Your roof and your property
What shading actually costs you
Short answer
Shade can reduce output directly and can also create mismatch within an array. Its effect depends on timing, season, layout and inverter design. Ask for a shade assessment and annual loss within the generation estimate. Optimisers or microinverters can limit some mismatch losses, but they cannot replace missing sunlight.
Shade changes by hour and season. A chimney, tree, dormer or nearby building should be modelled on the proposed layout, not described as a small percentage by eye.
Ask the installer to show where shade falls, the annual loss used in the generation estimate and why the string, optimiser or microinverter design suits it. Electronics can reduce some mismatch losses; they do not restore sunlight that never reaches a panel.
Sometimes fewer panels are better
A panel in persistent shade can add little useful generation. Compare a smaller clear layout with a larger shaded one using the same assumptions and price.
Trees may change
Account for leaf-on growth and ownership. Do not base the investment on pruning a neighbour’s tree unless there is a reliable right and plan to do so.
Sources
Checked 2026-09-09. Rates, rules and eligibility can change. Confirm current terms before signing a contract or applying for funding.
Work out the number before anyone quotes you
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