Finding firms
Start with the MCS installer search, filtered by your postcode and by solar PV. MCS certification matters because export payments require an MCS-certified installation. Map listings and recommendations are useful for finding names, but a listing is not a check, and neither is a firm's own claim on its website.
There is no shortage of active firms. The government's cost analysis for 2025/26 includes 28,369 Scottish installations (DESNZ), so it is reasonable to take your time and compare.
When a scheme appoints the firm
Some Scottish households never pick an installer. Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government scheme run by Warmworks, is open to owners and private tenants whose main home has a poor energy rating, a floor area of 230 m² or less and a council tax band from A to G, and where someone in the household meets a qualifying condition, such as a passport benefit like Universal Credit (Home Energy Scotland). For those households Home Energy Scotland makes the referral, a Warmworks assessor visits, and the work goes to a registered installer that Warmworks appoints from its own network, after an offer and a cooling-off period (Warmworks).
If you think you might qualify, speak to Home Energy Scotland before collecting quotes. Be wary of any firm that says it can put you on the scheme: the referral comes from Home Energy Scotland and the installer is chosen by Warmworks. Qualifying does not mean solar, either: the assessor decides what suits the house, and the scheme recorded 1,369 solar PV or battery measures in 2025–26 (gov.scot). Our page on grants and funding in Scotland lists every condition.
Checks before you sign
- MCS certification for solar PV (and batteries, if you want one), checked by the exact company name.
- A consumer code: most MCS installers belong to RECC or HIES, which set rules on selling, deposits and complaints.
- Deposit protection and an insurance-backed workmanship warranty, so you are covered if the firm stops trading.
- Company details on Companies House that match the quote and the MCS record.
- Who does the work, including the electrical sign-off.
What a Scottish quote must cover
| Item | Why it matters in Scotland |
|---|---|
| Size in kW and price per kW | Set it against the Scottish average of £1,944 per kW up to 4 kW and £1,662 from 4 to 10 kW. |
| Planning position | Confirmation that the design fits Class 6HA, or that permission is being sought (listed, conservation front elevation, World Heritage Site). |
| Building warrant | Whether the roof can carry the load, and who applies if strengthening is needed. |
| Tenement agreement | For flats, evidence that the owners have agreed in writing. |
| Grid route | G98 or G99, and whether SP Energy Networks or SSEN is your operator. |
| Generation estimate | An MCS estimate in kWh a year; compare it with our yield by place figures. |
| VAT, deposit and warranties | 0% VAT on installed solar until 31 March 2027; how the deposit is protected; every warranty and who honours it. |
Testing the generation estimate
An MCS quote should state how many kWh a year the system will make. You can sense-check it in a minute: multiply the size in kW by the PVGIS figure for your nearest place and the way your roof faces (PVGIS 5.3), the same European Commission data behind our yield tool for twelve Scottish places. By our arithmetic:
- 4 kW on a south-facing 35° roof in Glasgow comes to about 3,412 kWh a year; the same array in Aberdeen, about 3,572 kWh.
- 4 kW split evenly between east and west slopes in Stirling: about 2,776 kWh.
If a design leaves out a slope you expected to use, ask why: in a conservation area, Class 6HA keeps panels off any slope facing a road, as our planning permission guide explains. The quote will not match exactly: it uses a different method and should allow for shading on your roof. A forecast well above the PVGIS figure for your area is still worth a question: ask how it was calculated and what shading was assumed.
Warning signs
- "Government grant" talk for a household that can pay. Home Energy Scotland stopped funding solar PV for applicants sent a link after 6 June 2024 (HES terms); our funding page explains what remains.
- Pressure to sign on the day, or a discount that vanishes if you wait.
- A caller claiming to be from Home Energy Scotland or your council. End the call and contact them yourself using details you have looked up.
- Savings figures with no workings: a credible estimate shows kWh, your use and the tariffs assumed.
- No company number or address, or a name that does not match the MCS record.
If you agree a contract in your own home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 normally give you a 14-day window to cancel, which the firm must set out in writing.
After installation
Expect the MCS certificate, the electrical installation certificate, confirmation that the network operator has been notified or has agreed the connection, and all warranty documents. Keep them together: you need the MCS certificate for export payments, as our export guide explains, and a buyer's solicitor will ask for the paperwork if you sell. For prices before you start, see solar costs in Scotland.
If something goes wrong
Put the problem to the firm in writing first, and keep copies, photographs and dates. If that does not settle it, the consumer code the firm belongs to, RECC or HIES, has its own complaints procedure. For advice on your rights, Scotland has its own service: consumeradvice.scot, run by Advice Direct Scotland, a Scottish charity that helps with disputes with traders, including building work at home.
The Scottish court route for smaller disputes is simple procedure in the sheriff court. It covers claims worth £5,000 or less, and you can represent yourself without a solicitor (Citizens Advice Scotland). A 4 kW system at the Scottish average of £1,944 per kW costs more than that limit, by our arithmetic, so the protections you check before signing, deposit protection and an insurance-backed warranty, matter more than any claim afterwards.