
The CT clamp, the surplus tracking and the 1.4kW floor that catches people out.
Read the guide →Smart charge point regulations, explained
Why your charger arrives pre-set to charge overnight, and why it waits before it starts.
Read the guide →Tethered or untethered? The decision, in sixty seconds
Fixed cable or bring your own. The one charger decision you cannot undo later.
Read the guide →Three phase and EV charging: what actually changes
Three phase buys 22kW charging. Most cars cannot use it, and load balancing usually solves the real problem.
Read the guide →Heat pumps
15 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full heat pumps guide sits alongside them.
Are air source heat pumps any good? What owners actually report
The UK's largest survey found 80% of heat pump owners satisfied, against 70% for gas boilers.
Read the guide →Are heat pumps worth it? The real 2026 numbers
Electricity costs 3.3x gas per kWh. A heat pump is about 3x as efficient. The numbers nearly cancel out.
Read the guide →How much does a heat pump cost? The 2026 numbers, before and after the grant
UK median installed cost around £12,908, before the up to £7,500 grant comes off.
Read the guide →What are the disadvantages of a heat pump? Six honest ones
Six real disadvantages, worth planning around rather than a reason to rule one out.
Read the guide →The popular UK heat pump lines, compared on published specs
Outputs, refrigerant, flow temperature and published SCOP, side by side with conditions.
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The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, explained
A fixed amount, claimed by your installation team, with a real deadline on the £9,000 version.
Read the guide →Do you need to replace your radiators for a heat pump?
Some change, most do not. The room by room arithmetic that decides which.
Read the guide →Flow temperature: the one number that decides your running cost
The water temperature your system produces. It sets efficiency, radiator cost and bills.
Read the guide →Are heat pumps noisy? The 37 dB(A) answer, in plain terms
The 1 metre boundary rule is gone. A 37 dB(A) sound test replaced it.
Read the guide →Heat pump running costs versus a gas boiler, assumptions shown
Four numbers decide it: seasonal efficiency, flow temperature, tariff and heat demand.
Read the guide →How an air source heat pump actually works
It moves heat rather than making it. The cycle, the efficiency numbers and the trade-offs.
Read the guide →Underfloor heating and heat pumps: the natural pairing
The most efficient combination available, plus the one design problem it creates upstairs.
Read the guide →Sizing a heat pump: what a proper survey covers
Sized by calculation, not by rule of thumb. What the survey covers, and what guessing costs.
Read the guide →Which homes suit a heat pump, and which need work first
The trial data says no property type is unsuitable. Design quality decides the outcome.
Read the guide →What MCS certification actually buys you on a heat pump job
The gate on the £7,500 grant, the design standard behind your running costs, and the noise sign-off.
Read the guide →Tariffs
7 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full tariffs guide sits alongside them.
Choosing a tariff when you have solar, a battery and an EV
Solar, battery and EV want different tariffs. How to work out which one to protect.
Read the guide →The price cap explained, and what it does to solar payback
The cap limits unit rates, not bills. That changes what solar payback means.
Read the guide →EV tariffs compared: the cheapest overnight windows
Overnight rates of 6.99p to 9p against a 26.11p capped average, compared.
Read the guide →Which tariffs are actually built for battery charging
A battery buys cheap and uses dear. The tariff decides how much that is worth.
Read the guide →Why tariff choice moves payback more than kit choice
Identical kit, five times the export income. The tariff decision worked through with August 2026 rates.
Read the guide →What the Smart Export Guarantee actually is
The scheme obliges suppliers to pay above zero, and leaves the rate to them.
Read the guide →Why the best export rates always carry conditions
The top export rates are acquisition offers. Here is how to price the condition.
Read the guide →Standards
9 guides, each one sourced and dated. The full standards guide sits alongside them.
Your MCS certificate: what it shows, when it arrives, and how a Smart Export Guarantee supplier uses it
The document your export payments hang on. Who issues it, what it shows, and how to get a copy.
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MCS, HIES, RECC, NAPIT, TrustMark and Flexi-Orb: which badge does what
Six logos, six different jobs. What each scheme covers, and which are actually required.
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HIES explained: what the badge actually protects, and when
What HIES protects: deposits up to 25 percent capped at 5,000 pounds, and your workmanship guarantee.
Read the guide →How to check an MCS certificate is genuine, before the deposit leaves your account
A logo proves nothing. Certification is business specific, technology specific and checkable.
Read the guide →Insurance backed guarantees: what they cover, and the failure they never cover
An IBG backs your installation team's workmanship guarantee, not your hardware warranty. Know the difference.
Read the guide →NAPIT, NICEIC and competent person schemes: who tells building control about your solar
Solar work is notifiable. A competent person scheme means your installation team notifies, not you.
Read the guide →RECC explained: the code that governs the sale, not just the install
The code that governs how renewables are sold: quotations, deposits, guarantees and after sales.
Read the guide →G98 or G99: which one applies, what the application involves, and how long it takes
The G98 line sits at 3.68kW per phase. Above it, your network operator has to say yes first.
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What MCS certification actually is, and why your export payments depend on it
The badge that decides whether your solar earns export payments. It cannot be added later.
Read the guide →Get your free quote
Takes about two minutes. We work out your options, then confirm your free remote design call, on video, at a time that suits you. It starts with your roof and your numbers, and the design is built around them rather than around a product someone needs to shift.