Solar Panel Installers Hampshire Locally Based & MCS Certified
Solent Solar are Hampshire's trusted MCS-certified solar panel installers. Based in Whiteley, Fareham — not Southampton or Portsmouth — we are genuinely local. 47 five-star reviews. No subcontractors. No salespeople.
Our Credentials as Hampshire Solar Installers
Not all solar installers are equal. Here is what our credentials mean for you as a homeowner.
Why Choose Solent Solar as Your Hampshire Installer?
What We Install
What Hampshire Customers Say
"Solent Solar installed a 5kW system with Fox ESS battery. Professional from start to finish. Our electricity bills have dropped by over 60%."
"We chose the SigEnergy system for its integrated EV charger. Incredible technology and the team explained everything clearly. Highly recommend."
"Living in Southsea, we weren't sure solar was feasible in a conservation area. Solent Solar handled everything with the council. Couldn't be happier."
"Large detached house with high bills. The SigEnergy system handles solar, battery, and now charges the EV too. One unit does everything."
"Had Fox ESS panels and battery installed. The team were friendly and knowledgeable. Already saving over £100 a month on electricity."
"Living in a conservation area, I thought solar was off the table. Solent Solar handled the planning and installed a beautiful in-roof system. Outstanding knowledge."
Hampshire Locations We Cover
57+ towns and villages across Hampshire and the surrounding region
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Solent Solar MCS certified solar panel installers?
Yes. Solent Solar holds full MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certification, which is required for your system to qualify for Smart Export Guarantee payments and is the UK industry standard for solar installation quality and safety.
How do I find a trustworthy solar panel installer in Hampshire?
Always look for MCS certification, HIES Consumer Code membership, and verifiable local reviews. Solent Solar are MCS-certified, HIES-registered Hampshire installers with 47 five-star reviews and a 4.9/5 rating. We are based in Fareham and serve Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, Winchester, and 50+ Hampshire locations.
Do Solent Solar use subcontractors for solar installations?
No. Every survey and installation is carried out by Tom or his direct team. We never use subcontractors, which means consistent quality, clear accountability, and a single point of contact throughout your project from initial survey to switch-on.
What areas of Hampshire do Solent Solar cover?
We cover 57+ locations across Hampshire including Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Eastleigh, Havant, Waterlooville, Winchester, Chandlers Ford, Hedge End, Locks Heath, Whiteley, and many more. Call 07833 448687 to confirm your specific area.
How much does it cost to get solar panels installed in Hampshire?
A typical 4kW solar panel system in Hampshire costs £5,000-8,000 with 0% VAT. With battery storage added, expect £9,500-12,500. The MCS median for a 4.5kWp system in Hampshire is £7,784. We provide free, no-obligation surveys and written quotes.
How long does solar panel installation take in Hampshire?
Most residential installations in Hampshire are completed in a single day. Adding a battery typically adds half a day. The full process from survey to switch-on takes 2-4 weeks, including DNO notification. We handle all paperwork including the MCS certificate and SEG registration.
Further Reading
Ready to Start Generating Free Electricity?
Get a free, no-obligation quote from Tom. He'll personally design a system tailored to your home and energy needs.
How to Compare Solar Installers in Hampshire: The Checklist We'd Use Ourselves
Most people getting solar quotes in Hampshire are comparing three or four companies they've never dealt with before, on a purchase they'll make once. The table below is the checklist we'd use if we were in your position — the questions that actually separate installers, what a good answer looks like, and (honestly) where we stand on each one. Every good MCS installer in Hampshire should pass most of these; the differences show up in who does the work and who answers the phone in year five.
