Servicing · health checks · cleaning · bird-proofing
Solar Panel Servicing and Maintenance
Nothing’s wrong, and you’d like to keep it that way? L&R Renewables carries out an annual health check on solar PV and battery systems from any installer. Any make, anywhere in England, Wales and southern Scotland.
Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm · Clear written quote before any work starts
Solar fault finder
What’s happening with your system?
What make is your inverter?
Roughly how old is the system?
Where is the property?
Leave your details and we’ll be in touch to book your initial visit.
We’ll ring you to talk it through and arrange a convenient time. Your answers above go with your enquiry, so you won’t have to repeat them.
We’ll talk through what’s happening and book your initial visit. If it’s urgent, call 0800 156 0191.
Rather talk now? Call 0800 156 0191 — free from UK landlines and mobiles.
MCS certified
NAPIT registered
TrustMark approved
Fully insured
England, Wales & southern Scotland
When to book
Is a service right for you?
If any of these sounds like your system, it’s worth booking a health check.
Your system hasn’t been checked since it was installed
You’ve bought a home that already had solar panels
Your installer no longer exists, so no one is looking after the system
Generation seems a little lower than it used to be, but nothing is obviously wrong
Your insurer, or a buyer’s solicitor, has asked about the system
A battery has been added and you’d like the whole system checked
There’s been a storm, roof work or bird activity around the panels
What’s included
What a service includes
A service is a thorough inspection and electrical test of the whole system, not just a look at the panels. Every service covers:
01
Panels and fixings
A visual inspection of the panels, frames, mounting and roof fixings, as far as they can be seen safely.
02
Cabling and isolators
Checks on DC and AC cabling, connectors and isolators for damage, water getting in, or signs of overheating.
03
String tests
Voltage and current tests on each string, compared with what the panels should produce.
04
Insulation resistance
Tested on the DC side of the system.
05
The inverter
The error log, operating readings, firmware and ventilation.
06
Generation meter
A generation meter reading, compared with the output the system should be achieving.
07
Protective devices
The protective devices for the solar circuit in the consumer unit.
08
Battery
Where one is fitted: operating status, charging and discharging, and any warnings from the battery management system.
09
Monitoring
Confirmation that the monitoring app or portal is connected and reporting correctly.
10
Service report
The results of every check, written up for you.
Maintenance plans
Solar Maintenance Plans: your yearly service, sorted.
Choose a 5 Year or 10 Year Solar Maintenance Plan and we look after your system every year, whoever fitted it. Each plan year includes one visit: your panels cleaned and the whole system serviced together. Parts and labour for repairs to the equipment on your agreement are included for the whole plan, with no call-out fees. Both plans cover the same things; only the length is different. See what a maintenance plan costs.
The Smart Export Guarantee
How to get paid for the solar you export, and how it fits with the feed-in tariff.
Switching your FIT supplier
Moving your feed-in tariff, supplier failures and fixing stopped payments.
What’s included
One visit every plan year, with panel clean and full system service together
Parts and labour for repairs to the equipment on your agreement, for the whole plan
No call-out fees for faults between visits
Solar panels cleaned
Service and system check of all your equipment: panels, inverter, optimisers, isolators and wiring, and your battery system if you have one
A written report after each visit
Unused visits roll over, so you don’t lose them
Your own My Solar account to book visits, report problems and keep your certificates
Not included
Equipment that isn’t listed on your agreement. If it needs work, we give you a written quote first
Why it matters
Why servicing matters
Generation
Small faults — a loose connector, a string that’s dropped out, an inverter that keeps disconnecting — can quietly cut your output for months before anyone notices. On the feed-in tariff? Our FIT payment check shows whether your payments look low.
Safety
Damaged DC connectors and isolators can overheat. Testing finds them before they become a problem.
Insurance and warranties
Some insurers and manufacturers expect a system to be maintained. A service record is useful evidence if you ever need to make a claim.
Selling your home
Buyers’ solicitors often ask for the MCS certificate, feed-in tariff paperwork and evidence that the system works. A recent service report provides that evidence. See buying or selling a house with solar panels.
Cleaning and bird-proofing
The two jobs most owners put off.
Solar panel cleaning
A service doesn’t normally include cleaning the panels, but if they’re heavily soiled — bird droppings, moss or lichen — we can add a solar panel clean to the same visit. Safe, professional cleaning with a system check included.
Bird-proofing
Pigeons nesting under the panels can damage cabling and leave droppings on the array. We fit mesh around the edge of the array so they can’t get underneath.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises.
01
Book a visit
The form at the top of this page, or a call. Tell us the inverter make and roughly when the system went in.
02
An engineer visits
One of our own engineers — never a subcontractor — anywhere in England, Wales and southern Scotland.
03
Checked and tested
Panels, cabling, inverter, electrical tests, battery and monitoring — the full list above.
04
Your report, in writing
What we found and what it means. If anything needs doing, a clear written quote — and no pressure to do it.
