Solar Panels on Pitched Tile Roofs

Concrete and clay tile roofs are the most common solar substrate in London. What the installer checks and where it gets complicated.

The standard case

A pitched tile roof is what most mounting systems were designed around. Anchors go into the rafters, tiles are cut or dressed around them, and the covering is reinstated. On a sound roof with a decent unbroken slope this is about as straightforward as solar gets.

Concrete versus clay

Concrete interlocking tile is robust and forgiving. Clay plain tile is smaller and more brittle, so more tiles are disturbed for the same number of anchors. Pantiles have a profile that needs a specific fixing and flashing detail — worth confirming your installer has done them before.

What limits the array

Roof area first, then obstructions: chimneys, vents, soil pipes, dormers, valleys and hips all take out usable space. A hipped roof in particular cuts the main slope down and often pushes part of the array onto a second face.

Condition

If the covering is near the end of its life, do the roof first. Nobody wants to pay for scaffolding twice, and taking an array off and putting it back is not cheap.

Common questions

Will tiles get broken?

The odd one occasionally does, and a good installer carries replacements and reinstates properly. Ask what happens if a match cannot be found.

What does the quote cost?

Nothing, and there is no obligation. The installer provides a free design and written quotation.

Who actually does the work?

A trusted MCS-certified installer covering London and the surrounding boroughs. Solar Company London is a quote service, not the installer, so the work, the price, the certification and the warranties are all theirs.

How soon will someone be in touch?

We aim for within 24 hours of your enquiry.