What a church solar project actually involves
We do not publish client case studies, because we are not the installer and have none to publish. What we can give you is the honest shape of a parish project — the stages, what each one realistically takes, and the two points at which projects most often stall.
The stages, in order
| Stage | Typical duration | What actually governs it |
|---|---|---|
| PCC discussion and mandate | Varies | Nothing else can start until the PCC has resolved to explore solar. In practice this is the stage that takes longest, because it moves at the pace of PCC meetings. |
| Feasibility and roof assessment | Days to a few weeks | Bills, roof orientation and pitch, shading, structural condition, and the electrical supply. This is the stage we do free of charge, and it is where an unviable project should be identified. |
| Design and Statement of Significance | Several weeks | On listed fabric the conservation rationale is drafted alongside the electrical design, not after it. |
| DAC consultation and faculty petition | Commonly around three to four months | For a Grade I church, Historic England is a statutory consultee under the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018. Below Grade I, they are consulted where the DAC considers it necessary. |
| Grant applications | Runs in parallel | Awards are competitive. A PCC should see the unfunded case before it commits, because no scheme is guaranteed. |
| DNO connection | Weeks to months | G98 covers up to 16 A per phase (3.68 kW per phase); anything larger needs a G99 application, which takes longer. |
| Installation and commissioning | Usually the shortest stage | The scaffolding and the weather are the usual constraints, not the electrical work. |
Durations are indicative and vary by diocese, by listing grade and by how often the PCC meets. Treat them as planning assumptions, not commitments.
The two places projects stall
A design drawn without the consent route in mind. Faculty jurisdiction is not planning permission with a different name. A proposal that reads like a commercial rooftop scheme is the single most common reason a Diocesan Advisory Committee sends an application back, and a redraft costs a parish months. Our faculty application guide covers what the DAC is actually looking for.
A business case that assumes the grant. Grant schemes for places of worship are competitive and periodically change or close. Any PCC should see what the project costs with no award at all before it resolves to proceed — the grants and funding page sets out which routes are currently open and what each one requires.
Before you appoint anyone
Ask a prospective contractor for parishes you can telephone, check the registers yourself, and ask what happens to your warranty if the company ceases trading. Our checklist for vetting a church solar installer sets out the searches and the six questions worth asking.
Common questions about church solar projects
Why does this site not publish client case studies?
Because we are not the installer. Solar Panels for Churches is an independent information and assessment service published by SEO Dons Ltd — we research the consent routes and the grant landscape and prepare feasibility assessments, but we do not carry out installations, so we have no completed projects of our own to show you. A site in this position that displays a portfolio of delivered installs is showing you something that did not happen. If you want to see genuine work, ask a prospective contractor for parishes you can telephone directly.
What size is a typical parish system?
Most parish church arrays are modest — often under 20 kW — because the usable roof slope is limited by orientation, listing and shading, and because a church that is busy on Sundays and quiet midweek cannot self-consume a large output. Halls in daily use frequently justify a larger array than the church itself, which is why a hall-first, church-second phasing is so common.
Where do church solar projects most often stall?
Two places. The first is a design produced without reference to faculty jurisdiction, which the DAC sends back for redrafting and which costs months. The second is a business case built on a grant that was never awarded. Both are avoidable at the feasibility stage.
How long does the whole thing take?
Plan for the better part of a year from the PCC first discussing it to a commissioned system, and longer on Grade I fabric. The consent and funding stages dominate; the installation itself is a small part of the calendar.