Can solar work on your London roof?
Usually, yes, though it depends on four things that are particular to London: roof space, shade, access and who owns the roof.
Checking the roof is free and commits you to nothing. Qualifying homes can use payment options.
A London roof
The useful question is not whether London is sunny enough.
Solar works across the UK, and London is no exception. What varies from one London roof to the next is how much of it you can use and how much light actually reaches it, which is why each estimate comes from the property and not a regional average.
Dull days reduce output without stopping it, so what matters is a full year of generation, and we never promise a fixed payback.
Space, dormers and the neighbours.
Terraces share walls and rooflines, and loft conversions, dormers and rear extensions take space from the slope. Neighbouring buildings and mature trees add shade that shifts with the seasons. We measure what is usable and model the shade, so the design reflects the real roof.
Dormers and extensions
Reduce the usable area on a slope and shape the layout.
Neighbouring buildings
Taller neighbours can shade part of a roof at certain hours.
Trees
Shade varies between winter and summer, and grows over the years.
Scaffolding, narrow streets and parking.
Many London roofs are reached only through the house, or from streets with little room to work. Scaffolding may need a licence, and deliveries may need planning. We look at all of this at the survey, so it shapes the plan and the price from the start.
Freeholder, leasehold or conservation area?
On a freehold house, roof panels are normally permitted development, meaning no planning application, provided they project no further than 200mm from the roof surface and stay below the ridge. Panels on a wall, or facing a road within a conservation area, can need permission, and some conservation areas have an Article 4 Direction that removes the usual rights.
Flats and leasehold homes typically need the freeholder's agreement, and listed buildings need listed building consent. We check what applies to your address before a survey is booked.
No false certainty
Some of this depends on documents we cannot see from here, such as a lease. We tell you what is likely, what to confirm and who to ask, rather than promising an outcome that is not ours to give.
Listed buildings always require listed building consent, wherever they are, because any alteration needs separate approval.
Find out what your London roof could support
Pass on the address, whether it is freehold or leasehold and a sense of the household's electricity use, and we will check the roof.
Free, and no obligation to proceed. Asking about payment options is not a finance application and leaves your credit file alone.
Nobody will push you to continue. Where the property raises a question about permissions, we may raise it with you first.