Solar panel installation in Canterbury
A family-run, MCS certified team designing and fitting premium solar systems for homes across Canterbury and the surrounding Kent villages.
Quality you can trust
Why choose solar for your Canterbury home?
Canterbury has one of the most distinctive housing landscapes in Kent, blending centuries of architecture into a fairly compact area. You will find historic period homes around the city walls and Wincheap, Victorian and Edwardian terraces along streets near the West Station and St Dunstan’s, larger detached family houses through Hales Place and Harbledown, classic interwar semis around Thanington and Sturry Road, traditional Kentish cottages in the surrounding villages of Bridge, Littlebourne, and Chartham, and a steady run of newer estates around Thanington and Hersden. Each of these property types has its own roof shape, materials, and orientation, all of which influence how a solar system should be designed.
Our in-house team has been installing solar across Kent and the wider South East since 2017, with over 800 systems completed including a regular flow of work in Canterbury, Bridge, Sturry, Chartham, and the surrounding villages. We know how to work respectfully on character properties, how to plan around the chimneys, dormers, and ornate roof features common on period homes, and how to make the most of the larger roofs found on detached houses out in the villages. Each system is designed by one of our renewable energy advisors around your roof, your usage, and your goals, with most customers typically saving up to 70% on their energy bills once their system is generating.
- Lower Energy Bills
- Protection From Rising Energy Costs
- Environmentally Friendly
- Energy Independence
- Low Maintenance & Long Lifespan
The Tarven Solar Energy Process
A surveyor visits your Canterbury property to inspect the roof, loft, and electrics, then designs a system shaped around the building and provides a clear quote.
Free Consultation
A friendly, no-obligation conversation with a renewable energy advisor about your home, your bills, and what you would like solar to achieve for you.
Site Survey & Quote
A surveyor visits your Canterbury property to inspect the roof, loft, and electrics, then designs a system shaped around the building and provides a clear quote.
Professional Installation
Our own engineers carry out the install, treating your home with care, working tidily, and following the high standards laid out in The Tarven Way.
System Activation
Once tested and registered, we switch your new system on and walk you through the monitoring app so you know exactly how to keep an eye on its performance.
Ongoing Support
You are covered by a 5-year Tarven workmanship warranty and a 30-year British-backed warranty on your Anglo Solar panels, with our team a phone call away.
Over 800+ Solar Installations Completed
Ready to use solar to generate your own energy?
Speak to our team today and discover how easy it is to start generating your own energy.
See our previous work
Estimated Annual saving
Estimated Annual saving
Estimated Annual saving
Estimated Annual saving
Estimated Annual saving
Why choose Tarven Solar Energy?
Tarven is a family-run installer based in Orpington, covering Canterbury and the wider Kent area with a tight-knit, in-house team of 15+ specialists. Since 2017, we have completed more than 800 solar installations and earned over 150 five-star Google reviews, with a strong base of customers across Kent who value getting the job done properly the first time. Because we never bring in subcontractors, the people who quote your project are the same people fitting your system and looking after you afterwards.
Our credentials are there to back it all up, including MCS certification, Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) membership, TrustMark registration, NICEIC approval, IWA deposit and guarantee protection, and Living Wage employer status. Underpinning all of it is The Tarven Way, our promise of clear and honest advice, work completed to the highest standard, and reliable aftercare you can count on for years to come.
- Clear and honest advice
- Work completed to the highest standard
- Respect aftercare and long term support
Proud to fit Anglo Solar Panels
For every domestic install we carry out in Canterbury, we fit Anglo Solar panels as our preferred choice. They come with a 30-year British-backed warranty, which is one of the longest cover periods available on a residential solar panel in the UK and gives genuine reassurance on a long-term home upgrade.
They are well-engineered, efficient, and sit neatly on the kind of varied, often complex roofs you find on Canterbury properties. Combined with a quality inverter and, where suitable, a battery storage system, you have a setup that quietly works in the background, lowering your bills and reducing the carbon footprint of your home for decades.
- 100% British-owned solar panel company
- Offering a 30-Year British Warranty
- Ethically produced Solar Panels
Frequently Asked Questions
A handful of the questions we are asked most often by Canterbury homeowners.
Do I need solar to get a battery storage system?
You do not. A battery on its own can still bring real savings by charging overnight on a cheaper off-peak tariff and powering your home during the day when electricity prices climb. Where solar genuinely changes things is when the two are paired, since the battery can then store free energy generated by your roof, making the whole setup go further.
How does solar work?
Panels on your roof respond to daylight and generate direct current electricity. An inverter then converts that into the alternating current your home runs on, ready to power lights, sockets, appliances, and any extras such as a hot water diverter or EV charger. Anything you do not use immediately can be stored in a battery, sent back to the grid, or both.
How long will my solar system last for?
A well-installed solar system will perform reliably for 25 years or more, often longer. Anglo Solar panels are covered for a full 30 years through a British-backed warranty, with mounting kits typically warranted for 10 years and inverters and batteries usually around the same.
How soon will I start saving money from solar?
You start saving from the moment your system is commissioned. The instant the panels begin generating, you draw less power from the grid, which feeds straight through into a smaller bill. Customers typically save up to 70% on their energy costs once a properly designed system is in operation.
What is a battery storage system?
It is a unit fitted in your home, often in a utility room, garage, or plant area, that stores electricity for later use. It can be charged from your solar panels when the sun is shining, or topped up from the grid during cheaper off-peak hours, and then used in the evenings when household demand is at its highest.
Do solar panels work in the winter?
They do. Solar panels generate from daylight rather than warmth, so they keep producing energy through the autumn and winter, just at a lower level than during the long summer days. A good system design accounts for this seasonal swing across the full year.
Will solar panels and battery storage work if I have a power cut
Most grid-tied solar systems shut down automatically during a power cut for safety reasons, so they do not feed power into the network while engineers are working on the lines. Some battery storage systems can be configured to provide backup electricity to selected circuits during an outage, and we can talk you through whether that option fits your home.
Do you need planning permission for solar panels?
For most homes in the Canterbury area, planning permission is not required because solar panels usually fall under permitted development. Listed buildings, properties in conservation areas, and some flat roof installations can be exceptions, and given Canterbury includes substantial conservation areas around the city centre and Cathedral, we always check the rules that apply to your specific address as part of the survey.
How long does a solar panel installation take?
Most domestic installs in Canterbury are completed within 1 to 2 days, including scaffolding, fitting, electrical work, and commissioning. Larger arrays, more complex roof structures, or projects that include battery storage and an EV charger may take a little longer, and we will agree timings with you up front.
How many solar panels will fit on my roof?
That depends on the size, pitch, orientation, and shape of your roof, plus any obstructions such as chimneys, dormers, Velux windows, or shading from trees. During your site survey we map out the usable space carefully and design an array that balances the number of panels with how much energy your household actually uses across the year.
Still have a question?
Contact our expert team today and we’ll provide clear, honest advice to guide you every step of the way.
Ready to design a solar system that fits your home?
Start with our free eligibility check, or call to speak with one of our renewable energy advisors.