Solar panel cleaning
For droppings and flat roofs, with purified water and soft brushes. If the rain is already doing the job, we will tell you.
Solar panel cleaning and servicing in Glasgow
Solar panel cleaning and bird proofing, servicing and inverter repairs in Glasgow and the towns around it, on houses, tenements and business roofs, including systems fitted by another company. A tenement roof belongs to all the owners, so any work that involves it is planned with them or your factor from the start.
How we cover Glasgow
We take work across Glasgow and the towns around it, and elsewhere in Scotland. We are based in Warrington, not Scotland, and we don't have a Scottish office. Before we book, we ask what the system is and whether the roof is shared with other flats.
Send a photo of the panels on WhatsApp or call 0800 772 3611. Glasgow's rain helps, but it doesn't shift bird droppings, so we will tell you whether your panels are due a clean.
What Glasgow weather and roofs mean for upkeep
Rain does most of the cleaning. The Met Office station at Paisley, just west of the city, averages about 1,260 mm of rain a year, with at least 1 mm falling on around 174 days. That rinses ordinary dust off sloping panels, so a sloping roof here may need only one of the one to two cleans a year we recommend. What rain doesn't shift is bird droppings, and they are the usual reason a roof needs more.
Gulls as well as pigeons. NatureScot says more gulls have moved into towns and cities for easy food and safe nest sites on roofs. Gulls and pigeons both nest under panels and foul the glass. Bird proofing closes the gap around the array. In Scotland it is an offence to interfere with a wild bird's nest while it is in use or being built, so if we find an active nest we come back when it is empty.
Tenement roofs are shared. Glasgow has about 77,000 pre-1919 sandstone tenement flats, a quarter of the city's homes. Under the Tenement Management Scheme, which applies unless your title deeds say otherwise, the roof and the structure holding it up are maintained by all the owners together. So if work on panels involves the roof, or scaffolding up the front of the building, expect to agree it with the other owners, or your factor if you have one, before it goes ahead. We are happy to explain the work to them.
Flat commercial roofs. On flat and low-pitched roofs, rain runs off slowly and leaves residue behind. Those are the arrays in Glasgow most likely to need two cleans a year.
What we do in Glasgow
Bird proofing
Mesh that stops gulls and pigeons nesting under the array. A typical home costs £400 to £800.
Servicing and inverter repairs
A routine home service costs around £200 to £300. A replacement inverter typically costs £1,200 to £2,000 fitted, including on systems another company fitted.
Commercial roofs
Planned maintenance for offices, units and warehouses, with risk assessments and method statements before anyone goes up.
Your network operator in Glasgow
How grid approval worksGlasgow is in SP Energy Networks' area, which covers central and southern Scotland under the SP Distribution licence; the north of Scotland has a different operator. SP Energy Networks owns the poles and cables, not your bill, and in a power cut you can reach them on 105.
A clean or bird proofing never needs them. Swapping an inverter or fitting a battery can mean notifying them or getting their approval, and that paperwork is part of our job.
Questions from Glasgow customers
Who offers solar panel cleaning in Glasgow?
DB Energy does, for homes, tenements and businesses in Glasgow, including systems another company installed. We are MCS certified (NIC-601172) and a RECC member (00075024), based in Warrington, and we reply to every enquiry within two working days.
With all the rain in Glasgow, do my panels need cleaning at all?
Yes, though rain on around 174 days a year rinses dust off sloping panels, so one clean a year may be enough. Bird droppings don't wash off and flat roofs hold residue, so those roofs usually need two. We recommend one to two cleans a year, depending on the area and your panel warranty.
My panels are on a tenement roof. Do I need my neighbours' agreement?
For anything that involves the roof itself or scaffolding, usually yes. Under the Tenement Management Scheme the roof is maintained by all the owners together unless your title deeds say otherwise, so check your deeds and talk to the other owners or your factor first.
Send us a photo of your panels
In a tenement, tell us whether there is a factor and how the roof is reached. Then a photo of the droppings, the gulls or the error light is usually enough for us to judge what it needs.