Frequently Asked Questions

We cover Somerset and the wider South West, including Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Wellington, Tiverton, Minehead, Highbridge, and Weston-super-Mare. If you are unsure whether you are in our regular catchment, call 01823 212 770 or message us on WhatsApp and we will confirm before booking a survey.

Yes. Totum Renewables is MCS certified for solar PV and battery storage installs, NICEIC approved for general electrical work, a RECC code member for consumer protection, and TrustMark Government Endorsed Quality registered. We carry £5 million of public liability insurance, and our certificates are available on request.

Yes. We provide a free, no-obligation site survey for solar, battery, EV chargers, and heat pumps. The survey takes about an hour, we look at your roof, consumer unit, usage data where available, and we follow up with a written quote that itemises the work clearly. You are not committed to anything until you sign.

Yes. Totum Renewables is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Phoenix Financial Consultants Limited (Financial Services Register No. 1036089), and we can arrange finance options through them for customers who would rather spread the cost of a renewables install. We will explain the options at survey if it is something you would like to consider.

We accept bank transfer and major cards. For larger jobs we typically take a deposit on order, a stage payment on materials delivery, and the balance on completion. Smaller jobs are usually paid in full on completion. We will agree the schedule with you in writing before any work starts.

Chris founded the business after returning from several years working on major construction and renewables projects in Australia, and the move to a renewables-focused offer happened as battery technology started to make domestic installs genuinely worthwhile. The team has worked across solar, battery, EV, and electrical for several years now, and the operating company Electric Plus Ltd is registered at Companies House under number 11967489.

A typical Somerset domestic install lands between £7,000 and £24,000, depending on system size, panel choice, inverter, and whether storage is included. We give a fixed written quote after a free survey so you know the price before committing, and finance is available through our Phoenix Financial relationship if you would prefer to spread the cost.

A straightforward 4 kW to 6 kW domestic rooftop install usually takes one to two days for a small in-house team. Larger systems with storage or commercial arrays take a little longer, and scaffolding sometimes adds a day either side. We give you a clear timeline as part of the written quote so you can plan around it.

We work with Tier-1 panel manufacturers and proven inverter brands including Solis, Growatt, SolaX, and Sigenergy. We do not push a single brand because every roof and every household uses power differently. We will recommend the panel and inverter combination that suits your roof, your usage, and your budget.

On a properly designed system, yes. The exact saving depends on your roof orientation, your daytime usage, and whether you add storage or an EV. We model the realistic payback based on a year of your actual half-hourly usage where we can pull it, and we are upfront if a system would not pay back inside its 25-year warranty.

Yes. Every install includes the local DNO notification, MCS certificate, and the relevant building-control documentation. You receive the paperwork pack on handover, and we are happy to send digital copies to your conveyancer or insurer if needed.

Yes. We retrofit AC and DC-coupled batteries onto existing arrays, and we work with Sigenergy, Livoltek, Growatt, and SolaX. We start with a survey of your inverter, consumer unit, and usage data so the storage is sized for the real saving rather than a manufacturer recommendation.

It depends on when you actually use power. We pull your half-hourly usage where the supplier allows, look at evening and overnight consumption, and size the battery to capture the meaningful share of that load without oversizing. A typical Somerset family home is usually well served by 8 to 16 kWh of usable storage.

Yes. Time-of-use tariffs work very well with battery storage. We set up off-peak charging windows during the install and link the system to the right monitoring app, so the battery loads up overnight at the cheap rate and discharges through the day. Most battery customers see meaningful bill reductions in the first quarter.

Battery warranties are typically 10 years on the cells and 5 to 10 years on the inverter, depending on brand. We register the warranty on your behalf, and the certificates are part of the handover pack. If anything goes wrong inside the warranty period, we coordinate with the manufacturer for you.

A standard 7 kW home charger install lands around £900 to £1,800 depending on cable run, consumer-unit headroom, and earthing requirements. We quote in writing after a quick site survey so the price is fixed before install day, with no surprises.

We work with the major brands including QUBEV, Hypervolt, Ohme, EO, and Wallbox. We will recommend the unit that fits your charging pattern, your phone, and your budget, and we will explain the OCPP-compatibility and solar-aware options if those matter to you.

OZEV grants are still available for some property types, particularly flats and rental properties. We check eligibility at survey and administer the application on your behalf where you qualify. Single-occupancy houses are no longer eligible under current rules, but we will tell you that upfront.

Absolutely, and we make it easier when we install the original solar. If you mention an EV is on the horizon at survey, we leave the wiring and consumer-unit headroom in place so the future charger install is faster and cheaper when you are ready.

Most well-insulated Somerset homes are good candidates. We carry out a full heat-loss calculation room by room, look at your radiators or underfloor pipework, and tell you honestly whether a heat pump will perform well in your home before we quote anything.

Most domestic installs qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. We check the EPC requirement during survey and administer the BUS application on your behalf, including the MCS certificates. After the grant, the typical install lands between £1,500 and £10,500.

Sometimes. Heat pumps run well at lower flow temperatures, and existing radiators sometimes need upgrading to deliver the same comfort at the new flow temp. We work this out during the heat-loss survey and quote the upgrade, if needed, as part of the original price so there are no mid-job surprises.

Yes. An annual check picks up performance drift, isolator faults, and inverter firmware updates before they cost you generation. Our service visit covers DC and AC tests, monitoring health, and a written report. Most customers add it to a once-a-year diary entry alongside the boiler service.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a full inspection of the fixed wiring in a property. Landlords need one every five years by law, businesses commonly need one for insurance, and homeowners often want one before a sale or after major works. We carry out and certify EICRs across Somerset and the South West.

Yes. We service solar, battery, and EV charger systems regardless of who installed them. We start with a baseline check, document what we find, and quote any remedial work clearly before proceeding. We are happy to take over annual servicing for portfolios as well as individual properties.