What’s The Hidden Cost Of “Cheap” Solar?
Naked Solar believe every Solar installation should be safe, reliable, and worry-free for decades. We’ve built this guide to empower you with the right questions and insights to ensure your solar journey is smooth and successful, regardless of who handles your install.
£5 connector that causes £2k bill
Every Autumn the Naked Solar maintenance team brace themselves for RISO season. As the wind and rain increases, so does the volume of calls from people with solar installed by companies that either aren’t answering the phone, don’t know how to help or have gone bust. The RISO fault is the most common issue with a Solar PV system which the inverter identifies because there is some electricity leaking from the system.
The Cause
The culprit causing 80% of these faults is the poor installation of the humble MC4 connector that has to be manually installed during installation. Incorrect cable stripping, not using the manufacturers MC4 crimping tool, mis-matching MC4 connectors from different MC4 manufacturers or not tightening to the correct torque setting can all cause a small amount of moisture ingress.
Connector errors are invisible, allowing the system to work perfectly on day one. Over time, often several years, a bit of moisture seeping in will corrode the connectors and cable core or a poorly made connection can cause heat that melts the connector.
The Cost
To investigate a RISO fault full scaffold needs erecting and 2 installers for a day need to be booked out, a bill that is usually between £1,000 and £2,000. Often RISO faults are intemittent, rearing thier ugly head on wet days, someimes only when there’s a particular wind direction, making them hard to confidently identify. The team will need to inspect and test all the Solar Panels, cables and connections on the roof as there can often be more than one point of failure. It’s also good practice to leave the scaffold in place until after the next storm to ensure all faults have been corrected.
RISO faults also cause extra load on the inverter’s relays, which also reduces the life of your inverter, sometimes leading to a replacement inverter being added to the cost.
Sue contacted Naked Solar after noticing intermittent faults with her 9-year-old system. With her original installer no longer in business, she needed an expert to diagnose why her panels were acting up.
The Root Cause: The Solar Limpet System
Our inspection revealed the culprit: the Solar Limpet mounting system.
This system is no longer MCS Certified, and for good reason—it is notoriously difficult to install correctly. Even a minor miscalculation during installation can lead to long-term water ingress, causing significant structural damage over time.
The Result: A 30-Second Shortcut Can Lead To A £12,000 Roof Rebuild
Because the damage was hidden beneath the panels, the repair process was substantial. To ensure the safety of Sue’s home, the following steps were required:
-
Professional Consultations: Multiple roofing experts were brought in to assess the extent of the rot.
-
Structural Repairs: Compromised timber had to be replaced entirely to restore the roof’s integrity.
-
Official Certification: A comprehensive structural assessment was conducted to sign off on the repairs.
- Full Solar Reinstallation: Upon restoring the roof’s integrity, Sue’s solar system is waiting the be installed in a safe, reliable and durable way.
While these steps ensured the home’s safety, they unfortunately resulted in a significant a bill in the thousands and months of stress trying to rectify the problem, as well as significant lost generation impacting Return On Investment of the solar system
To an Installer less experienced, the Total Generation Meter (TGM) may seem like an optional extra or something a customers energy company deals with – in the case below this lack of fundamental knowledge has cost a homeowner a £900 clawbacks, and may result in losing thousands in future FIT earnings.
The Technical Oversight
A customer recently approached us seeking help after a solar battery installation from a low-cost provider went wrong. They chose the cheapest quote on the market, but it ended up costing them significantly more in the long run.
The previous installer failed to fit a bidirectional Total Generation Meter (TGM)—a critical piece of equipment they likely didn’t even know was required for this specific configuration.
The Issue
Because the system wasn’t set up correctly, it could not track energy generation accurately. The consequences were immediate:
❌ System Failure: Incorrect Feed-in Tariff (FIT) readings were sent to the energy company.
❌ Financial Penalty: The Energy Supplier clawed back £900 in FIT payments from the customer.
❌ The “Double Pay” Trap: The customer then had to hire Naked Solar to retrofit the correct meter just to stop the losses and fix the system.
The 5p Shortcut That Risked a Whole House
Following a recent “remove and reinstall” by a third party, Elizabeth’s solar array was found to be in a state of critical failure. Our investigation uncovered extreme negligence that compromised both the structural integrity of the roof and the electrical safety of the system.
While it might hold together on a sunny afternoon, a solar array is a giant sail. On a windy day, the lift force on those panels is massive. Plastic ties become brittle in UV light and snap under tension, turning your 20kg solar panels into flying projectiles.
Key Findings:
❌Structural Risks: Mounting rails were secured with plastic cable ties instead of steel bolts, and roof hooks were glued in place rather than screwed into rafters.
❌Physical Hazards: Loose panel clamps left modules at risk of blowing off the roof, while improper foot placement resulted in multiple cracked tiles and water leaks.
❌Fire & Electrical Safety: 30% of the panels were wired with cross-polarity (reversed wiring), creating a severe fire risk. High-voltage DC cables were also left exposed and resting on abrasive tiles.
❌Substandard Weatherproofing: Proper metal flashing was replaced with scrap lead and glue, providing no long-term protection against the elements.
The Result: Paying For a Solar Installation TWICE
Due to the extent of the damage, a simple “patch-up” was not possible. To ensure the home is safe and the system is functional, we are performing:
✅Total Roof Repair: Replacing damaged tiles and installing permanent, compliant waterproofing.
✅ Full Reinstallation: A complete teardown and rebuild of the array using industry-standard steel fasteners, rafter-screwed anchors, and correct electrical mapping.
