Care Home Solar Install Timeline 2026 — 12-20 Week Process

“How long does this take?” is one of the first questions every care home operator asks when considering solar. The honest answer is 12-20 weeks from signed quote to commissioning for most installs — but understanding what happens in each phase helps you plan around residents, staff, and the home’s operational rhythm. This piece breaks down the typical UK care home solar install timeline, week-by-week.

The 5-phase timeline

A typical 50 kWp install on a 50-bed UK care home runs across five phases:

Phase	Duration	What happens
1. Desk feasibility	5-7 working days	Half-hourly meter data analysis + roof photo review
2. Site survey + design	2-3 weeks	Structural and electrical engineer visit
3. DNO G99 application	4-12 weeks	Parallel-tracked with install prep
4. Mobilisation + install	1-3 weeks on site	Scheduled around mealtimes and visiting hours
5. Commissioning + handover	1 week	Live generation display setup, staff briefing

Total: 12-20 weeks from signed quote to commissioning.

For listed buildings (around 8% of UK care home stock), add 12-16 weeks for Listed Building Consent. For sites with asbestos survey requirements (pre-1980 conversions), add 2-4 weeks.

Phase 1 — Desk feasibility (week 0-1)

Before we visit your site, we model the install from data:

• Half-hourly meter data — your electricity supplier provides this on request. 12 months of half-hourly consumption data lets us model self-consumption rates accurately against modelled solar generation.
• Roof photo or satellite image — gives us roof orientation, pitch, shading, accessibility at a glance.
• System sizing model — typically PVSyst or industry-standard equivalent, modelling annual generation against your demand profile.
• Fixed-price indicative proposal — within 7 working days. Includes system spec, year-1 generation, year-1 saving, 25-year cashflow, all funding routes modelled.

You commit to nothing at this stage. If the desk feasibility shows the site doesn’t suit solar, we’ll say so — and tell you what would need to change for it to work.

Phase 2 — Site survey + design (week 1-4)

Once you accept the indicative proposal, our structural and electrical engineers visit your site. Typical site survey takes 90-120 minutes and covers:

• Roof condition assessment — remaining life, condition of tiles/slates/membrane, structural integrity
• Asbestos survey (mandatory under HSE CAR 2012 for pre-1980 stock) — typically £300-£800
• Structural loading assessment — heat pump and solar plant loading on the existing structure
• Electrical infrastructure — existing consumer unit position, DNO incoming supply, single-phase vs three-phase
• Plant room location — for inverters and (where specified) battery storage
• Access routes — scaffolding, cable runs, crane positions for larger installs

Output is a final design (panel layout, inverter specification, cable routing) and a fixed-price contract. Sign-off here triggers the install programme.

Phase 3 — DNO G99 application (week 2-14)

Grid connection is the longest phase of the install programme, and largely outside our direct control. The G99 application is submitted to your local Distribution Network Operator (UK Power Networks, Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, SP Energy Networks, SSEN, or National Grid ED depending on your region) shortly after contract signing.

What happens during the DNO phase:

• Application submitted — typically week 2 of the programme
• DNO review — DNO checks local network capacity, may request additional information
• Acceptance notice issued — typically 4-12 weeks for sub-100 kWp systems
• Connection agreement — final terms confirmed before commissioning

For larger installs above 200 kWp, expect 6-18 months. We engage the DNO at desk-feasibility stage for larger systems to model both connection cost and timing — sometimes the answer is to phase the install across two G99 applications to accelerate first-phase commissioning.

DNO timing varies dramatically by region. London and South East are typically slowest (high competing demand). Yorkshire, North East, and Scotland are typically fastest (more network headroom). We confirm expected timing in your fixed-price proposal.

Phase 4 — Mobilisation and install (week 8-18)

The phase that residents and families actually notice. Mobilisation typically happens once DNO acceptance is confirmed (or in parallel for sites where DNO acceptance is straightforward). Pre-mobilisation activities:

• Care home staff briefing — 7-14 days before mobilisation. Cover access routes, contractor identification, scheduling around mealtimes and visiting hours.
• Family notification — leaflet drop or newsletter inclusion 14-21 days before. Reassures families about disruption levels.
• Resident notification — verbal briefing through care staff for residents who can engage; quiet acknowledgement for dementia residents.
• Site setup — scaffolding erection (typically 1-2 days), site security, contractor toilet/welfare arrangements.

Install itself runs typically 5-15 working days for a 50 kWp system. Day-by-day:

• Days 1-2: Scaffolding erection, site setup, panel and inverter delivery
• Days 3-7: Panel mounting on roof, DC cable runs to inverter location
• Days 8-10: Inverter installation in plant room, AC cabling to consumer unit, monitoring system setup
• Days 11-12: DNO connection — typically a planned brief outage of 2-4 hours, scheduled with the registered manager around mealtimes
• Days 13-15: Final electrical commissioning, monitoring activation, scaffolding strike

Working hours are 09:00-16:30 typically — no overnight working. Noisier operations (roof penetration, drilling) align with structured activity schedules to minimise resident disruption.

Phase 5 — Commissioning and handover (week 18-20)

The system goes live. What happens:

• Final electrical inspection — independent NICEIC inspector signs off the installation
• MCS certification — the installation is registered with MCS; certificate provided
• SEG (Smart Export Guarantee) registration — we register with your chosen SEG supplier (Octopus, E.ON, EDF, others) for export tariff payments
• Building insurer notification — system spec sheet sent to your broker
• Live generation display setup — reception screen showing current generation, today’s kWh, year-to-date carbon avoided (optional, typically well-received)
• Staff briefing — 30-minute session for care staff covering how the system works, key facts for family questions, maintenance contact details
• CQC Well-led evidence pack — comprehensive documentation for your inspection file: system spec, MCS certificate, generation log template, carbon saving narrative, family communications template

What you should ask at each phase

Phase 1 (desk feasibility): “Will it work on my building?” Honest answer based on data, not a sales pitch.

Phase 2 (site survey): “Are there any hidden costs?” Asbestos, structural reinforcement, listed building, reroofing — all flagged before contract.

Phase 3 (DNO): “When can I expect acceptance?” Honest timing estimate from our DNO liaison team based on current regional queue.

Phase 4 (mobilisation): “What will residents and families experience?” Detailed briefing pack, daily schedule, point of contact for any issues during install.

Phase 5 (commissioning): “How do I show this to my CQC inspector?” Complete evidence pack designed to slot into the home’s inspection file.

The honest no — when timing doesn’t work

If your timeline requirement is shorter than 12 weeks (urgent CQC inspection preparation, end-of-tax-year capex deadline), we’ll tell you honestly whether the programme can be compressed. Some things we can accelerate: site survey within 5 working days, design completion within 1 week, install scheduling. Things we can’t accelerate: DNO acceptance timing (DNO-controlled) and Listed Building Consent (planning-authority-controlled).

For end-of-tax-year capex deadlines (March 31 for most operators), starting the conversation by November is the safe timing. Starting in February typically means commissioning in May-June rather than capturing the March year-end.

For more on what to expect from each install, see our case studies page or get started with a free desk-based feasibility quote.