Building Regulation Approval For Solar Panels

Local authorities are responsible for compliance with the building regulations and most will have a dedicated building control department.

Building regulation approval for solar panels.

This seems to be a bit of a grey area and some installers seem to do it and others don t. With the installation of roof mounted solar panels becoming increasingly popular it is important to recognise that building regulations will normally apply should you wish to fit them to your roof. Scotland has some additional rules regarding solar panels on exterior walls blocks or flats and flat roofed buildings. Of course with such installations the topic of planning permission and building regulations often comes to the surface.

An increasing number of people are investing in solar energy. There are however important limits and conditions detailed on the following pages which must be met to benefit from these permitted development rights. The ability of the existing roof to carry the load weight of the panel will need to be checked and proven. Some strengthening work may be needed.

The installation of solar panels and equipment on residential buildings and land may be permitted development with no need to apply to the local planning authority for planning permission. We are a solar pv wholesaler in the midlands and a lot of our customers are asking us whether they need building control approval for all their solar pv installations. There is some confusion as to whether a solar pv installation needs to be notified to the local authority and different authorities do have different approaches. Building regulations also apply to other aspects of the work such as electrical installation.

Listed buildings and world heritage sites. The issue here is whether the existing roof wil be able to take the extra roof loadings that solar panels will impose on it. More and more homes are having solar panels or solar tiles installed on their roofs.