How we chose
We started from the dozen battery and solar firms showing across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the MCS directory, each firm's own website and industry directories [1] [2]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and it holds MCS certification for the work. Six firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score — the star rating itself, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing — then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start with the system, not the quote. Batteries go in three ways: with new panels as one designed package, added to panels you already own, or on their own, charged overnight on an off-peak tariff at a lower unit rate for use when prices rise [1]. Capacity is measured in kilowatt hours, and a typical home system holds around ten [3]. When you first enquire, say whether you have panels, when the house uses most power, and where the battery and inverter would sit, so every firm sizes the same job.
Check certification on the register, not the van. MCS is the UK quality mark for small-scale renewables such as solar panels and battery storage [1]. Ask each firm for its MCS certificate number, then search the name on the MCS installer finder and check the listing matches the business on your quote [2]. A logo on a website proves nothing on its own, and matching numbers take a minute to confirm.
Ask which consumer code covers the contract. The Renewable Energy Consumer Code sets protection standards for firms selling renewables to households and carries a find-a-member search [6]. HIES runs a similar code with deposit and stage-payment protection, insurance-backed guarantees and dispute resolution [7]. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in the home, also with a find-a-tradesperson search [8]. Get the scheme name into your paperwork before you sign.
Get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, naming the battery make and model, its usable storage in kilowatt hours, the inverter, who registers the system and handles the export-tariff application, and the VAT position. Battery installations in homes carry no VAT until the end of March 2027 and return to five per cent after that date [5]. A deposit for kit is normal, while the full balance before work starts is not, so check what protects your deposit [7]. One ranked Telford firm publishes a starting price for solar with free surveys and no deposits, which shows how open pricing can look.
A battery inside your home rarely troubles planning rules, but listed buildings and conservation areas face tighter controls, so raise any doubt with the Telford and Wrekin planning desk before you sign [9]. Your installer should design the system to the MCS standards and raise your MCS certificate within ten working days of finishing [1]. Ask each firm to confirm both answers for your address, and check where the export meter sits if you plan to sell spare power [4].
Close the job on paper. You should finish with an MCS certificate for the installation, written warranties for the battery, inverter and workmanship, equipment manuals, and confirmation of your export-tariff application [1] [4]. File everything with your house papers, since a buyer will ask for it. If any document is missing, hold back the final balance until it arrives.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford figures run like this: home batteries range from £1,500 to £10,000, with a five kilowatt hour system costing about £4,600 [3]. The MCS installations record puts the recent average battery job at about £9,000 [1]. One ranked Telford firm publishes a £5,699 starting price for a solar install with free surveys and no deposits.
Usable storage in kilowatt hours moves the price most: a small unit covering the evening costs far less than a large one sized for a bigger home or backup use. The inverter work matters next, since adding a battery to existing panels can mean extra inverter hardware, while fitting both together shares the labour [1] [3]. Battery brand, cable runs and any consumer-unit work add smaller steps.
Check the VAT line before you sign. Battery installations in homes carry no VAT until the end of March 2027 and return to five per cent after that date [5]. Every quote should separate labour, materials and VAT on the same written scope, so you compare like with like.
Get the scope in writing before work starts — exactly which battery and inverter models, what the quoted storage figure covers, who handles registration and the export application, and what changes the price if the survey throws up surprises. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice, certificate and manual together.
Red flags
Cannot give an MCS certificate number you can check yourself on the installer finder [1] [2].
Quotes for panels and a battery without asking about your roof, shading or when the house uses power.
Gives one fixed price for the whole system with no breakdown of kit, labour and VAT [5].
Asks for the full balance in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms.
Finishes the install with no MCS certificate and no mention of warranties or manuals [1].
Names no battery size in kilowatt hours, only promises a big battery or big savings.
Will not put the scope, price and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with Smart CTRL: certified panels and batteries from one firm, consumer-code membership on record, published insurance and a long insurance-backed warranty on the workmanship. Its company record is shorter than some rivals and it publishes no prices, so ask for the itemised quote and the warranty terms in writing first. If you want panels and storage on a published starting figure, Craig Michael Renewables is the closest alternative.
Match the firm to the job: Voltium where the battery joins wider electrical work, Green Power and Heat for the longest company record, Shropshire Renewables for a Hadley installer with named local projects. Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, check the MCS number on the register before you sign, and hold the final balance until the certificate and manuals land.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.