Solar, storage and EV charging in Padworth, Berkshire

The brief

The homeowner wanted a more complete home energy system — one that made better use of the electricity generated on the roof, cut reliance on grid electricity, and left room for both household use and charging an electric car.

Rather than treating each product as a separate installation, we designed solar, storage, EV charging and water heating to work together as one setup.

Working with the existing roof

The property has an established tiled roof made up of several sections, with a chimney and limited uninterrupted space. The array had to be positioned around those existing features while still making effective use of the area available.

Mounting equipment went on securely before the panels were positioned and connected, and the job was completed without unnecessarily altering the character of the roof.

Solar PV

Panels were installed across the suitable elevations to generate electricity directly from daylight. Careful positioning used the available roof space efficiently while keeping a clean finished appearance. Once installed, the array was connected into the wider home energy system and fully tested during commissioning.

Battery storage

An energy storage system was installed externally alongside the property. It holds electricity generated by the panels for use later in the day, rather than the household relying on generation at the exact moment it happens — which gives more control over how solar is used and reduces how much has to be bought from the grid.

Dedicated AC and DC isolation equipment was fitted alongside it for safe operation, maintenance and emergency isolation.

EV charging

A charger went onto the external brickwork in a convenient position for the car. Integrating it with the solar and storage means more of the charging can come from electricity generated at the property rather than entirely from the grid.

Surplus diverter for hot water

The installation also includes a solar diverter. When suitable surplus solar is available, it sends that energy towards heating water instead of letting it go unused — another practical way of raising the share of generation used inside the house.

Testing and commissioning

With the installation complete, the electrical system was tested and commissioned: checks across the solar generation system, electrical protection, isolation equipment and associated components, before the system was handed over in normal operation.