Solar Panels and the Warm Homes Plan: A Smarter Way to Get Ready
How homeowners in Bromley, Kent and South London can stay ahead of demand – without rushing a decision
The government’s Warm Homes Plan will unlock grants and low‑interest finance for home upgrades, including solar panels for homeowners and battery storage. Demand for solar is already high, with the UK breaking yearly records for rooftop installations and passing the one‑million‑home mark. For homeowners in Bromley, Kent and South London, the question now isn’t “does solar make sense?” – it’s “how do I get into the best position before everyone else piles in?”
Capacity, not cash, will be the solar bottleneck
When national schemes launch, headlines focus on how much money is available, but it is usually capacity that bites first: surveyors, installers and grid approvals can only move so fast.
In areas like Bromley, Beckenham and Orpington, a typical G99 grid application already takes around three to six weeks to process. During that time, nothing can move on your installation date, which means your project is effectively parked until the DNO signs off. As Warm Homes funding starts driving a surge in applications, that same process is likely to become a major pressure point, with homeowners pushed into a longer queue through no fault of their own.
This is particularly relevant across parts of South East London and Kent, where new residential solar systems are increasingly assessed on a case-by-case basis through the G99 process, rather than being automatically approved.
The homeowners who wait for every detail of the scheme to be finalised will be trying to book surveys and submit grid applications at exactly the same time as everyone else. The ones who seem “early” are not rushing – they are quietly moving through the slow, procedural steps while things are still calm.
What “getting ready” actually means
Getting ready for solar before Warm Homes support lands does not mean signing up to have panels fitted next week. It means doing the groundwork that every residential solar system needs, regardless of how it is eventually funded.
In practical terms, the recommended first step ahead of Warm Homes support is to complete a home energy survey, confirm roof suitability, and submit the relevant DNO application so the system design is already in place.
That groundwork is straightforward: understanding your roof, your household electricity usage and your local grid connection, and having a properly designed system on the table. Once a tailored survey, design and (where required) G99 application are completed, you are no longer relying on online calculators or rough estimates. You are looking at a system designed for your home, under your DNO’s rules – with grid approval that does not expire.
Because surveys and grid approvals are required for every solar installation, completing them early removes uncertainty without committing you to an install date.
That work keeps its value whether you decide to install straight away, wait for Warm Homes grants and loans to formalise, or adjust the plan as new details emerge.
Why clarity should come before any big decision
Solar is a long-term choice. It will shape how your home uses and stores energy for decades, not just the next bill cycle. That is why it pays to get clear on the fundamentals early, instead of weighing them up at the same time as everyone else is competing for survey slots.
A good solar survey and system design for a Bromley or Kent property provides concrete answers: how much your roof can realistically generate, whether a battery would materially reduce imported electricity and bills, and what the likely payback period is for the system.
With that level of clarity, Warm Homes support becomes one more lever you can choose to use – rather than the only reason you are acting.
A smarter way to approach Warm Homes and solar
Most of the homeowners Eva’s Energy Limited works with across Bromley, Kent and South London are busy professionals – people who want to feel they have seen around the corner and made a considered decision, not simply reacted to a headline.
For that kind of homeowner, the strongest position to be in over the next few months is simple: informed, prepared and unpressured. Informed, because you know what is possible on your home and what it should cost. Prepared, because the slow, admin-heavy steps such as surveys and G99 approval are already in hand. Unpressured, because you choose when to go ahead, rather than letting a funding window or processing backlog dictate your timing.
Get ready now. Decide later.
If solar panels or battery storage are on your horizon in Bromley, Kent or South London, a no‑obligation home survey with Eva’s Energy is a straightforward first step. Because clearing the bottlenecks before everyone else joins the queue is often the smartest move you can make.