How we chose
We began with the fourteen solar firms found across Telford, from Google Maps listings, Companies House, the firms' own websites and the trade registers. Each had to pass three eligibility requirements: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and it holds MCS certification for solar work. Six firms passed all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing; qualifications count next, then whether the firm has traded for two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated 4 September 2026.
How to hire
Start with the roof, not the quote. Clear, unshaded, roughly south-facing roofs earn most from panels, while north-facing ones get very little direct sun [5]. Shade from chimneys, dormers and nearby trees matters as much as direction, and most homes now install between four and six kilowatts of panels [6]. When you first enquire, describe the roof, the shading and when the house uses most power, so each firm sizes the same system.
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 [7]. HIES runs a similar consumer code, also backed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, with deposit and stage-payment protection, insurance-backed guarantees and dispute resolution [8]. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in the home, also with a find-a-tradesperson search [9]. Get the scheme name into your paperwork, since MoneySavingExpert's buying advice likewise says to buy from an installer in one of these schemes [5].
Get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, naming the panels, inverter and battery models, scaffolding, who handles the network operator, and the VAT position. Installing panels in a home carries no VAT until the end of March 2027, and batteries fitted with panels or added to them qualify too, with five per cent applying after that date [4]. A deposit for kit is normal; the full balance before work starts is not, so check what protects your deposit [8]. Craig Michael Renewables shows how open pricing looks in practice, publishing a starting price with free surveys and no deposits.
Panels on most homes count as permitted development, though limits and conditions apply, and you can seek a lawful development certificate for written confirmation; listed buildings and conservation areas face tighter rules, so raise any doubt with Telford & Wrekin Council's planning desk before you sign [10]. Larger systems can need approval from the local network operator before they connect [6]. Ask each firm to confirm both answers for your address.
Close the job on paper. You should finish with an MCS certificate for the installation, written warranties for the panels, inverter, battery and workmanship, equipment manuals, and confirmation of the network-operator notification plus your export-tariff application [1] [3]. 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: a typical four-to-five kilowatt-peak roof array costs around £7,600, the Energy Saving Trust figure, though the final sum moves with system size, installer and location [5]. Fitted prices sit near £1,500 per kilowatt, putting a four-kilowatt system at about £6,000 [6]. One ranked Telford firm publishes a £5,699 starting price with free surveys and no deposits.
Adding a battery costs about £5,000 on top, and at that price it can add years to the break-even point, which already sits at a decade or more for panels alone at current price-cap rates [5]. Export payments help, but each exported unit usually earns far less than each imported unit costs, so using power in daylight hours or storing it pays better than selling it [5].
Scaffolding and roof complexity move the price most, along with the inverter and battery brands, any network-operator upgrade work, and how far the crew travels across Telford and Shropshire. Panel tiers and monitoring extras add smaller steps. Treat any quote far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what sits behind the gap.
Check the VAT line before you sign. Panel and battery installations in homes carry no VAT until the end of March 2027 and return to five per cent after that date [4]. Every quote should separate labour, materials and VAT on the same written scope, name what changes the price if the roof throws up surprises, and set payment stages you both sign.
Red flags
Prices a system without visiting the roof or asking about shading, direction and daytime use.
Cannot give an MCS certificate number you can find yourself on the MCS installer finder [2].
Wants the full balance paid before the scaffolding goes up.
Offers no written contract naming the panel, inverter and battery models, warranties and dates.
Promises export earnings or a payback date without showing the sums behind them.
Cannot say who notifies the network operator or which export tariff your home will use [3] [6].
Names no consumer code, deposit protection or insurance behind the job [7] [8].
Presses you to sign on the day for a discount that expires at midnight.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with Smart CTRL: certified panels and batteries from a Wellington firm with consumer-code membership, fully published insurance and a decade-long insured warranty on the workmanship. Its trading record is short and it publishes no prices, so get the quote itemised and the warranty terms in writing.
Match the firm to the job: Craig Michael Renewables for battery storage with a published starting price and Powerwall installs, Green Power & Heat for larger arrays and commercial roofs from a long-established company, and Voltium where panels sit inside a bigger electrical job. MP Electrical & Renewables suits a combined solar, battery and charger install in Hadley.
Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, check each firm's MCS number on the MCS finder and ask which consumer code covers the contract, and agree the export tariff, warranties and handover paperwork before work starts.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.