Solar Panels and Battery, Cricklewood NW2

We installed solar panels on the flat roof of a new-build house in Cricklewood NW2, with a Fox ESS hybrid inverter and a Fox ESS CQ7 battery on the roof terrace. The panels stand on frames held down by weight, so the roof's waterproofing was never drilled, and the battery stands outdoors because its modules are rated for it.

The panels run the house through the day, the battery keeps what the house is not using for the evening, and the inverter manages both from one box on the wall.

How the job was done

Step by step, in the photographs taken on site.

1
The roof had to stay untouched

A new-build flat roof has a waterproof membrane under the pebbles and a warranty that assumes nobody drills through it. So the panels are on low-tilt aluminium frames that stand on the roof and are held down by ballast. There is no fixing through the membrane anywhere on this roof.

The frames are set back from the parapet, which leaves a clear strip along the edge to walk on and work from, now and every time the panels are checked or cleaned.
2
The battery lives outside

Most home batteries go in a garage or a cupboard, and this house had neither to spare. The battery went on the roof terrace instead, on its own paving base, clear of the planted roof around it.

That is only acceptable because of what the battery is. The Fox ESS CQ7 modules are LFP and IP65 rated, which means built to stand outdoors, and it says so on each module's own label (it is the last photograph on this page). A battery without that rating does not go outside, whatever the space.
3
One wall, everything in reach

The hybrid inverter is on the wall directly above the battery, with the isolator beside it and the cables dropped in one enclosed run rather than clipped across the brickwork.

Anyone who ever needs to isolate the system or service it finds every part of it in one place, and nothing is left for the weather to get at.
4
The terrace still works as a terrace

The panels are on a different part of the roof from the terrace, and the battery sits tight against the wall line, so the rooflights stay clear and the terrace is still a usable outdoor space.

That was the whole point of the layout: solar and storage added to a new house without taking anything away from it.

Every photograph from the job

5 photographs, no faces, nothing staged.

The array on ballasted frames, with the access strip left along the parapet.

Battery, inverter and isolator on the roof terrace, on the battery's own base.

The same wall from across the terrace: inverter above, battery below.

The terrace and rooflights, with the battery kept against the wall line.

The battery module's own label: Fox ESS CQ7, LFP, IP65.

Want the same on your roof?

What this job involved, applied to your own house.

Solar panels

Roof survey, 0% VAT and MCS certification

Solar panels

Battery storage

Store cheap or free power and use it in the evening

Battery storage

What solar and a battery cost

Priced per panel, per battery, per certificate

What solar and a battery cost

Cooling run on solar

The panels produce most when the cooling is needed most

Cooling run on solar

Cricklewood NW2: questions about this job

Can solar panels go on a new-build flat roof without drilling?

Usually, yes. Ballasted frames stand on the roof and are held down by weight, so the membrane and its warranty are untouched. What decides it is whether the roof can carry the extra weight, which we check at the survey before anything is designed.

This job is an example. How a solar installation works with us.

Can a home battery be installed outside?

Only if the battery is rated for it. The modules on this job are IP65, which is an outdoor rating, and the manufacturer allows it. Many batteries are indoor-only and go in a garage, a loft or a cupboard instead.

We check the rating and the manufacturer's installation rules for the battery you choose at the survey, and put it where those rules say it can go.

What would a system like this cost for my house?

It depends on the number of panels, the battery size and the roof. The solar and battery calculator gives you a figure in about a minute, from our own prices.

The survey turns that into a fixed written price.

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Solar panels and a battery
on a new-build roof in Cricklewood

Accredited, and fitting the brands you know

How the job was done

The roof had to stay untouched

The battery lives outside

One wall, everything in reach

The terrace still works as a terrace

Every photograph from the job