After being quoted by a few different companies for Tesla, GivEnergy and Sunsync products, we decided to go with Tom Matthews at Ask Renewables & the Luxpower system. Tom/Ask Renewables were the only company that came well prepared to answer questions (with datasheets, etc), carry out a roof inspection and a shading analysis. Tom designed a system to our specific requirements which was a high kw inverter that could do a full house back-up during a power cut. After taking a couple of months for our DNO to be approved by Northern PowerGrid, Ask Renewables were quick to come and fit our system once we got the go-ahead. The site installers, Dino and Liam, came and did a neat and tidy job. The system has not disappointed at all. By strange coincidence we have had 2 3-hour power cuts since the install date and we were able to carry on as normal during these outages. We are taking advantage of charging the batteries during the Octopus Flux cheap rate and discharging them during the Octopus Flux peak rate. I want to thank the team at Ask Renewables (Tom, Samantha, Karyn, Dino & Liam) for supplying the system. Also, special thanks to Ed who has supported us after installation and has quickly dealt with any issues we have had.

Having obtained three quotes to install solar panels on the south facing roof of our bungalow, plus battery storage, I feel compelled to give an update for those considering their options/installers. One of the companies we spoke with shone (no pun) from the start – Ask Renewables. Their first contact was great, the surveyor actually knew his stuff (unlike one company that used Google Earth to quote…) and their price was competitive. The only thing they got wrong was their calculation for Return on Investment – it was way too pessimistic! We are currently in winter, heating on (heat pump installation in the pipeline), and our Direct Debit to Octopus Energy is £1 per month having built up a large export credit during the summer. We are still exploring energy on the sunnier days, and with smart tariffs we can earn more than we pay. Did I mention we also run an EV? The point of this review is to give a big shout out to the team at Ask Renewables Ltd, they guided us on our solar journey without any sales pressure (unlike the other companies we spoke with) and, as someone with experience with tradesmen, their team were polite, skilled and efficient. I’m utterly confident that, in the unlikely event we have an issue, Ask Renewables will be there. I should point out that our system consisted of 20 x 400w panels on a south facing roof which, for our three bedroom bungalow is a lot, hence our amazing results. My tip? Fit as many panels as you can from the start.

I had 13 solar panels fitted and a 9.6kWh battery. Ask Renewables were competitive on price and every aspect of their customer service was superb, whether pre-installation, the actual installation or post-installation. Everything was done to budget and on time or sooner. Any time I have had cause to contact them since installation their response has been immediate and has solved my query or problem. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I contacted Ask Renewables for a quotation for solar panels, plus battery storage because of its “Which? Trusted Traders” status. I wasn’t disappointed. Every aspect of the service provided was top class: initial email/telephone communication; quality of advice during the initial survey; follow-up communication; efficiency of installation (10 panels plus battery storage all in one day); after-sales support (I had a few technical questions about the app). I was so impressed with my initial contact, survey and quote that I didn’t even bother to get a quotation from another company. 8 months on I’m really happy with the installation. There have been no problems and I’m saving a significant amount of money in terms of electricity costs. I wish I’d done it years ago. I’ve arranged for additional battery storage to be added later this month so that my savings will be even greater this year. TIP: Pay extra for micro-inverters and go for the maximum battery storage.

After researching solar panels and providers I opted for South Yorkshire based company ASK Renewables. Not the cheapest but excellent reviews. Also they did not use Tesla batteries ( I refuse to buy from that company due to its founder!) From the initial phone call to the final follow up the service from ASK has been exemplary. My main contact, Tom, is knowledgeable and explains things well. He is easy to contact and I felt reassured at every stage. I have waited 9 months to review to make sure everything was working well; it is. Tom has been a great help after installation in helping me to get the most out of the panels and how I utilise them. Very time a date was given for survey, scaffolding or installation they were here on time. The installation crew were great. They were friendly and tidy. I was amazed at Liam’s agility and skill doing all the roof work. Dino who was the electrician who installs the inverter and batteries explained everything well and did a very tidy job. He set the system up as well as helping me to sort out the LuX Power App. Ask also have the ability to see how the units are working which was reassuring. I then changed easily to a power company that provides an excellent tariff for exploring any excess electricity. Having just compared my Nov-Jan usage for last 3 years our import of electricity, even in these winter months was down 25% . In Summer it was much higher and I had a net gain on my electricity bills; in peak 2 months, using 90% solar.