The paperwork you'll want is promised.
An MCS certificate on completion is the paper you'll want in your hand at the end. Seeing it written into the quote is a good sign.
Independent Engineer · Plain-English guidesFree to read · No adverts
Before you sign it, read what an Engineer looks for.
Plain-English guides to Heat Pump, Solar, Battery and EV charging quotes, the scams doing the rounds, and the numbers behind them. Written by an Engineer with 40+ years on safety-critical systems. Free to read.
Darren Emery M.Sc.Independent Energy Engineer, 40+ years in industry and Energy
Why read it first
Most quotes are fine. Some aren't. The difference can be thousands of pounds, a cold house, or a fire risk on your roof. The guides show you where to look before you sign.
See it the way an Engineer does
What looks fine from the street often isn't.
A quote is the same. The price is on the front. The heat loss, the cable runs and the settings are in the detail, and that's where to look.
CoolWarm
Scan 0% · stylised thermal view, for illustration
Read it like an Engineer
Four things to look for in yours.
"Whole house" hides the detail.
A heat loss figure for the whole house doesn't tell you whether each room's radiator is big enough. Ask for it room by room, before you sign.
A running cost built on a best-case number.
A seasonal efficiency figure only holds at the flow temperature it was worked out for. Run the radiators hotter and it drops, and so does the saving. Ask to see the working.
Who sets the controls up?
Weather compensation is what lets a Heat Pump run gently and cheaply. Ask whether it will be set up, and shown to you, before the installer leaves.
One good, two to ask, one worry.
Most quotes have something worth asking about. Put your questions to the installer in writing, before you sign.
What to look for
Six kinds of quote, in plain English.
Heat Pumps
Sizing, heat loss, flow temperatures, radiators and the running-cost sums.
- Room-by-room heat loss
- Flow temperature
- Controls
Solar panels
The kit, the fixings, the cable runs and the generation figures.
- DC isolation
- Roof and fixings
- Realistic output
Home Batteries
Where it goes, how it's protected, and whether the payback adds up.
- Location
- Fire safety
- Payback
Boilers
The right size for the house, not the biggest on the van.
- Sizing
- Controls
- What's included
EV chargers
Your supply, the earthing, and the cable route to the car.
- Fuse and supply
- Earthing
- Smart settings
Insulation
The right order of works, and ventilation so you don't swap heat loss for damp.
- Order of works
- Ventilation
- Materials
Got one of these in front of you?
Read the guide before you sign. Free, plain English, sources checked and dated.
Read the guides
Why it matters
Solar fires are rising faster than Solar.
212
Fires involving Solar panels attended by UK fire services in 2025, up from 91 in 2022.
+133%
Rise in those fires from 2022 to 2025, while installations grew 52%.
The biggest single cause in 2025 was DC cabling and connectors, which QBE says points directly to installation quality.
UK fire-service figures from Freedom of Information requests by the insurer QBE, published 10 August 2026. Installations: UK Government Solar statistics, as quoted by QBE. Checked 25 October 2026.
Who writes these guides
In my old world, nobody took a design figure on trust. We measured it.
Darren Emery M.Sc., Independent Energy Engineer
I started at ICI Billingham in 1983 as an apprentice Instrument Artificer, and spent the next four decades on control, instrumentation and safety systems in Britain's heaviest industry: refineries, power stations, steelworks, chemical plants and five years offshore. I finished as a Senior Project Instrument Engineer and Technical Authority. These guides are written the same way: nothing taken on trust.
Affiliate Member of the Energy Managers Association.
- 1983ICI Billingham
- 2014SSI UK, Redcar
- 2017Tata Steel, Port Talbot
- 2019Valero Pembroke
- 2021Calor UK, Canvey Island
- 2024SavingEnergy.com
Get involved
Be part of what comes next.
I've spent over 40 years as an Engineer, and SavingEnergy.com is one of a small family of websites I've built by hand. We're renewing the business model and this site now. If you or your Business would like to get involved, as a partner, a collaborator or someone who'd like to take a site on, I'd like to hear from you.
Email darren@savingenergy.com with "Get involved" in the subject. This isn't an offer of shares or a request for investment, and there's no promise of a reply.
Can you check my quote?
Not as a free service. The guides show what to look for and what to ask, so you can put the questions to your installer yourself. If you're interested in a paid, independent review of a quote or proposal, email darren@savingenergy.com with "Paid review" in the subject. I take these on only occasionally and at my discretion, so I can't promise a reply.
Is anyone paying for this site?
Only me: I pay the hosting myself. Nobody pays for a mention, and there are no adverts and no affiliate links.
Are the figures up to date?
Each guide shows the date its facts were checked. Prices, grants and rules change after that, so check anything important at its source before you rely on it.
Does this replace a survey or my installer's advice?
No. It's general information. It doesn't replace an MCS, Gas Safe or electrical inspection, or your installer's own survey and design.
Read it before you sign.
Got a quote in front of you? Start with the guides. Free, plain English, no adverts.
Read the guides