About South East Solar Network
A network of vetted, MCS-accredited solar installers covering every postcode in the South East of England.
Why we started
We launched South East Solar Network in 2019 because too many UK homeowners were being hit with sky-high quotes, sales-led specifications and one-size-fits-all packages that ignored their roof, their consumption and their goals. The solar industry grew faster than the consumer protections around it, and the result was a market where two homeowners next door to each other could be quoted £4,000 apart for the same kit.
We built a single, regional network of installers we'd put our own families with — and a free matching service that connects a homeowner to the one firm best suited to their specific job, not five firms competing on price alone.
How we vet installers
Every installer in our network is audited against eight criteria before they join: MCS accreditation, RECC or HIES consumer-code membership, current public liability and professional indemnity insurance, a track record of at least 100 completed residential installs, three independent customer references, financial stability checks via Companies House, warranty length on workmanship and complaints history (we read every Trustpilot, Google and TrustMark review). We re-vet each partner annually and remove any firm whose complaints record slips.
This is why we only operate in the South East. Vetting properly takes time, and we'd rather know fifty installers well than five hundred superficially.
One quote, not five
When you request a quote we don't sell your details to a panel of competing firms. We match you to one installer whose specialism, current capacity, panel/inverter brands and pricing band genuinely fit your job. You get a single, honest quote and a single, accountable installer — no spam calls, no pressure, no race-to-the-bottom pricing that gets recouped later with shortcuts on cabling, scaffolding or commissioning.
If for any reason the match doesn't feel right after your initial call, tell us and we'll rematch you free of charge.
How we make money
We charge our partner installers a small referral fee on completed work — never homeowners. Our quotes, surveys and advice are always free. We do not earn more by recommending a bigger system, a more expensive battery, or a different brand of inverter, which keeps our advice on the homeowner's side of the table.
What we cover
Residential solar panel installation, hybrid and AC-coupled battery storage, solar-aware EV charger installation, system repairs and inverter replacements, maintenance and cleaning, and commercial rooftop solar up to around 50 kWp. We cover Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight and Essex.
Where we're based
Our head office sits in Wick, Littlehampton (BN17 7TL). From there we coordinate enquiries, vetting and customer aftercare across the region, while installs are delivered by our local partners in your own postcode.
Our numbers, honestly stated
Since 2019 we've supported over 1,200 residential installs across the South East, adding roughly 5.4 MWp of rooftop solar and 8.1 MWh of battery storage to the region's housing stock. Combined lifetime bill savings for our customers are on track to exceed £1.7m by the end of 2026, and cumulative avoided CO₂ emissions sit at roughly 2,900 tonnes and rising by around 60 tonnes per month.
We publish those figures because too many solar sales pitches lean on invented traffic numbers or unverifiable "customer" counts. Ours can all be reconciled against MCS-database entries and DNO G98/G99 filings, and we're happy to walk any homeowner through the methodology.
What being MCS-accredited actually means
MCS (the Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the UK-government-backed quality standard for residential renewable installations. It sets prescriptive requirements for panel specification, installer competence, design methodology (using MCS-compliant PVGIS yield calculations), electrical safety and post-install commissioning. Only MCS-certified installs qualify for the Smart Export Guarantee, so a non-MCS install typically loses £150-£350 a year of export income for its entire lifetime.
Every installer in our network holds live MCS accreditation for solar PV, and additionally for battery storage where they offer it — we verify this against the MCS public database at partner onboarding and annually thereafter.
Our editorial and content policy
Every guide, cost figure and calculator assumption on this site is written or reviewed by a member of our in-house team with direct install experience. Prices are re-benchmarked quarterly against actual quotes issued across the network. Where we cite third-party research (Solar Energy UK, Ofgem, PVGIS, MCS, DESNZ) we link the source. We do not accept sponsored content, paid product placements or affiliate commissions from panel, inverter or battery manufacturers — our brand recommendations reflect real-world install and warranty-claim experience across our partner base.
FAQs
About South East Solar Network
When was South East Solar Network founded and who runs it?
South East Solar Network was founded in 2019 by a team drawn from residential renewables, electrical engineering and consumer-protection backgrounds. The head office is in Wick, Littlehampton, and the leadership team collectively has more than 60 years of experience across solar PV, energy storage, electrical contracting and RECC / MCS compliance.
Are you a solar installer or a lead generator?
Neither of the standard categories fits us cleanly. We're a vetted network operator: we run the vetting, matching, aftercare and complaints escalation, and our partner installers deliver the physical install work. Unlike traditional lead-generation sites, we never sell your details to a panel of five competing firms — you get matched to one installer whose specialism, capacity, brands and pricing genuinely fit your job.
How do you vet the installers in your network?
Every installer is audited against eight criteria before joining and re-audited annually: MCS accreditation, RECC or HIES consumer-code membership, current public liability and professional indemnity insurance (min £2m and £1m respectively), a track record of at least 100 residential installs, three independent customer references, Companies House financial-stability checks, workmanship warranty length, and full complaints-history review across Trustpilot, Google and TrustMark. Any partner whose complaints record slips is removed.
What happens if something goes wrong with my install?
The MCS certification, RECC consumer-code protection and workmanship warranty all come from your matched installer, so they are the first line of accountability. If you can't reach resolution direct, we escalate on your behalf — we have leverage as a source of future work that individual customers don't. In the rare event a partner refuses to make good, we'll fund an independent MCS engineer to inspect and quote the remedial work.
Do you charge homeowners for quotes, surveys or advice?
No. Quotes, roof surveys, calculators and advice are always free for homeowners. We charge our partner installers a small referral fee only on completed work, which keeps our advice on the homeowner's side of the table — we don't earn more by recommending a bigger system, a more expensive battery or a particular brand.
Which counties and postcodes do you cover?
We cover Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight and Essex — every postcode across the South East of England. Full county and town coverage is listed on our Areas page.
Do you install commercial systems as well as domestic?
Yes — we cover commercial rooftop solar, agricultural buildings and community projects up to around 500 kWp through the same vetted network. Anything larger we still quote, but we bring in specialist EPC contractors from outside the residential network.
How long has the average installer been in your network?
The average partner has been with us for over 4 years and has completed 300+ residential installs during that time. New partners go through a 6-month probation window during which we manually review every customer feedback score before granting full network status.