Bury Solar Guide: Mill-Town Terraces, Solar on Council Roofs & 10 Verified Installers
10 MCS-certified firms for Bury, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich.
Bury grew up in the Industrial Revolution as a textile mill town, and rows of terraced houses still ring its centre, with the River Irwell running between the east and west sides. Robert Peel was born here, the market has traded for nearly 600 years and is known for black pudding, and the East Lancashire Railway runs north from Bolton Street station to Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall. The wider borough had about 193,800 residents at the 2021 Census.
A 4kW array in Bury is modelled to generate 3,443 kWh a year, and every unit you use instead of buying saves 26.49p at the North West price cap. The ten MCS-certified firms below all have addresses in or close to the borough, and we checked each against the MCS register mirror, its own website and, where they loaded, Companies House and review sites.
At a glance: Bury solar installers compared
| Company | Accreditation | Services | Coverage | Years | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Panels Funded | MCS network | Quote matching, solar PV, battery, panel cleaning, funding guidance | Bury, Ramsbottom & Radcliffe | — | One enquiry → multiple local quotes |
| Steve Duckworth Electrical Ltd | MCS (NICEIC), BUS, Tesla | Solar PV, Powerwall, heat pumps, EV | Bury (BL9), ~1.4 miles | Since 2014 | Panels with a Tesla Powerwall from an established local firm. |
| Berry Electrical Services (Berry Solar) | MCS (NAPIT), HIES, TrustMark | Solar PV, battery, off-grid, commercial | Radcliffe (M26), ~1.3 miles | — | Larger or off-grid systems and wide brand choice. |
| Agenda Electrical Limited | MCS (NAPIT), Huawei | Solar PV, battery, repairs | Radcliffe (M26), ~3 miles | Since 2010 | A Huawei battery set-up or an inverter repair. |
| Greentech Renewables Ltd | MCS (NAPIT), TrustMark, HIES, BUS | Solar PV, battery, heat pumps, EV | Bury (BL9), ~0.7 miles (MCS address) | — | A wide choice of battery brands. |
| Connect Electric | MCS (NAPIT), Which?, TrustMark | Solar PV, maintenance, electrical | Whitefield (M45), ~2.4 miles | — | Prestwich and Whitefield homes, and repairs. |
| Easybuild Solutions Ltd | MCS (BAB), TrustMark, RECC, BUS | Solar PV, heat pumps, funded work | Gollinrod, Bury (BL9), ~3.1 miles | — | Households exploring funded solar or a heat pump. |
| Green Grant Installs | MCS (NAPIT), CORC | Retrofit, insulation, solar PV, battery | Edenfield edge of Ramsbottom (BL0), ~4.7 miles | Since 2018 | Grant-funded retrofit with insulation and solar together. |
| R.L. Lovatt Limited | MCS (NAPIT), NFRC, VELUX, CHAS | Roofing, solar PV, battery | Bury (BL9), ~0.7 miles | Since 1956 | A roof that needs repair before panels go on. |
| Lakeside Mechanical & Electrical Services | MCS (NAPIT) | Solar PV, battery, M&E | Walmersley Road, Bury (BL9), ~1.2 miles | Since 2009 | A comparison quote from an M&E contractor. |
| Hennessey Solar | MCS (NAPIT), FCA AR | Solar PV, battery | Haslingden (BB4), ~7.8 miles | Since 2022 | Ramsbottom and Tottington homes near the Rossendale border. |
MCS numbers checked 13 October 2026 against the MCS installer listings (via Find Certified Installers), with services and accreditations checked on each firm’s own site and the RECC, TrustMark, Which? and Checkatrade listings where available. Review figures are the ones shown on those listings. Membership can change, so confirm MCS status with the installer before you sign.
Solar in Bury by the numbers
These numbers come from PVGIS for central Bury. A 4kW system tilted at 35° to the south should give about 3,443 kWh a year, peaking at around 444 kWh in May and dropping to 102 kWh in December.
- 3,443 kWh / yearEstimated output of a 4kW roof system in Bury
- 26.49p per kWhPrice-cap unit rate for Bury’s region (North West), Oct–Dec 2026, vs 26.32p GB average
- £365–£545 off your billIf you use 40–60% of what the panels make at home
- + £180–£270 export incomeThe rest sold at 13p/kWh on an open Smart Export Guarantee tariff
At today’s North West rates that is worth about £635–£725 a year, enough to recover a £6,490 install in 8.9–10.2 years. Bury’s figure is almost identical to Manchester’s, a little below Bolton’s and ahead of Oldham’s.
