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. We looked first at what customers say — 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].
The Ironbridge Gorge is the exception that matters most locally. Its Article 4 direction removes permitted development rights for solar panels and microgeneration on dwellings there, so Gorge homes need permission where most of Telford does not [11]. Where the answer is unclear, the council offers pre-application advice before a formal application, and a Lawful Development Certificate settles whether permission is needed at all [10]. Raise the question with the Telford and Wrekin planning desk before you sign, and get the firm's answer for your address inside the written quote.
Describe your street as well as your roof when you first enquire. Gorge terraces and older rows around Wellington, Dawley and Madeley can mean tight parking, shared access and long cable runs to the best battery spot, while a newer estate home in Lawley with a garage and driveway usually gives the crew and any scaffold an easier day. Say where the consumer unit sits, where a battery and inverter could live, and how a van would reach you, so every survey prices the real job.
Expect the job to run enquiry, survey, written design, install and handover in that order. The survey should cover the roof and shading, the consumer unit, the battery and inverter positions, and your day and night usage, since a battery sized from usage earns its keep sooner [3]. On install day the crew mounts the kit, wires the battery through the inverter, tests the system and walks you through the monitoring. Pay in stages against visible progress and keep every quote, invoice, certificate and manual together, holding the final balance until the certificate, warranties and export confirmation all land [1] [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.
Panels with a battery in one visit shares scaffolding and labour across both jobs, so the roof work, the design and the inverter choice drive the figure [1]. Roof size and shading decide how many panels fit, while usable storage in kilowatt hours sizes the battery, with brand, cable runs and any consumer-unit work adding smaller steps.
Adding a battery to panels you already own skips the roof work but can mean extra inverter hardware where the old unit cannot take storage, which is where quotes diverge most [1] [3]. The survey should confirm compatibility first, alongside the battery position, cable runs and any consumer-unit work, before the firm names a fixed figure.
A battery on its own needs no panels and no scaffold: it charges overnight on an off-peak tariff and discharges when prices rise [1]. The figure moves with usable storage, the inverter, where the unit sits and how far cables must run, so describe the spot and the night-time usage when you ask for the figure.
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.
Names no battery make or model on the quote, only a storage size or a savings promise.
Presses for a same-day decision on the doorstep with a discount that runs out before you can compare quotes.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.