About solarpanelsforbusinesses.co.uk
UK specialists in solar panels for businesses. MCS-certified. NICEIC-registered. IWA-backed.
Who we are
solarpanelsforbusinesses.co.uk is an independent commercial solar information site published by SEO Dons Ltd, the UK search and content consultancy led by Donovan Fawcett. We are not an installer. We do not design, supply, install or commission solar PV systems, we hold no installer accreditations of our own, and we have no engineering team. What we publish is desk research for UK SMEs weighing up a commercial solar project: cost and yield modelling, grant and compliance explainers, and sector-by-sector guidance. Our registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ (Company No. 16766013).
Why we focus on UK SMEs
Most commercial solar installers either chase mega-projects (multi-MW ground-mount sites for utility developers) or stay in residential. The 25 kW–500 kW SME segment — the businesses that pay £20,000 to £200,000 a year for grid electricity and would benefit most from solar — is repeatedly under-served. Quoting is generic. Sales pressure is heavy. Financial modelling is shallow. Post-install support is patchy. This site exists to make that segment easier to navigate. A quote worth having is grounded in your half-hourly meter data and a real yield model, not a postcode estimate. A proposal worth comparing sets out PPA, asset finance and capital purchase side by side, rather than the single route a salesperson is incentivised to push. Those are the two things to insist on.
What we are, and what we are not
We are a publisher, not a contractor: no engineers, no vans, no accreditations of our own. The installer you appoint should hold MCS commercial certification and approved-contractor status with an electrical competent-person scheme (NICEIC or NAPIT), and should be working to the 18th Edition wiring regulations — all of which you can check on the scheme registers rather than take on trust. A competent installer will also co-ordinate the DNO application, structural and asbestos surveys on pre-2000 buildings, scaffolding, and council planning where listed-building consent or conservation-area restrictions apply. If you would rather start with the numbers than a sales visit, that is what this site is for.
Our approach: model-driven, manufacturer-independent, transparent
Nothing here is tied to a single panel manufacturer or inverter brand. The kit that suits most commercial sites is Tier 1 panels (JA Solar, Trina, REC, or LONGi for most commercial work), Tier 1 inverters (SolarEdge, Huawei, SMA, Fronius), and certified mounting systems (K2, Renusol, Schletter, or in-house engineered for non-standard roofs). We share the full PVSyst model and DCF spreadsheet with every quote so your accountant or finance team can audit the numbers. We don't use bait-and-switch deposit models. We don't bury contingencies in change orders.
Insurance-backed warranty
Ask any installer for a 10-year IWA (Insurance-backed Warranty Association) insurance-backed workmanship warranty. It is independent of any manufacturer warranty (panels are typically 25-year output warranty plus 12-25-year product warranty depending on brand) and gives your premises insurer the assurance they need to continue cover with no friction. We don't sell self-insured warranties — they're worthless if the installer goes out of business.
What separates a serious proposal from a generic pitch
Three things separate a serious commercial proposal from a typical solar pitch. First: modelling from real half-hourly meter data, not desk estimates from postcode and roof area. The difference is typically 15–25% in self-consumption assumptions — and self-consumption is the single biggest driver of SME solar IRR. Second: we include three financing options as standard. PPA, asset finance, and cash-with-AIA each fit different SME profiles, and a finance director needs to compare them rather than be sold one. Third: if your site doesn't suit solar, we'll tell you upfront and walk away. We've turned down several quotes in the last 12 months for buildings whose roofs were structurally unsuitable, lease terms too short, or grid constraints too tight to make the economics work. We'd rather walk away than damage our review record with a marginal install.