Use the form at the top of this page: choose “Nothing obvious, I’d like it checked” as the first answer, leave your details, and we’ll call you back to arrange a visit. Prefer to talk? Call 0800 156 0191, Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm. You can also reach us through our contact page.
The service report
What the service report looks like
You’ll get a written report setting out the readings we took, the condition of each part of the system, and anything we noticed. It separates what needs attention now from what’s worth keeping an eye on, and it’s written so you can understand it without being an electrician.
What you get in writing
The readings we took
The condition of each part of the system
What needs attention now, and what’s worth keeping an eye on
If anything needs work, a clear written quote before it starts
How often
How often should a system be serviced?
For most homes, once a year is sensible. Older systems, homes near the coast, and roofs where birds are a problem can benefit from closer attention, and we’ll advise you after the first visit. Our guides cover how long solar panels last and what to expect in winter.
Want it done every year without having to remember? On one of our 5 Year or 10 Year Solar Maintenance Plans, your yearly clean and service, visit reports and certificates all sit in your own My Solar customer account, where you book each visit yourself.
Repairs and more
If we find a fault during a service
We explain what we’ve found and what it means, and give you a clear written quote before any work starts. Repairs are carried out by the same in-house engineers — see solar panel repair and inverter repair for how we approach them. We install our own systems too, so we know how these systems fail and what to look for.
Solar panel repair
Diagnosis and repair for the whole system, from any installer.
Solar inverter repair
Error codes, red lights and inverters that keep switching off.
Battery storage
Added to an existing system or fitted with new panels.
Solar PV installation
Designed, installed and commissioned by our own MCS-certified engineers.
Why L&R
Why L&R Renewables
Any installer’s system
Whoever fitted your system, and whether or not they’re still trading, we can service it.
Certified, in-house engineers
We’re MCS and NAPIT registered and TrustMark approved, and we don’t subcontract.
Repair specialists
Diagnosing and fixing solar systems is our core business, so we know what early warning signs look like.
England, Wales & southern Scotland
We cover England, Wales and southern Scotland.
Guides
Useful guides.
Plain-English answers to the questions we’re asked most about looking after a system.
Lost your MCS certificate?
Why you need it, how to get a copy from your installer or MCS, and what to have ready.
Solar panels and home insurance
Whether your policy covers the panels and battery, what’s usually excluded, and how to claim.
How much does servicing cost?
5 and 10 year maintenance plans: what they cost and what’s included. Parts and labour are covered.
Can solar panels catch fire?
How common solar fires are, what causes them, and the warning signs to look for.
Feed-in tariff rates 2026/27
This year’s generation and export rates, and how long your payments last.
Solar panel maintenance
Our 21-point checklist, and what you can safely check from the ground.
How to clean solar panels
When panels need cleaning, and how to do it safely from the ground.
Feed-in tariff meter readings
How to read your generation meter and send readings to your FIT supplier.
How long do solar panels last?
What to expect over 25 years or more, and which parts wear out first.
Do solar panels work in winter?
What panels make in the darker months, and what snow and frost do to them.
Buying or selling a house with solar panels
The paperwork and checks that matter when a house comes with panels.
How much electricity should solar panels generate?
What a healthy system makes each month, and how to tell a fault from the weather.
In-roof vs on-roof solar panels
The pros and cons of each, and what to do about water in the loft.
Do solar panels work in a power cut?
Why panels switch off, what backup can do, and what to check afterwards.
Questions
The things people ask before they ring.
Not answered here? Call 0800 156 0191, Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm.
Do solar panels really need servicing?
Solar systems are low-maintenance, but they’re not no-maintenance. Faults in connectors, isolators and inverters often don’t show until output has already dropped, and a regular check catches them early. It also gives you a record of the system’s condition, which helps with insurance, warranty claims and selling your home. Our solar panel maintenance guide lists the 21 checks we make.
My installer has gone bust. Who services my system now?
We do. We don’t need the original installer’s involvement, and the service report gives you an up-to-date record of the system.
How long does a service take?
It depends on the size of the system and whether there’s a battery. We’ll give you an idea of how long to allow when we book the visit.
Do you need to go on the roof?
Many of the checks are carried out at the inverter, isolators, meter and consumer unit. If something points to a problem on the roof, we’ll explain what’s needed to inspect it safely before any roof work goes ahead.
Will a service affect my panel or inverter warranty?
An inspection and test by a qualified engineer shouldn’t affect a manufacturer’s warranty, but terms vary between manufacturers, so it’s worth checking your warranty documents. A record of maintenance can also help if you ever need to make a claim.
Can you service my battery as well as the panels?
Yes. Where a battery is fitted, we check how it’s operating, charging and discharging, and look for any warnings from its management system as part of the same service.
Do you cover my area?
Our engineers cover England, Wales and southern Scotland. Wherever your system is, tell us the postcode and we’ll confirm cover.
Ready when you are
Book a health check.
Any installer’s system, any make. We’ll call you back to book the visit. Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm.