Are you ignoring maintenance?
In the push for Net Zero, solar PV systems have become a go-to solution for cutting carbon and reducing resident energy bills. For many social housing providers, bulk installations of solar panels were funded and delivered years ago, but since then, ongoing solar panel maintenance has too often fallen by the wayside.
With staffing issues, budget constraints, and many installers, each with their own warranties and maintenance contracts, it can be incredibly difficult for social housing providers to keep on top of all their renewable assets.
Unfortunately, issues with unmaintained solar panels are starting to have consequences.
A wake-up call for the sector
In 2024, a fire at a social housing estate made headlines. The suspected cause was a faulty solar installation from 15 years ago. While investigations continue, the incident was a stark reminder of what happens when solar PV systems are installed without long-term maintenance plans.
The housing provider acted quickly, appointing Carbon3 to assess its entire solar portfolio, which was a nationwide project involving over 800 blocks of flats. Our job: identify which systems could be maintained, which should be decommissioned, and where replacements are needed.
This is no longer a niche issue. Many housing associations are sitting on aging, undocumented, and unmonitored solar systems. What began as a smart investment in sustainability is now a ticking time bomb of avoidable solar panel maintenance costs, performance losses, and safety risks.
Why systems get overlooked
Asset and procurement teams in social housing are under intense pressure. With limited staff and growing responsibilities, it’s easy for solar PV systems, and other renewable technologies, to be overlooked. Original warranties and documentation can go missing. Installers might have shut down or stopped offering support. And as faults build up, the systems quietly stop delivering the benefits they were meant to provide to the most vulnerable in our society.
In the absence of a structured approach to PV panel maintenance, housing providers risk:
- Increased fire and electrical hazards that could injure residents, or worse
- Reputational damage if residents are affected
- Lost energy savings and higher carbon emissions
- Unexpected repair bills from reactive fixes
- Scrutiny from regulators or funding bodies
How Carbon3 simplifies solar maintenance for housing providers
At Carbon3, we specialise in helping social landlords get control of their solar PV estates. Whether you manage a few dozen installations or hundreds, we offer a complete solar maintenance service that removes stress from your team.
Here’s how we do it:
Full solar asset register
We start by surveying your entire portfolio to create a detailed solar asset register. This includes panel types, inverter details, installation dates, warranty details and condition. You’ll finally have a clear, central record of what you own and what needs attention, which is the foundation of any effective bulk solar maintenance programme.
Warranty recovery & documentation
Many solar panel maintenance companies stop at servicing. Our team will work to recover lost warranty information, identify expired or underperforming components, and help you make informed decisions about whether to repair, maintain, or replace. We work closely with the biggest roofing manufacturers in the UK and can push through any warranty claims with ease.
Directly employed engineers
We have a dedicated O&M team. Our engineers are trained, directly employed, and experienced in social housing solar maintenance. That means consistent quality, quicker responses, and minimal disruption to residents.
Remote monitoring & fast fault response
We can install smart monitoring on each PV system we maintain, allowing us to detect drops in performance in real time. This enables fast, targeted responses, often before residents are even aware there’s an issue. It also means less interruptions for residents, and more efficient annual servicing.
Planned preventive maintenance
Our long-term service plans ensure your solar panels are regularly inspected, cleaned, and tested. This proactive approach minimises system downtime, improves output, and keeps safety risks low. It also helps you forecast solar panel maintenance costs and avoid budget shocks.
What’s at stake
Without regular servicing, even well installed solar PV systems can degrade. Cracked panels, loose cabling, inverter faults and poor isolator placement are just some of the common issues we encounter. The weather affects even the hardiest systems, and left unchecked, these can reduce performance or even become a serious safety hazard.
The fire may have made the headlines, but similar issues are surfacing quietly across the UK. In many cases, housing providers aren’t even aware their systems have stopped working.
With energy prices still high and government help for social housing residents being cut, these vulnerable people need their solar panels to work more than ever. Cheaper energy really can mean the difference between life and death for some.
Why choose Carbon3?
When it comes to solar panel maintenance companies, we know that social housing needs more than a technical service. You need a partner who understands the challenges of your sector and works around your residents, compliance needs, and budget cycles.
Carbon3 offers:
- Complete estate visibility through asset logging and condition reports
- Clear reporting tailored for board presentations, auditors, and regulators
- Dedicated support from people who understand social housing operations
- Bulk servicing and repairs that are cost-efficient and compliant
We help housing associations avoid costly surprises, reduce downtime, and keep solar delivering value year after year.
If you haven’t reviewed your solar portfolio recently, now is the time. Email us at info@carbon3.co.uk for a desktop asset survey.
In the push for Net Zero, solar PV systems have become a go-to solution for cutting carbon and reducing resident energy bills. For many social housing providers, bulk installations of solar panels were funded and delivered years ago, but since then, ongoing solar panel maintenance has too often fallen by the wayside.
With staffing issues, budget constraints, and many installers, each with their own warranties and maintenance contracts, it can be incredibly difficult for social housing providers to keep on top of all their renewable assets.
Unfortunately, issues with unmaintained solar panels are starting to have consequences.
A wake-up call for the sector
In 2024, a fire at a social housing estate made headlines. The suspected cause was a faulty solar installation from 15 years ago. While investigations continue, the incident was a stark reminder of what happens when solar PV systems are installed without long-term maintenance plans.
The housing provider acted quickly, appointing Carbon3 to assess its entire solar portfolio, which was a nationwide project involving over 800 blocks of flats. Our job: identify which systems could be maintained, which should be decommissioned, and where replacements are needed.
This is no longer a niche issue. Many housing associations are sitting on aging, undocumented, and unmonitored solar systems. What began as a smart investment in sustainability is now a ticking time bomb of avoidable solar panel maintenance costs, performance losses, and safety risks.
Why systems get overlooked
Asset and procurement teams in social housing are under intense pressure. With limited staff and growing responsibilities, it’s easy for solar PV systems, and other renewable technologies, to be overlooked. Original warranties and documentation can go missing. Installers might have shut down or stopped offering support. And as faults build up, the systems quietly stop delivering the benefits they were meant to provide to the most vulnerable in our society.
In the absence of a structured approach to PV panel maintenance, housing providers risk:
- Increased fire and electrical hazards that could injure residents, or worse
- Reputational damage if residents are affected
- Lost energy savings and higher carbon emissions
- Unexpected repair bills from reactive fixes
- Scrutiny from regulators or funding bodies
How Carbon3 simplifies solar maintenance for housing providers
At Carbon3, we specialise in helping social landlords get control of their solar PV estates. Whether you manage a few dozen installations or hundreds, we offer a complete solar maintenance service that removes stress from your team.
Here’s how we do it:
Full solar asset register
We start by surveying your entire portfolio to create a detailed solar asset register. This includes panel types, inverter details, installation dates, warranty details and condition. You’ll finally have a clear, central record of what you own and what needs attention, which is the foundation of any effective bulk solar maintenance programme.
Warranty recovery & documentation
Many solar panel maintenance companies stop at servicing. Our team will work to recover lost warranty information, identify expired or underperforming components, and help you make informed decisions about whether to repair, maintain, or replace. We work closely with the biggest roofing manufacturers in the UK and can push through any warranty claims with ease.
Directly employed engineers
We have a dedicated O&M team. Our engineers are trained, directly employed, and experienced in social housing solar maintenance. That means consistent quality, quicker responses, and minimal disruption to residents.
Remote monitoring & fast fault response
We can install smart monitoring on each PV system we maintain, allowing us to detect drops in performance in real time. This enables fast, targeted responses, often before residents are even aware there’s an issue. It also means less interruptions for residents, and more efficient annual servicing.
Planned preventive maintenance
Our long-term service plans ensure your solar panels are regularly inspected, cleaned, and tested. This proactive approach minimises system downtime, improves output, and keeps safety risks low. It also helps you forecast solar panel maintenance costs and avoid budget shocks.
What’s at stake
Without regular servicing, even well installed solar PV systems can degrade. Cracked panels, loose cabling, inverter faults and poor isolator placement are just some of the common issues we encounter. The weather affects even the hardiest systems, and left unchecked, these can reduce performance or even become a serious safety hazard.
The fire may have made the headlines, but similar issues are surfacing quietly across the UK. In many cases, housing providers aren’t even aware their systems have stopped working.
With energy prices still high and government help for social housing residents being cut, these vulnerable people need their solar panels to work more than ever. Cheaper energy really can mean the difference between life and death for some.
Why choose Carbon3?
When it comes to solar panel maintenance companies, we know that social housing needs more than a technical service. You need a partner who understands the challenges of your sector and works around your residents, compliance needs, and budget cycles.
Carbon3 offers:
- Complete estate visibility through asset logging and condition reports
- Clear reporting tailored for board presentations, auditors, and regulators
- Dedicated support from people who understand social housing operations
- Bulk servicing and repairs that are cost-efficient and compliant
We help housing associations avoid costly surprises, reduce downtime, and keep solar delivering value year after year.
If you haven’t reviewed your solar portfolio recently, now is the time. Email us at info@carbon3.co.uk for a desktop asset survey.