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CASE STUDIES – real Swaye Group solar installs in South Devon
Six recent solar and battery installs by our own team, from Plymouth and Paignton to the South Hams.
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Six recent installs
Each of these is a real Swaye Group job. The figures are estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal, except where we say otherwise.
PlymouthTwo roofs. One smart system.
LoddiswellThe roof that pays the bills
Dawlish areaSolar that sits flush
PaigntonMorning sun, evening power
South Milton, near KingsbridgeOld slate, new power
Noss MayoFrom eyesore to earnerAll photos on this page are real Swaye jobs.
Solar + battery · Plymouth
Two roofs. One smart system.
This Plymouth home has two very different roofs: a pitched, east-facing natural slate roof and a flat roof. Rather than squeeze everything onto one, Swaye Group designed a single system that uses both, with ten high-efficiency Aiko 540 W panels split across the two. A SolaX hybrid inverter and 5.1 kWh SolaX battery store the daytime surplus for the evening, so far more of the solar power is used in the home rather than exported.
The challenge
The main roof faces east and is natural slate, which needs the right hooks and flashings to keep it watertight. The flat roof is unshaded but has no pitch at all, so panels there need their own frame. Getting a 5.4 kWp system onto the property meant making both work as one.
What we did
- Pitched slate roof: all-black Aiko Neostar 3P+ 540 W panels on Fastensol hooks with Genius Speedflash flashings. The roof faces east, at a 26 degree pitch.
- Flat roof: panels mounted on a frame on the unshaded roof.
- All 10 panels fitted with Tigo TS4-A-O optimisers.
- A SolaX X1-IES 6 kW hybrid inverter (3 MPPT trackers) running both arrays and the battery.
- A SolaX 5.1 kWh battery (4.6 kWh usable) with its BMU and an M1-40 smart meter, installed in the garage.
- DC and AC isolation, a generation meter, then testing, commissioning and MCS certification.
One 5.4 kWp system spread across two roofs, with a battery to use solar power after dark, and Tigo optimisers on every panel.
The result
The system is forecast to generate 4,963 kWh of clean electricity a year. On its own, solar would cover about 26% of the home’s needs. With the battery storing the daytime surplus for the evening, that rises to around 61%, so the owners should only need to buy about 39% of their power from the grid.
Key figures (estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal):
- 5.4 kWp system size
- 4,963 kWh of clean electricity a year
- £1,004 estimated first-year saving (£669 off the electricity bill + £335 in export payments)
- Expected payback in about 9 years
- First-year electricity bill from £1,103 to £434
- 1,028 kg of CO₂ saved each year
Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Got an awkward roof, or two? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
Solar + battery · Loddiswell
The roof that pays the bills
This Loddiswell home has a large south-facing natural slate roof and a household that is home all day. Swaye Group filled the roof edge to edge with 24 all-black dual-glass panels, 11.6 kWp in total, and paired them with a Fox ESS EVO all-in-one hybrid inverter and 10.2 kWh battery in the garage. Daytime surplus now charges the battery for the evening, and the rest is exported.
The challenge
The goal was simple: get as much generation as possible from the south-facing roof, for a home that uses around 8,000 kWh a year. That meant a full-width array on natural slate, where every fixing has to be cut in and flashed properly, plus a battery in the garage and an 8 kW export limit set by the local network operator.
What we did
- 24 all-black dual-glass N-type panels (16 large-format plus 8 x 450 W) for 11.6 kWp, across the full width of the roof.
- Fastensol mounting (black clamps and end caps) with 56 roof hooks, each with a Genius Speedflash flashing.
- Bird guard fitted under the array.
- A Fox ESS EVO 10 kW all-in-one hybrid inverter with 10.2 kWh battery, cabled from house to garage.
- DC and AC isolation, a generation meter, then commissioning and MCS certification.
The system is MCS certified and runs under an 8 kW export limit set by the DNO.
The result
The system is forecast to generate 12,288 kWh of clean electricity a year. With panels alone, solar would cover about 36% of the home’s needs. With the battery storing the daytime surplus, that rises to around 71%, so the owners should only need to buy about 29% of their power from the grid.
