Plain-English guides on solar, batteries, EV charging, EICRs, rewires and home CCTV. No jargon, no hard sell, written by the team that does the work across the Midlands.
There is a lot of confusing, sales-driven information online about solar, batteries and home electrics, and most of it is written to sell you something rather than answer your question. These guides are our attempt to do the opposite. Each one is written by the team that does the installs across the Midlands, in plain English, covering what the work involves, what to watch out for and the honest trade-offs, with no published prices and no pressure to book.
Whether you are weighing up whether solar makes sense for your roof, trying to understand what an EICR is and whether you need one, or working out the difference between a consumer unit upgrade and a full rewire, start with the relevant guide below. When you are ready to talk specifics, every guide links through to the service it covers and to a free, written quote.
Most UK homes pay between £3,500 and £8,500 for a fully installed battery storage system in 2026, at 0% VAT. Where your quote lands within that range depends on battery size, brand, your existing electrical setup, and installation complexity, not on arbitrary markup.
Read the guideThere is no single best home battery. The right system depends on whether you have solar panels, how you use energy, whether you want backup power during outages, and your budget. We install the Tesla Powerwall 3, Fox ESS and EcoFlow PowerOcean, and compare them here against GivEnergy (which entered administration in April 2026), giving you an honest, MCS-certified installer's view of all four.
Read the guideThe Tesla Powerwall 3 and GivEnergy suit different homes, but with GivEnergy Ltd in administration since April 2026, we now recommend the Powerwall 3 for new installs, or Fox ESS on a tighter budget. The Powerwall 3 wins on power output and whole-home backup; GivEnergy only really makes sense now if you already own a working GivEnergy inverter.
Read the guideSolar panels turn daylight into electricity you can use for free in your home. For most UK households with a reasonably sunny roof and decent daytime or battery-stored usage, they cut electricity bills meaningfully and pay back the upfront cost over time. Whether they are worth it for you depends on your roof, your usage pattern, and whether you add a battery.
Read the guideThe cost of solar depends mainly on system size, the panels and inverter chosen, your roof, and whether you add a battery. Several schemes can reduce the cost or improve the return, including 0% VAT on domestic installs and the Smart Export Guarantee. Scheme rules change, so the only reliable figure is a written quote for your specific property.
Read the guideA home EV charger is a dedicated 7kW unit wired from your consumer unit to a convenient spot near where you park. Cost depends on the charger you choose and how far the cable has to run. Some grants still exist for renters, flat owners, and people without off-street parking. The right charger comes down to features like smart scheduling and load management.
Read the guideAn EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a formal safety inspection of a property's fixed wiring, carried out by a qualified electrician. It reports whether the installation is satisfactory and codes any faults. In England, private landlords must have a valid EICR at least every five years; homeowners are not legally required to but are sensibly advised to every ten.
Read the guideA home battery stores electricity, either surplus from your solar panels or cheap off-peak grid electricity, so you can use it later when power is expensive. It is worth it when it lets you avoid buying a lot of peak-rate electricity, which is why it pairs so well with solar and time-of-use tariffs.
Read the guideA rewire replaces the old fixed wiring throughout a property; a consumer unit upgrade replaces just the fuse board with a modern unit that includes proper protection. You may need a rewire if the wiring is decades old or showing warning signs, while a consumer unit upgrade is a smaller job that brings your protection up to current standards.
Read the guideA good home CCTV system comes down to camera quality, reliable recording and storage, and proper positioning. Wired systems are the most dependable for a permanent setup, while wireless suits simpler needs. A professional install gets the coverage, cabling, and recording right, and keeps you on the correct side of privacy rules.
Read the guideIf your electrics keep tripping, something is usually triggering a protective device that is doing its job. Often it is a single faulty appliance you can isolate. Treat a burning smell, scorched fittings, or any sign of water reaching your electrics as an emergency: switch off if safe, do not touch anything suspect, and call a qualified electrician.
Read the guideTell us what you are planning and we will send an honest, written quote from a qualified Midlands electrician. No pushy sales calls, no hidden charges.