There's a Solar Surge. Don't Make It Suck.

I made one enquiry.

One. Researching for this article.

Ten minutes later my phone was buzzing like I'd accidentally applied to be on Love Island.

Texts.

Sales calls.

Finance pitches.

People I'd never heard of trying to "help" me make one of the biggest investments I'll make in my home.

Nobody asked what I wanted. Nobody asked what my house was like. Nobody asked if I was even ready to buy.

They just wanted to get there first.

What the hell happened?

Solar is one of the best stories Britain has. The technology works. Homeowners want it. Electricity isn't getting cheaper. Batteries are improving. The economics are becoming increasingly attractive.

So why does buying it feel like walking into a timeshare presentation?

The dirty little secret is that too much of the market isn't built around helping people buy solar.

It's built around selling the enquiry before somebody else does. The homeowner isn't a homeowner.

They're a lead.

A number.

A commission.

A race.

I've spoken to architects, retrofit professionals and people who actually work in this industry.

I sat over a pint last night with a respected retrofit professional, an architect, a person who knows buildings. She showed me her phone, with a diagram sent out to her which has the orientation of her roof incorrectly annotated. Twice.

Truth is. Enquire about solar and the feeding frenzy begins.

That's not confidence.

That's panic.

And panic is expensive.

It drives poor advice, rushed decisions and an obsession with finance before anyone has even discussed whether the roof is suitable, whether a battery makes sense or what the customer is actually trying to achieve.

If that's the first impression homeowners get of solar, don't be surprised when trust evaporates.

Here's the irony. The industry keeps talking about educating consumers. Consumers aren't the problem.

The buying journey is.

The good installers know this already.

They're the ones losing work because they're busy measuring homes while somebody else is closing deals over the phone.

That isn't innovation. It's just faster selling.

But I don't think this lasts.

There's a different economy emerging. Evidence beats advertising.

Performance beats promises. Trust beats telesales.

If carbon performance starts carrying financial value, if installers are increasingly rewarded for outcomes instead of simply installations, the whole equation changes.

You can't pressure-sell your way into that future.

You have to earn it.

Next week I'll be filming a real solar installation with one of the country's best installers - from first conversation through to commissioning.

Another glossy installation video is NOT what this industry needs.

Homeowners deserve to know what good actually looks like.

Britain is about to see another solar surge.

Let's not ruin it before the panels even get on the roof.

Don't make it suck.