A solar installation is roof work and electrical work on the same job, and increasingly battery work as well. Each of those is separately rated, and the claim that arrives is often about none of them directly: it is about water.
Water ingress, months later
The most common solar claim is not a fall or a fire. It is a roof that leaks where a bracket was fixed, discovered after a winter, with the damage inside the building and the customer certain the installation caused it. Public liability answers for damage caused by the work, and the claim turns on the installation detail, the flashing method and the photographic record taken at the time. Installers who photograph every penetration have a defence; those who do not have an argument.
Two trades, two ratings
Work at height on domestic and commercial roofs is one of the heavier public and employers' liability exposures, and the electrical side brings the invisible defect problem that all electrical work has. Insurers rate both, ask about scaffold or fall arrest arrangements, and ask what proportion of work is on domestic pitched roofs, commercial flat roofs or ground mount. A business that has moved from one to another should say so at renewal.
Certification, and performance claims
Installers working under a competent person or microgeneration certification scheme carry insurance requirements as part of membership, and the scheme also constrains what may be claimed about output. A customer arguing that the system never produced what was promised is making a claim about the advice and the calculation, which is professional indemnity rather than public liability, and installers who produce yield estimates as part of the sale need it.
Batteries, and what has changed
Battery storage brings a lithium ion fire exposure into a customer's home or garage and into your own van and store. Insurers now ask about product selection, installation location, commissioning and the manufacturer's instructions, and some wordings condition cover on following them. It is the newest question in this trade and the one most likely to be answered badly, because installers who added batteries to their offer often did not tell anybody.
Questions people ask about solar panel installer insurance
Is a roof leak after installation covered?
Public liability answers for damage caused by the work, and the claim turns on the installation detail and the photographic record taken at the time.
Do I need professional indemnity as a solar installer?
If you produce yield or savings estimates as part of the sale, yes. A claim that the system underperforms is about the advice rather than an accident.
What do insurers ask about battery storage?
Product selection, where the battery is installed, commissioning and whether manufacturer instructions are followed, and some wordings condition cover on it.