Sources: output from the EU’s PVGIS 5.3 model (SARAH-3 data) for Bury, 4kW, 35° south-facing, roof-mounted, 14% system losses. Unit rate from Ofgem’s price cap for 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026. Export rate: Fuse Energy Single Rate Variable, September 2026. Installed cost: Sunsave, August 2026. Your own figures will depend on roof direction, shading and how much electricity you use in daylight.
Areas covered around Bury
This guide covers BL9 (Bury town, Walmersley, Summerseat, Nangreaves, Heap Bridge and Unsworth), BL8 (Tottington, Walshaw, Greenmount, Hawkshaw and Holcombe), BL0 (Ramsbottom, plus Edenfield and Shuttleworth across the Rossendale boundary), M26 (Radcliffe), M45 (Whitefield) and M25 (Prestwich). Nine of the ten firms below have BL9, BL0, M26 or M45 addresses; Hennessey Solar travels from Haslingden in Rossendale, and Green Grant Installs’ Ramsbottom postcode actually sits just inside Rossendale.
Bury town centreRamsbottomTottingtonRadcliffeWhitefieldPrestwichWalmersleySummerseatHolcombeUnsworth
Postcode sectors and localities from Streetlist (BL0, BL8, BL9, M25, M26, M45); district boundaries from postcodes.io. Distances are straight-line from Bury Town Hall, Knowsley Street.
Planning and grid connection in Bury
- 12 conservation areasBury Council lists 12: Ainsworth; All Saints, Whitefield; Brooksbottoms and Rowlands; Bury Town Centre; Holcombe; Mount Pleasant; Poppythorn, Prestwich; Pot Green; Ramsbottom; St Mary’s, Prestwich; Summerseat; and Walmersley. If your home is in one, talk to the planning team before panels go on a roof that faces the street.
- Holcombe Article 4 directionMade in May 2016 and in force from 31 July 2017, the Holcombe direction removes several householder rights, including Part 1 Class C, “any other alteration to the roof of a dwellinghouse”, as well as enlargements, porches and chimneys. Solar is not named, but because roof alterations are caught, Holcombe owners should expect to apply for permission.
- St Mary’s, Prestwich and the HMO directionA second conservation-area direction has covered St Mary’s, Prestwich since 1 October 2009. We have not seen which rights it removes, so check with the council before planning panels there. A borough-wide HMO direction from 16 July 2026 deals with changes of use, not roofs.
- Listed buildings and local planThe borough has more than 320 listed buildings and structures, and these need listed building consent for most external changes. Places for Everyone, the joint Greater Manchester plan, was adopted in March 2024 alongside saved UDP policies; the new Bury Local Plan (2022–2043) closed its Regulation 19 consultation on 11 September 2026.
- SP Electricity North WestBury’s wires belong to Electricity North West, which now trades as SP Electricity North West within the Iberdrola group. A typical home array is simply reported to the network once it is live (G98), while larger inverters or big batteries go through G99, which needs the network’s agreement before installation.
Sources: Bury Council (conservation areas, listed buildings, Bury Local Plan, Climate Action Plan 2023, press releases 2020–2025); Holcombe Article 4 confirmation order; planning.data.gov.uk Article 4 data; GMCA (Warm Homes: Local Grant, Solar Together 2019); ONS Census 2021; SP Electricity North West; Wikipedia (Bury, Greater Manchester).
Solar Panels Funded
MCS networkResidential & commercialFunding specialists
Solar Panels Funded is a Birmingham-based solar intermediary at Digbeth Court Business Centre, 162–164 High Street, Birmingham, B12 0LD. It doesn’t install panels itself; it matches Bury homeowners with MCS-accredited installers from its network, so one enquiry brings back several quotes.
For Bury households it can bring in installers who work across the borough, from town-centre terraces to Ramsbottom and Tottington, and it can ask them to check Holcombe and other conservation-area rules and Warm Homes grant eligibility before quoting.
Best for One enquiry → multiple competitive quotes from vetted MCS-accredited installers.
Steve Duckworth Electrical Ltd
MCSNICEICBUS registeredTesla installer
Steve Duckworth started about 15 years ago as a one-man firm fitting solar across Lancashire, and put PV on his own home in 2011. The website says the business was among the first 50 in the UK approved to install Tesla batteries, in 2016, and it now fits Powerwall 3 alongside domestic and commercial PV, heat pumps, EV chargers and maintenance. The limited company was incorporated in October 2014.
Its MCS listing shows no rating and no website. On Trustpilot it has 4.3 from eight reviews, all five-star, but none from the past year, so ask for recent jobs.
