Solar & Energy FAQs

A full turnkey project covers the site survey (often by drone), system design and ROI modelling, planning and DNO applications, panel and inverter procurement, installation by our approved engineers, commissioning to G99 and MCS standards, and post-install monitoring. One named project manager handles the job from first enquiry to handover.

KMM is a nationwide energy consultancy. Our registered head office is at Office 1, Edgefield House, North Muskham, Newark NG23 6ES, with a secondary office at Lime Kiln Farm, Gloucester. We have surveyor coverage from Newark, Cannock, Swindon, Gloucester and Newquay, and a large UK network of trusted installer partners — including hubs in Runcorn, Sheffield, Swansea and Plymouth — covering every sector and every region. We support clients across the United Kingdom with the same bespoke design and ROI-led approach.

Most commercial roof projects between 50kWp and 250kWp are designed and installed inside 12 weeks from contract signature, with the on-roof phase typically running 2 to 4 weeks. Ground-mount and projects requiring G99 grid offers can extend to 6–9 months end-to-end because of DNO timelines.

Yes. KMM submits G98, G99 and G100 export-limitation applications on your behalf, manages the back-and-forth with your local DNO — NGED (formerly Western Power Distribution), UK Power Networks, SP Energy Networks, SSEN or Northern Powergrid — and negotiates the grid offer where capacity is the bottleneck. For complex reinforcement scenarios, KMM partners with Crown Utilities on Grid Upgrade Support.

Commercial solar PV typically pays back in 2–5 years on the right site with the right design — driven by ownership, self-consumption ratio, tariff context and Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) tax relief on capital expenditure. Domestic systems with batteries typically pay back in 5–10 years on current SEG tariffs and the right tariff strategy. Every KMM project is ROI-modelled against the customer's actual data — we don't quote generic payback figures.

KMM supports capex purchase (typically the strongest ROI for UK businesses with AIA tax relief), Barclays green cashback, Nationwide green loans, 0% domestic lending, and asset finance over 1–15 year terms. We model the funding options side-by-side and recommend the route that maximises your return — KMM doesn't promote PPA or third-party-ownership models because they sacrifice asset value and energy independence.

KMM partners with MCS-certified installation engineers for every domestic project, ensuring you stay eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee and any grant scheme that requires MCS evidence. Commercial G99 projects above 50kW do not require MCS but follow the same engineering standards.

Drone capture replaces ladder and scaffolding access on the survey phase. We get accurate roof measurements, identify shading from chimneys or neighbouring buildings, and produce a 3D plot of the site without a single person on the roof. It is safer, cheaper and faster than a traditional pitched-roof survey.

Yes — KMM plants a tree with the Woodland Trust for every solar installation we complete. It is a small but durable offset of the embodied carbon in the panels and ties our business to the long-term ecological benefit of going solar.

KMM models the funding options that maximise customer ROI and asset ownership. Standard routes: capex purchase (typically the strongest TCO when combined with Annual Investment Allowance tax relief), asset finance over 1–15 year terms, Barclays green cashback, Nationwide green loans, and 0% domestic lending where available. KMM does not promote PPA or third-party-ownership routes — they sacrifice asset value and long-term energy independence.

Yes — every domestic and commercial system KMM installs is designed to be battery-ready. We size the inverter, leave the cabling and isolators in place, and you can bolt batteries on later without re-doing the electrical work.

No. Solar PV is incompatible with thatch — fire risk and structural integration are insurmountable. We refuse this work and tell every enquirer the same.

Yes, but you need to inform your home or business insurer of the install. Most insurers do not increase the premium for solar PV; some may slightly increase it for battery installations.

On owner-occupied sales, yes — a recent Hamptons analysis shows around 2.3% capital uplift on average for homes with solar. The uplift is greater for higher-spec installations with battery and EV charging.

The system transfers with the property. If the system is finance-funded, the finance also transfers (or the seller can settle the finance from the sale proceeds). Most buyers see solar as a positive feature.

Yes. We use ballasted east-west arrays on flat roofs — no roof penetrations — typically generating around 85% of what an equivalent pitched-roof installation would produce.

No. Solar PV requires daylight. The night-time load can be met from a battery system charged during the day.

A hybrid inverter handles both the solar PV and the battery on one device, with a single grid connection. It is more efficient than a separate PV inverter + battery inverter setup, and it is now the standard for new domestic installations.

Yes, but only if your original inverter has spare DC capacity. We always size inverters with at least 25% headroom for this reason on every domestic install.

Lead-acid batteries are obsolete for residential solar. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries last 4× longer per pound spent. No reputable installer fits lead-acid in 2026.

Yes — every install includes web and smartphone monitoring of generation, consumption, battery state and export. The monitoring is free for life of the install.

A standard 4kWp install is 1–2 days. Add 1 day for a battery. Total time from contract signature to live system is typically 3–6 weeks (mostly waiting on DNO notification).

Yes — we have worked with housing associations on partial portfolio rollouts. The economics are more complex than owner-occupier because the tenant gets the benefit but the landlord pays the capex; we structure that with a tenant-energy-cost-share model.