| What to check | Why it matters | A good answer looks like | Solent Solar |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCS certification | Without an MCS certificate you won't qualify for most Smart Export Guarantee tariffs, and you lose the industry's main quality standard. | The company (not a partner firm) appears on the MCS installer register. Check the register directly — don't rely on a logo on a website. | MCS-certified. Your certificate is issued in our name after every install. |
| Consumer code + insurance-backed warranty | A workmanship warranty is only worth anything if it survives the installer. Insurance-backed guarantees and deposit protection keep you covered even if a firm stops trading. | Membership of HIES or RECC, with deposit protection and an insurance-backed guarantee named in the quote. | HIES member — deposit protection and an insurance-backed guarantee come with the scheme. |
| In-house or subcontracted? | Many firms sell the job, then pass it to whichever subcontract crew is free. The person who quoted may never see your roof. | A straight answer to: "Will the person quoting this also be installing it?" | One person. Every install. Tom surveys, designs and installs personally — no subcontractors. |
| How the system is designed | A yield estimate produced from a desktop guess can overstate generation badly. On the south coast, a well-oriented system realistically produces around 950–1,100 kWh per kWp per year — treat quotes promising much more with caution. | A proper site survey, per-panel layout, shading analysis, and an MCS-standard generation estimate with the method stated. | Full on-roof survey and modelled design for every quote. We'd rather quote you a realistic number than win the job on an inflated one. |
| Equipment choice — and brand risk | Hardware warranties are only as good as the company behind them. When GivEnergy Ltd entered administration in April 2026, its hardware warranties stopped being honoured — a reminder that an installer's brand choices carry real consequences. | An installer who can explain why they fit what they fit, and who drops a brand when its warranty backing fails. | We fit SigEnergy, Fox ESS and GoodWe. We stopped fitting GivEnergy when it entered administration — existing owners can still call us for support. |
| DNO paperwork (G98/G99) | Hampshire sits in SSEN's southern licence area. Systems up to 3.68kW per phase need a G98 notification; anything larger — including many solar-plus-battery combinations, depending on total export capacity — needs G99 approval from SSEN before the install is energised. Skipped paperwork can mean a system you're not allowed to switch on. | The installer names your DNO unprompted and handles the application as part of the job, not as your problem. | Tom handles all G98/G99 paperwork with SSEN, applied for early so it doesn't hold up your install date. |
| Aftercare | Panels last 25+ years. The real test of an installer is who picks up the phone in year three when the app shows a fault. | A named person or direct route to the people who did the work — not a call centre ticket queue. | You get Tom's direct number. The person who fitted your system is the person who answers about it. Maintenance and health checks available. |
If you want the longer version — including the situations where an owner-led installer genuinely isn't the right choice — we've written an honest guide: how to choose the best solar installer in Hampshire.
How Our 30-Mile Radius Works
We work a roughly 30-mile radius from our base in Whiteley, Fareham (PO15). That's a deliberate limit, not a lack of ambition. It means every survey is done in person on your actual roof, scaffolding is arranged locally, and if something needs looking at two years after the install, a visit is a short drive rather than a diary negotiation.
Inside that radius sits most of Hampshire, plus the fringes of south-west West Sussex, south-east Dorset around Christchurch and Bournemouth, southern Surrey, and the Isle of Wight. The biggest patches of our work are around these towns — each has its own page with local detail:
- Solar panels in Southampton — one of our busiest areas, from city terraces to Chilworth and Bassett
- Solar panels in Portsmouth — including the dense terraced streets of Southsea and North End, where scaffolding access takes real planning
- Solar panels in Fareham — our home patch, minutes from base
- Solar panels in Winchester — where conservation areas and listed buildings make design experience matter
- Solar panels in Eastleigh — including Chandler's Ford, Hedge End and the new-build estates around Boorley Green
- Solar panels in Basingstoke — near the northern edge of our radius, and still comfortably reachable for surveys and aftercare
Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, Petersfield, Romsey and dozens of smaller villages all sit well inside the circle too. If you're on the Isle of Wight or just outside the 30 miles, ask anyway — the honest answer is sometimes yes and sometimes "you'd be better served by someone closer," and we'll tell you which.
Owner-Led vs National Installer: What You're Actually Buying
A lot of the solar quotes Hampshire homeowners receive don't come from installers at all. They come from lead-generation websites that collect your details and sell them — often to several companies at once — which is why one form fill can turn into a week of phone calls. There's nothing illegal about that model, but you should know you're in it, because every quote you receive is carrying the cost of buying your name.
We don't buy leads and we don't sell them. If you contact us, the person who replies is the person who'll survey your roof, design the system, do the installation and answer the phone afterwards. That structure has real consequences:
- No commission layer. There's no salesperson paid on the day's signing, so there's no "this price is only valid if you sign today." Our quotes are written and itemised, with no pressure to sign on the spot — take the time to compare them properly.
- The quote survives contact with the roof. When the person designing the system is the person installing it, there's no gap between what was sold and what's buildable. Surprises on install day are rare because the surveyor and installer can't disagree with each other.
- One name on everything. Your MCS certificate, your warranty paperwork and your aftercare contact all point at the same person. Accountability doesn't get diluted through a chain of departments.
Being honest about the trade-off: an owner-led firm can't do twenty installs a week. There's a booking lead time, and if you need a large commercial array delivered to a hard deadline, a bigger firm with multiple crews may genuinely suit you better. For a home or small business system where design quality and long-term accountability matter more than raw speed, the owner-led model is hard to beat — but read what our customers say and judge for yourself, or get in touch and see how the first conversation compares.
Your questions, answered
What should a solar panel quote in Hampshire include?
How far in advance do I need to book my installation?
Is scaffolding included in the price, and who arranges it?
What aftercare do you provide once the system is installed?
Related services & guides
Business premises? See our commercial solar in Hampshire page — system costs by size, AIA year-one tax relief and SSEN G99 handled.