Best for Panels with a Tesla Powerwall from an established local firm.
Berry Electrical Services (Berry Solar)
MCSNAPITHIESTrustMark
Berry is a family firm claiming 20 years’ experience, split into Berry Homes, Berry Electrical Services and Berry Solar. It designs domestic, commercial and off-grid systems with brands including SolarEdge, Fox ESS, Enphase and Huawei, and lists a 14.4 kWp array at Tunshill Golf Club and a 3.06 MWp design in Oldham among its projects. It is an Octopus Trusted Partner and CHAS Premium member.
Its MCS listing shows 3.7 from six Google reviews, although the four displayed there are all five-star. Ask for domestic references to set against that mixed score.
Best for Larger or off-grid systems and wide brand choice.
Agenda Electrical Limited
MCSNAPITHuawei installer
Agenda Electrical was registered in 2010 by owner Alan Armstead and says it has 15 years of solar experience. It fits Solarwatt glass/glass panels with a 30-year warranty, and Huawei inverters, batteries and the EMMA energy hub, as well as doing general electrical work around Bury, Bolton and Manchester.
Its MCS listing shows 5.0 from ten Google reviews, one praising a solar inverter repair. The address is a house, so this is a small owner-run business.
Best for A Huawei battery set-up or an inverter repair.
Greentech Renewables Ltd
MCSNAPITTrustMarkHIES
Greentech Renewables installs residential solar with Longi, DMEGC and AIKO panels, batteries from Sigenergy, Fox ESS, GivEnergy and Tesla, plus heat pumps and Zappi chargers. It claims more than 15 years’ experience and an in-house team that never subcontracts, and is GivEnergy Approved and BUS-registered.
Its MCS listing shows 5.0 from 12 Google reviews. Two caveats: its website gives a different address, Unit 14 Mandale Business Park, Middleton M24 1ZE, and it quotes both 500+ and 2,000+ installations, so confirm where it now operates from.
Best for A wide choice of battery brands.
Connect Electric
MCSNAPITWhich? Trusted TraderTrustMark
Connect Electric (Bury) Limited is a family-run electrical contractor that started in Whitefield over a decade ago. It supplies and installs new solar panels to MCS standards, maintains and repairs existing arrays, and does residential and commercial electrical work across Manchester postcodes and a little beyond.
Its MCS listing has no rating. The website says it holds the top five-star Which? Trusted Trader score but gives no review count, and batteries appear only on its MCS listing, so ask whether it fits them.
Best for Prestwich and Whitefield homes, and repairs.
Easybuild Solutions Ltd
MCSBABTrustMarkRECC
Easybuild Solutions works from a barn at Gollinrod Farm, in Ramsbottom ward, and installs solar PV and air-source heat pumps. It claims more than five years’ experience, covers the whole country and appears to focus on grant-funded work; batteries are not mentioned on its site.
Its MCS listing shows 5.0 from seven Google reviews, one of them mentioning a funding survey. If you are paying yourself, ask for a fully itemised quote.
Best for Households exploring funded solar or a heat pump.
Green Grant Installs
MCSNAPITCORC
Green Homes Grant Installs Limited was founded in Ramsbottom in 2018 as an insulation contractor and now offers whole-house retrofit to PAS 2035, solar PV, batteries, heat pumps, EV chargers and roofing. It works for social landlords, councils and homeowners across Greater Manchester, and its pages mention GMCA’s Feel the Benefit and the Warm Homes: Local Grant.
Its MCS listing shows 4.1 from 66 Google reviews, including a three-star review saying the work “is still not 100%”. It is retrofit-led rather than a solar specialist, and its BL0 0NG postcode, near Edenfield, falls in Rossendale rather than Bury borough.
Best for Grant-funded retrofit with insulation and solar together.
R.L. Lovatt Limited
MCSNAPITNFRCCHAS
R.L. Lovatt is a family roofing contractor established in 1956, whose named projects include Coronation Street, Bolton Wanderers’ training ground, Salford Cathedral and Macclesfield Town Hall. It is MCS-certified for solar PV and battery storage and offers residential and commercial solar roofing.
Its MCS listing shows 4.9 from 205 Google reviews, the most here, but most sampled reviews are about roofing. Its own site does not show MCS or describe its solar work in detail.
Best for A roof that needs repair before panels go on.
Lakeside Mechanical & Electrical Services
MCSNAPIT
Lakeside describes itself as mechanical and electrical engineers since 2009 and mentions renewable work. Its MCS certification covers solar PV and battery storage, and it is also listed on ENF Solar.