Key figures (estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal):
- 11.6 kWp system size
- 12,288 kWh of clean electricity a year
- £2,336 estimated first-year saving (£1,392 off the electricity bill + £944 in export payments)
- Expected payback in about 6 years
- First-year electricity bill from £1,960 to £568, with £944 of export earnings covering it and leaving £376 in credit
- About 71% of the home’s power from solar and battery (36% with panels alone)
- 2,479 kg of CO₂ saved each year
Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Want a roof that pays its way? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
In-roof solar + battery · Dawlish area
Solar that sits flush
On this home in the Dawlish area, South Devon, the owners wanted solar that looked part of the house, not bolted on top. Swaye Group took out a section of tiles on the east-facing roof and fitted a GSE in-roof tray system, so four all-black 470 W panels sit flush within the roof line. A SolaX X1-IES hybrid inverter and 5.1 kWh battery store daytime solar for the evening.
The challenge
Standard panels sit on rails above the tiles. That works, but on a small, visible roof it can look like an add-on. Here the brief was a neat, low-profile finish on an east-facing 27 degree roof, plus a battery so the household could use its solar in the evening instead of sending it back to the grid.
What we did
- 4 x Aiko Neostar 3S 470 W all-black N-type panels (1.88 kWp), set into the roof on a GSE in-roof system.
- GSE side, top and bottom flashings, so the array sits flush and its edges are weathered into the tiles. No rails on show.
- A SolaX X1-IES 3.7 kW hybrid inverter with a 5.1 kWh battery and smart meter, on an outside wall.
- DC and AC isolation, a generation meter, then testing, commissioning and MCS certification.
The result
The array is forecast to generate 1,732 kWh of clean electricity a year. With panels alone, about 60% of that would be used in the home and the rest exported. With the battery storing the daytime surplus for the evening, that rises to around 95%, so almost every unit the roof makes is used in the house.
Key figures (estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal):
- 1.88 kWp in-roof solar
- 1,732 kWh of clean electricity a year
- 5.1 kWh battery storage
- About 95% of the solar used in the home (60% with panels alone)
- £403 estimated first-year saving
- Yearly electricity bill from £1,225 to £822
- 359 kg of CO₂ saved a year
Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Thinking about solar that looks part of the house? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
Solar + battery · Paignton
Morning sun, evening power
This Paignton home has two roof faces, one facing south-east and one south-west, so between them they catch the sun from morning to late afternoon. Swaye Group fitted 13 Aiko 470 W N-type panels, 6.11 kWp in total, each with its own Tigo optimiser, and a SolaX X1-IES 6 kW hybrid inverter with 10.2 kWh of battery storage, so daytime surplus is saved for the evening.
The challenge
Neither roof face points due south: one faces south-east at 27 degrees, the other south-west at 33 degrees. The aim was to use both, so the house gets solar from the morning through to the afternoon, then store what it doesn’t use straight away. The home uses around 4,500 kWh a year, on a concrete-tiled roof that needs every hook fixed and the tiles refitted cleanly.
What we did
- 13 x Aiko Neostar 2P 470 W N-type panels (6.11 kWp) across the south-east and south-west roofs.
- Fastensol mounting on 30 tile roof hooks, with black end caps and bird protection mesh.
- A Tigo TS4 optimiser on each panel, so one shaded panel doesn’t drag the rest down.
- A SolaX X1-IES 6 kW hybrid inverter with 2 x 5.1 kWh batteries (10.2 kWh) and a CT meter.
- AC and DC isolation, a generation meter, then commissioning and MCS certification.
The result
The system is forecast to generate 5,843 kWh of clean electricity a year. Using solar and the battery in the home is expected to cut the first-year bill from £1,103 to £387. Exporting the surplus should earn about £438, which more than covers what’s left, with expected payback in about 10 years.
