The panels are on the roof and generating. Now the job is the paperwork and learning what the system is actually doing. Confirm the DNO registration first, then arrange an export tariff, set up monitoring, understand your bills and establish a light maintenance routine. Keep every certificate and commissioning document together because suppliers, installers and future buyers may ask for them.
This checklist starts after the system has been commissioned. If you are still before you buy, use the home solar guide instead.
- Confirm that the DNO notification or approval is complete.
- Apply for a Smart Export Guarantee export tariff.
- Set up generation and consumption monitoring.
- Learn how imports and exports appear on your bills.
- Plan a light maintenance routine.
- Check how the system behaves through its first winter.
1. Confirm the DNO registration
Your Distribution Network Operator, or DNO, needs a record of generation connected to its network. Do not assume that commissioning the inverter completed this step. Ask the installer for the DNO acknowledgement, acceptance or approval, along with any connection conditions.
Most fully type-tested systems within the G98 limit are installed first and notified afterwards. The installer should normally notify the DNO within 28 days of commissioning. Systems outside G98 generally follow G99, where approval is required before connection and commissioning documents follow afterwards. The exact route depends on the equipment, export capacity and network connection, not simply the number printed on the solar panels.
Keep the response with your single-line diagram, Electrical Installation Certificate, commissioning sheet, warranties and MCS certificate where applicable. If your paperwork refers to a larger or expanded system, my G98 to G99 upgrade guide shows the application and commissioning records I used.
2. Register for a Smart Export Guarantee tariff
Export payments do not begin automatically when the panels start generating. You must apply to a Smart Export Guarantee licensee and satisfy that supplier’s application requirements.
Ofgem’s SEG guidance says that you can choose a different company from your import supplier. The supplier sets its own rate, contract length and application process, although a qualifying SEG tariff must pay more than zero. Rates and conditions vary, so compare the current terms rather than relying on a figure quoted when your system was sold.
You will normally need an export-capable smart meter, an export MPAN and evidence that the installation meets the scheme’s requirements. For a domestic solar installation, suppliers commonly ask for an MCS certificate or recognised equivalent. If your system is DIY or does not have an MCS certificate, read my guide to exporting from a DIY solar system before applying.
If you are considering Octopus, compare the Octopus export tariffs by how and when your system exports. A tariff with a strong headline rate is not automatically the best fit if its conditions or time periods do not match your system.
3. Set up generation and consumption monitoring
Make sure you can sign in to the inverter or manufacturer’s app before the installer leaves. Confirm that the system shows solar generation, household consumption, grid import and grid export where those measurements are available.
Check the live display while a known appliance is switched on. If import appears as export, or household consumption looks implausibly low, ask the installer to check the meter or current-transformer clamp configuration. Incorrect monitoring can make a healthy system look faulty and can lead you to move electricity use to the wrong time.
Save screenshots of a clear day and note the daily generation total. This gives you a baseline for later checks. If the installation includes storage, the battery overview explains the capacity, state of charge, charge limits and battery-management readings that may appear in the app.
4. Learn to read the new bills and export records
Your electricity bill records energy imported from the grid. The inverter app may estimate imports, but the supplier bills from the electricity meter. Small differences between the two systems are normal because they measure at different points and may use different reporting intervals.
Export is separate. If the same supplier handles both accounts, it may still issue a separate export statement. If you chose another SEG licensee, your import bill will not show the payment that comes from the export supplier.
For the first month, record the opening meter readings, the import shown on your bill and the export shown by the SEG account. Check that export readings are increasing and that payments start from the date stated in your export contract. Generation, household use and export are three different figures, so they should not be expected to match.
5. Plan a light maintenance routine
Solar panels have no moving parts, but the system should not be ignored. Follow the inspection and cleaning guidance supplied by the installer and equipment manufacturers. There is no single cleaning interval that suits every roof.
Once a month, check the app for warnings, prolonged zero generation or a sudden change that weather does not explain. From the ground, look for obvious debris, damage or new shading. Do not climb onto the roof or open the inverter. Contact the installer or a competent electrician if an alarm persists, electrical equipment is damaged or the system repeatedly shuts down.
An MCS handover pack should include commissioning records, manuals, warranties, maintenance requirements and instructions for checking normal operation. Keep the installer’s contact details with that pack and note when any recommended periodic inspection is due.
6. Check the system through its first winter
Winter output will be lower than summer output because days are shorter and the sun is lower. A low December total is not, by itself, evidence of a fault. Compare similar days, watch the shape of generation through the month and investigate persistent alerts or zero output during daylight.
Also watch how much electricity you import after sunset and how any battery behaves on short, dull days. The first winter gives you a realistic picture of when solar covers the house and when the grid takes over. For a worked seasonal benchmark, the 2-bed south-facing roof guide shows how generation, self-consumption and export can change through the year.
Next steps
Start with the paperwork because missing DNO or commissioning records can hold up the export application. Then apply for SEG, verify the monitoring display and keep one month of meter readings and bills. Once those pieces agree, the system becomes much easier to manage: check it regularly, respond to genuine warnings and use the first winter as your operating baseline.