We found no reviews, and its website does not show domestic solar jobs, so treat it as a commercial-leaning firm and ask for home references.
Best for A comparison quote from an M&E contractor.
Hennessey Solar
MCSNAPITFCA AR
Hennessey Electrical Ltd, trading as Hennessey Solar, was founded in 2022 by Callum Hennessey and is based in Rossendale, working nationwide. It installs solar PV and battery storage and is an FCA appointed representative as a credit introducer.
Its MCS listing shows 5.0 from four Google reviews, all about solar and batteries, which is a small sample. Its website says it has over 11 years of experience despite the 2022 start and shows no MCS logo or address, so ask about both.
Best for Ramsbottom and Tottington homes near the Rossendale border.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there grant money for solar in Bury?
Greater Manchester runs two Warm Homes: Local Grant routes, and both list solar PV and batteries among the measures. Bury Council itself handles the area-based scheme for EPC D–G homes in the most income-deprived neighbourhoods; email privatesectorhousing@bury.gov.uk. The GM-wide scheme goes through GMCA’s retrofit portal and pays up to £30,000 for owners or tenants who meet an income, benefit or area test, such as gross household income below £36,000. Neither page says whether funding is currently open, so ask before you rely on it.
Do I need permission for panels in Holcombe or Prestwich?
In Holcombe, probably yes. Its Article 4 direction, in force since July 2017, withdraws the householder right to make “any other alteration to the roof”, so panels there will normally need a planning application. St Mary’s in Prestwich has its own direction from 2009, which we have not seen in detail, so ask the council. Bury’s other ten conservation areas, from Ramsbottom to Summerseat, carry no extra direction but still deserve a check for street-facing roofs.
How much electricity does a Bury roof produce?
PVGIS estimates a south-facing 4kW roof in Bury at about 3,443 kWh annually: almost exactly Manchester’s figure, and around 40 kWh below Bolton, and nearly 100 kWh above Oldham. Output is strongest in May, at about 444 kWh, and falls to 102 kWh in December.
What could panels be worth to a Bury household?
Each solar unit used in a Bury home replaces one bought at 26.49p, the current North West cap. Our model lets the house take 40–60% of what the panels make and sends the rest to the grid at 13p, giving roughly £635–£725 a year in value; at £6,490 a 4kW system would be paid off after 8.9–10.2 years.
Has Bury Council put solar on its own buildings?
Yes. Sixty-nine panels went onto the Bradley Fold depot workshop in Radcliffe in 2020, and later public-sector decarbonisation funding added rooftop arrays such as 17 kWp at Bury Fish and Meat Market and 19.1 kWp at Ramsbottom Pool. Ramsbottom Library got a new roof with panels in 2025, producing about 4,800 kWh a year. We found no dedicated community energy group, though a 2022 council green fund backed solar plans at the Enterprise Centre on the Kirklees Valley Nature Trail and at Phillips Park Management CIC’s Barn.
Is there a group-buying scheme for solar in Bury?
Not that we could find. Solar Together Greater Manchester, run by GMCA with iChoosr across all ten districts including Bury, held a reverse auction in October 2019 after more than 2,000 households signed up. We found no later round for 2025 or 2026, so getting several quotes directly remains the simplest way to compare prices.
Why do some Bury installers have Rossendale addresses?
Bury borough borders Rossendale to the north, and the BL0 postcode spills over the boundary into Edenfield and Shuttleworth. That is why Green Grant Installs, with a Ramsbottom address, actually sits in Rossendale district, and why Hennessey Solar in Haslingden is under eight miles from Bury Town Hall. For homes in Ramsbottom, Holcombe or Tottington these firms can be as convenient as those in the town centre.
Final Thoughts
Before you book surveys in Bury, find out whether your street is in one of the 12 conservation areas, and if you live in Holcombe, plan for a planning application. If your income or EPC rating might qualify, email the council or use GMCA’s retrofit portal to see whether grant money is available.
Then compare at least three quotes, ideally from a town-centre firm and one nearer your own part of the borough, and check each output estimate against the 3,443 kWh figure above.
Related reading on Solar Panels Funded
Solar Energy Funding Specialist & Home Energy Advisor
Zachariah Eaton is a UK-based solar energy funding specialist with a focus on helping homeowners access grants, financing schemes, and cost-saving renewable solutions. He has spent years researching government-backed programmes such as ECO4, Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), and local funding initiatives to make solar more accessible. Zachariah writes practical, easy-to-understand guides that help households reduce energy bills and transition to clean energy with confidence.