Solar and battery in Deal.
Deal gets about 1,650 sunshine hours a year - a shade above the UK average, comparable to Eastbourne. A typical south-facing 4kWp array on a Deal semi generates around 3,800 to 4,200 kWh a year. Combined with a 5 to 10kWh battery on an Octopus Flux or Intelligent Go tariff, that shifts a large share of a household's grid consumption to off-peak and self-generated.
The economics look different on the second-home market that dominates Middle Street and parts of Beach Street. Weekender homes with 200 to 300 kWh a month use profile don't self-consume enough to justify the array on payback alone - but a smart battery on a time-of-use tariff, arbitraging cheap off-peak into evening high-price windows, does the numbers. We size for the actual usage pattern, not a spreadsheet default.
The MCS install.
Every solar PV install is delivered under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - the UK's residential solar quality mark and the gate to Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments from your electricity retailer. MCS covers panel selection, mounting design, inverter sizing, DC and AC isolation, string design and roof-load assessment.
DNO notification is G98 for arrays up to 3.68kW per phase and G99 above that. Almost every modern 4kWp or larger install is G99. As with EV chargers, we handle the UK Power Networks Southern paperwork.
Roofs and conservation areas.
Middle Street, Upper Walmer, Nelson Street and South Barracks conservation areas restrict permitted development on front-facing roof slopes. Rear-slope arrays are usually acceptable subject to visibility from the street. Listed buildings - and there are around 300 listed structures in Deal alone - need listed-building consent, which is a separate consent from planning. On a Grade II Middle Street terrace the answer is often "rear slope only, no visible cabling on the front elevation, and consult the conservation officer first."
We survey the roof (pitch, orientation, shading, tile type, purlin condition), model the array in an MCS-compliant tool, produce a design pack for the DDC pre-application, and quote once the design is achievable.
Battery pairings.
Common Deal installations pair a 4-6kWp array with a 5-10kWh AC-coupled battery (GivEnergy, Tesla Powerwall, Sonnen, Solax) via a hybrid inverter. Batteries can be retrofitted to existing solar. We can also install AC-only battery systems on properties without solar - useful for time-of-use tariff arbitrage on second homes.
Pricing.
Solar and battery is quoted per property after a site visit. Panel type, roof pitch, orientation, existing consumer unit, battery size, DNO capacity and any Middle Street or Beach Street conservation-area consent scope all move the number, and a real quote reflects the actual system that will be installed. VAT on domestic solar and battery is currently zero-rated to 31 March 2027 under the Energy-Saving Materials scheme; the quote reflects that.