The Dover investment case
Dover roofs point in every direction because the housing stock is layered. A south-facing pitch above 25 degrees is the sweet spot; anywhere from south-east to south-west works well. East-only and west-only can still stack, but the sizing changes.
Typical 3-bed detached with 4kW south-facing on a 30-degree pitch will produce about 3,600 to 4,000kWh/year in Kent. With a 5kWh battery you self-consume around 70% of that; with a 10kWh battery closer to 90%. At current Octopus Flux export rates and standard import rates, payback is 7 to 10 years on a well-sized system.
What we install
- Panels: Longi Hi-MO 6 or JA Solar N-type (Tier 1 mono, 25-year performance warranty)
- Inverter: GivEnergy Gen3 hybrid, Fox ESS H1, or SolarEdge if per-panel optimisation is needed
- Battery: GivEnergy AC (5, 8.2, 9.5 or 13.5kWh), Tesla Powerwall 3, or Fox ESS ECS
- DC isolators, AC isolators, DC surge protection, generation meter, RCD protection to Amdt 2:2022
- MCS certificate issued on completion (required for SEG export payments)
- DNO notification - G98 for inverters up to 3.68kW, G99 for anything larger
Conservation area and AONB constraint
Roof-mounted solar is permitted development in England, except when: the property is Listed, the array projects more than 200mm from the roof plane, the array is on a wall in a conservation area, or the property is in a National Park / AONB and the array is on a principal or side elevation visible from the highway.
In Dover terms:
- Castle Ward CA (seafront and Castle approaches): principal-elevation solar needs planning
- Western Heights CA: same rule
- Kent Downs AONB (St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Kingsdown, Ringwould): principal or side-elevation visible from the highway needs planning
- Rear elevations everywhere: permitted development, no planning needed
If your property needs planning, we can package the application with panel-plane drawings, colour photographs, and heritage impact statement. Typical fee £206 for householder, 8 weeks determination.
Pricing
Solar and battery is quoted per property after a site visit. Panel type, roof pitch, orientation, existing consumer unit, battery size, DNO capacity and any conservation-area or AONB heritage work all move the number, and a real quote reflects the actual system that will be installed. MCS certification, DNO notification and SEG paperwork are included in every quote as standard scope. VAT on domestic solar and battery is currently zero-rated to 31 March 2027 under the Energy-Saving Materials scheme; the quote reflects that.
What about VAT?
Solar PV and battery storage installed together on a domestic property are zero-rated for VAT until March 2027. We do not add VAT to the invoice on a domestic install.
Timing
Survey: 1 hour on-site plus a couple of days for the design. Install: 2 to 3 days for a standard 4kW-plus-battery job. G98 notification same day; G99 (larger arrays) 4 to 8 weeks.