Solar Panel Installer Warrington (an independent guide) › Guides

Solar terms explained

Solar quotes and council pages use a lot of shorthand. Here is each term in plain English, with what it means in Warrington where that matters.

Every figure below was checked at its source on 3 November 2026. Written by SEO Dons; this guide does not sell or fit panels.

Array: All the panels on a roof together.
Battery-ready (hybrid) inverter: An inverter that can run panels and a battery, so a battery can be added later without buying a second inverter.
Consumer code: A trade code approved for consumer protection. Solar installers usually belong to RECC or HIES, which set rules on selling, contracts, deposits and disputes.
Conservation area: An area protected for its character. Warrington has 16. Panels on walls or balconies facing the road there need planning permission.
DNO (distribution network operator): The company that runs the local wires. Warrington has two: SP Energy Networks and Electricity North West.
EPC: Energy Performance Certificate: a home's energy rating from A (best) to G. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is for homes rated D to G.
Export limit: A setting that caps how much power a system can send to the grid at once, sometimes required under G99.
G98: The process for connecting small generators of up to 3.68 kW per phase: connect first, then notify the network operator.
G99: The process for larger generators: apply to the network operator and wait for approval before connecting.
Insurance-backed warranty: A workmanship warranty backed by an insurer, so it can still be claimed if the installer stops trading.
Inverter: Converts the panels' direct current into the alternating current used in the home.
kWp (kilowatt-peak): A system's rated power under standard test conditions. "4 kWp" and "4 kW" mean the same on a quote.
kWh (kilowatt-hour): A unit of energy, the thing your bill charges for. A south roof in Warrington makes about 940 kWh per kWp a year.
MCS: The Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which certifies installers by technology. Only MCS installations can be paid for exports.
MCS 012: The MCS standard for mounting kits on pitched roofs, covering wind uplift and weathertightness.
MIS 3002: The MCS installation standard for solar panels; version 6.0 was issued in March 2026.
Optimiser: A small device on each panel that limits the effect of shading on one panel on the rest.
Permitted development: Building work allowed without a planning application, within national conditions. Most roof panels on houses qualify.
Price per kW: The quote price divided by the system size. The 2025/26 North West average was about £1,800 per kW for systems up to 4 kW.
PVGIS: The European Commission's solar model, which estimates output anywhere from satellite data; used for this site's output figures.
Self-use: The share of what the panels make that you use as it is made, rather than export.
Smart Export Guarantee (SEG): The rule that large suppliers must offer a payment above zero for electricity exported from an MCS installation.
Switch Together: The group-buying scheme run by iChoosr with Warrington, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester councils.
Warm Homes: Local Grant: A means-tested government grant for improving less efficient homes, run in Warrington through a Cheshire East-led consortium.
Warm Homes Loan Scheme: Loans for energy measures from approved lenders at reduced interest; a loan, not a grant.

Meet a term in a quote that is not here? Send it through the form and we will explain it by email.

Where to go next

Where these figures come from

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.

Your name Email

Postcode Phone (optional)

What do you need help with?

Add details about the house or the quote (optional)

Do you own the property? Roughly when are you looking to act?

What does your quote say, or what would you like to know?

Details sent here go to SEO-DONS LTD, publisher of Solar Panel Installer Warrington, and are used only to answer you by email. Despite its name, this site is an independent guide, not an installer, Warrington Borough Council or any scheme's administrator. See our privacy notice.