Save the PLANET, REDUCE your bills and get PAID for having SOLAR ENERGY
Smart Pv is a Micro-generation approved contractor and has been assessed for the supply design, installation and commission of Solar Photovoltaic systems. We have an enviable mix of both electrical and construction skills to provide you with an aesthetically pleasing job of the highest quality. We have the vital experience and resources necessary to ensure we meet the individual needs of our customers and whilst we are relatively small, we ensure we provide a quality service and a personalized level of customer satisfaction that our larger competitors can rarely achieve.
Why choose us?
There has been a massive increase in the number of solar PV installations undertaken in the last year or two, but it remains important that standards are maintained in the quality of design and installation projects.
There is now growing concern about the lack of involvement from roofers in these installations particularly in retrofit (domestic) projects. A large proportion of Micro generation Certification Scheme installers are from the electrical contracting industry, with little or no experience of roofing. This has the potential to cause a number of problems.
Solar PV installers should always be certified under the MCS and should have signed the REAL Assurance Code, which is an office of Fair Trading code of practice but ensuring the installation of a solar PV system meets a high standard doesn’t finish there. Although solar PV is an electricity generating technology, the issue of fixing solar panels to a roof are equally as important as ensuring safe electrical design and installation.
Problems can arise when an electrician has no experience of roofing and isn’t familiar with removing or replacing tiles and slates. Many systems are being installed with too few fixing points to the rafters-due to either save on costs or a lack of roofing knowledge. Drilling through slates to fix the panels, rather than replacing them with more expensive flashing kits, is another potential cause for future problems. Poor installation will lead to water ingress and future problems down the line for the building owner.
Additionally there is a concern with Health and Safety, particularly with domestic installations-not only for the contractors undertaking the installation but also for the homeowners while the works are carried out. Electricians are generally not trained to work at heights and may be less aware of the dangers in doing so. Roofing contractors are trained specifically in the safety implications of working at height and on sloping roofs.
Roofers are also competent in identifying any risks or hazards during the installation process, which could include broken tiles or slates, fragile roofing materials, insecure roof supports and rafters unable to provide a secure fixing point for the roof hooks as well as any existing problems with roof felts around roof lights or other apertures.
It is also important that solar PV modules are not placed too close to the edge of the roof. Although there is no official guidance as yet, the MCS Scheme will soon be issuing a new standard- MCS012-on product certification for pitched roof mounting systems. In general we would recommend the PV module is mounted no closer than 40 to 50 cm from the gable ends, the ridge and the gutter.
Smart PV have taken the decision to deploy operatives in teams of two- roofers and a qualified electrician(s) to ensure the panels are fixed to the roof appropriately and wired correctly.
