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Solar guide

What is included in a solar survey?

A solar PV survey pack should make roof layout, shading context, electrical evidence, and install constraints clear before design starts. The exact contents depend on scope, but the useful packs all answer the same practical questions early.

Solar PV survey packs from £200 · Roof and electrical evidence organised for office, design, and install review · Optional drone imagery where agreed in scope.

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Guide

What a strong solar survey usually includes

Roof evidence

Core roof context

  • Wide roof photos showing usable array areas, orientation, pitch, and the parts of the roof that cannot be used.
  • Obstructions, roof windows, chimneys, dormers, and shading points recorded clearly enough for layout review.
  • Access notes that affect scaffold planning, ladder positions, or the practicality of later install stages.
  • Drone imagery where it is agreed in scope and helps give a clearer record of the roof context.
Electrical review

Electrical and install context

  • Meter, cut-out, consumer unit, and obvious electrical constraints documented where they affect design or install planning.
  • Inverter and battery-location notes, cable-route observations, and access limitations captured in the same pack.
  • Photos and notes grouped so the office is not chasing the surveyor back for basic clarification.
Scope dependent

Outputs that depend on scope

  • Measured roof details or extra imagery where the installer needs deeper design support.
  • Thermal, drone, or layout-support evidence where those additions are agreed before survey day.
  • Additional notes for awkward roofs, mixed roof coverings, or access-sensitive properties.
  • Pack structure that keeps standard outputs and scope additions in one usable record.
Pack structure

What the pack should show section by section

Outside

Roof and access record

  • Property overview and elevation context.
  • Roof zones that could support panels and the areas that should be treated with caution.
  • Notes on access, scaffold implications, and anything that affects the install route.
Inside

Plant and routing context

  • Likely inverter and battery locations where those form part of the service.
  • Cable-route constraints, loft or cupboard context, and the details that make later planning easier.
  • Notes that stay tied to the photos instead of being lost in one long observations field.
Electrical

Supply evidence

  • Incoming supply, meter, and consumer unit photos that are usable after the visit.
  • Obvious limits or unknowns surfaced early enough for office and design review.
  • Electrical evidence captured as part of the same survey record, not as a separate chase later.
Avoid rework

What is not enough on its own

Weak evidence

A lot of photos with little context

If the pack does not make roof zones, obstructions, and access routes obvious, the design team is still doing detective work after the survey.

Late surprises

Electrical unknowns discovered after quoting

Missing intake or consumer-unit evidence often turns into re-questions, delayed design review, or awkward conversations after the quote is already out.

Broken handoff

Notes that do not map to the evidence

The next team should be able to follow the survey record quickly. If the notes and photos do not line up, the pack is still costing time.

Useful next pages

Related pages and proof

Solar PV surveysSolar survey checklistSolar case studyDeliverablesSample packSolar survey pricing
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