Solar Panel Installer Warrington (an independent guide) › Rules
Connecting solar panels to the grid in Warrington
Warrington sits on the boundary between two electricity network operators, which is unusual. In practice the rules are the same for both, and your installer does the paperwork. Here is who covers where and what the process involves.
Two operators in one borough
Your supplier sells you electricity; the distribution network operator owns the cables and substations that bring it to your street. Most towns have one. Warrington's climate emergency strategy names two: Scottish Power Energy Networks, whose Manweb area covers Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales, and Electricity North West, which covers most of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria.
To see where the boundary falls, we overlaid the national map of licence areas, published by the National Energy System Operator, on the borough's council wards.
| Area | Mainly served by |
|---|---|
| Birchwood | Electricity North West (about 90% of the ward) |
| Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft | Electricity North West (about 78%) |
| Rixton and Woolston | Split, mostly Electricity North West (about 55%) |
| Town centre, Great Sankey, Penketh, Westbrook, Stockton Heath, Appleton, Grappenhall, Lymm and the rest | SP Energy Networks |
Our overlay of NESO's GB DNO licence areas on ONS ward boundaries (December 2024): about 78% of the borough's area is SP Energy Networks and 22% Electricity North West. It is an estimate, not an official list; check your own address with the operators or your installer.
G98: connect and notify
Both operators work to the same national engineering rules. SP Energy Networks describes G98 as applying to small generators of under 3.68 kW per phase, and G99 to larger ones. Most Warrington homes have a single-phase supply, so if the inverter can export no more than 3.68 kW, the installer connects the system and notifies the network operator afterwards. That covers most systems of up to about 4 kW of panels, which usually have a 3.6 kW or similar inverter.
G99: apply first
Bigger systems, or a battery with its own inverter added to existing panels, may exceed the limit. Then the installer applies under G99 and waits for approval, which can take weeks. The operator may approve as it is, ask for an export limit that caps what the system sends to the grid, or, rarely, need work on the local network. Ask at the quoting stage whether your system needs G99 and how long the installer expects it to take.
Batteries and the limit
A battery discharges through an inverter, so it counts towards the total. A hybrid inverter running both panels and battery keeps the total within one rating; a separate battery inverter adds to it. See adding a battery.
Meters and export payments
To be paid under the Smart Export Guarantee you need an MCS certificate and a meter that records exports, normally a smart meter. Your supplier, not the network operator, pays for exports. Many installers also fit a generation meter that records everything the panels make, for your own monitoring.
In a power cut
A grid-connected system switches itself off when the grid goes down, so that engineers working on the network are safe. If you want some power during a cut, you need a battery and an inverter with a backup function, which is a separate feature to ask about.
Questions to put to the installer about the connection
- Which operator covers my address, and how did you confirm it? This matters most near the boundary, in Birchwood, Culcheth, Glazebury, Croft, Rixton and Woolston.
- Is my supply single-phase, and what is the inverter's export rating?
- Does the system fall under G98, or do you need to apply under G99 before switching it on? If G99, how long do you expect the approval to take, and will the work be scheduled around it?
- If the operator sets an export limit, how will it be set in the inverter, and how much of the year's output do you expect it to hold back?
- If I add a battery later, will that need a fresh notification or application, and will the inverter you are fitting now keep it simple?
- Will I get a copy of the notification or approval for my records?
Clear answers at the quoting stage help you avoid an awkward gap at the end of the job: panels on the roof and wired in, but still waiting for the operator's approval before they can be switched on.
What to keep
After installation you should have the G98 notification or G99 approval, the inverter settings including any export limit, and labelled isolators for the panels and any battery. Keep them with the MCS certificate; see after installation.
Where to go next
Where these figures come from
Questions about the grid
Who is my electricity network operator in Warrington?
For most of the borough, SP Energy Networks. Birchwood, much of Culcheth and Glazebury, and part of Rixton and Woolston fall mainly in Electricity North West's area. Your installer or the network operators' postcode tools can confirm it for your address.
Does it matter which operator I am with?
Not much. Both follow the same national rules: small systems are connected and notified under G98, larger ones need G99 approval first. It only matters that the installer notifies the right company.
Do I need permission to connect solar panels?
Not for most home systems. If the inverters can export no more than 3.68 kW per phase, the installer connects the system and notifies the network operator. Larger systems need an application and approval before connection.
Got a solar quote you are not sure about?
Send us the figures, or the question on your mind, with your Warrington postcode. The message comes to SEO-DONS LTD, the company behind this independent guide, and we answer by email. There is no charge and no obligation of any kind.
What happens next
- Fill in the form; a full postcode tells us which part of the borough you are in.
- We look at what you sent and answer by email, with the figures and sources that apply.
- What you do next, and which firm you choose, is entirely up to you.