Key figures (estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal):
- 6.11 kWp system size
- 5,843 kWh of clean electricity a year
- £1,154 estimated first-year saving (£716 off the electricity bill + £438 in export payments)
- First-year electricity bill from £1,103 to £387, with export earnings covering the rest and £51 to spare
- Expected payback in about 10 years
- 1,210 kg of CO₂ saved a year
Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Thinking about solar and battery storage? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
Solar + Tesla Powerwall 3 · South Milton, near Kingsbridge
Old slate, new power
This home in South Milton, near Kingsbridge, has a long natural slate roof and open South Hams views. Swaye Group fitted Aiko solar panels across the roof on Fastensol slate hooks and black rails, 8.64 kWp in total, and paired them with a Tesla Powerwall 3: a 13.5 kWh battery with its own built-in solar inverter, plus a Tesla gateway, so daytime surplus is saved for the evening.
The challenge
Natural slate is beautiful, but it is brittle and every fixing has to go in without cracking the slates around it. The aim was to fill the roof with panels on proper slate hooks, keep the finish neat and low-profile from the ground, and add a battery so the house can use its own solar after dark.
What we did
- Aiko solar panels across the slate roof, 8.64 kWp installed capacity.
- Fastensol slate roof hooks and black rails, with bird protection mesh along the array.
- A Tesla Powerwall 3: 13.5 kWh of storage with a built-in solar inverter, plus a Tesla gateway.
- AC and DC isolation, a generation meter and earthing, then commissioning and MCS certification.
The system was commissioned on 28 August 2026.
The result
The system is MCS certified at 8.64 kWp, with an estimated 8,500 kWh of clean electricity a year. The Powerwall 3 stores the daytime surplus, so the house can keep running on its own solar into the evening.
Key figures:
- 8.64 kWp installed capacity
- Around 8,500 kWh of clean electricity a year (estimated)
- 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall 3, with a Tesla gateway
- Commissioned 28 August 2026
- About 1,760 kg of CO₂ saved a year (Swaye estimate: 8,500 kWh x 0.207 kg CO₂ per kWh)
Generation figures are estimates. Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Got a slate roof? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
Solar PV (replacement) · Noss Mayo
From eyesore to earner
The owners of this South Devon pool house in Noss Mayo were living with an old solar thermal system that had stopped working. It did nothing for their bills and spoilt the look of the roof. Swaye Group stripped it all out, recycled the old kit, and fitted a modern solar PV system built around seven high-power Aiko 645 W panels and a SolaX string inverter. Now the same roof makes electricity for the home and the pool heating.
The challenge
The solar thermal collectors on the pool house had failed and were no longer heating anything. Up close it was worse: the old brackets had been badly installed and bodged with silicone, which is no way to fix anything to a natural slate roof. The owners were paying full price for the energy to run the home and heat an indoor swimming pool, with a roof full of kit that gave nothing back.
What we did
Swaye Group designed a new solar PV system for the same south-east facing roof, sized to make the most of the space with high-power 645 W dual-glass panels.
- Removed the faulty solar thermal panels, rails and equipment, with the old kit recycled under WEEE rules.
- Cleaned the slate roof, then measured and set out new Fastensol slate roof hooks.
- Fitted black Fastensol rail and 7 x Aiko Stellar 1N+ 645 W dual-glass panels, with bird protection mesh.
- Added 7 x Tigo TS4-A-O optimisers so every panel works at its best.
- Installed a SolaX X1-BOOST G4 6.0 kW string inverter with WiFi monitoring, a new PV fuse board, DC and AC isolation and a generation meter.
- Commissioned and certified the system under MCS.
The result
The new system is forecast to generate 4,296 kWh of clean electricity a year. With the property using around 18,000 kWh a year, about three-quarters of it is expected to be used on site, cutting what the owners buy from the grid, and the rest is exported and paid for. That adds up to an estimated £952 saving in year one and a payback of around 7 years.
Key figures (estimates from the customer’s MCS proposal):
- 4.515 kWp system size
- 7 x Aiko Stellar 1N+ 645 W panels
- 4,296 kWh of clean electricity a year
- About 75% used on site (3,234 kWh used in the property, 1,062 kWh exported)
- £952 estimated first-year saving (£792 off bills + £159 export)
- Expected payback in about 7 years
- 889 kg of CO₂ saved each year
Real-world results vary with weather and use.
Got an old system that’s past its best? Swaye Group surveys, designs, installs and certifies. Get a quote
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