The UK is the one market on this list where a certification scheme, rather than a vendor, effectively decides part of your software stack. MCS sets out how a domestic system’s performance estimate must be produced, and that single fact reshapes which layers a British installer needs to buy and which ones are already settled for them.
Direct answer. Solar software in the UK splits into six layers: design and simulation, sales and proposal, MCS and DNO documentation, monitoring, CRM and operations, and procurement. The distinctive British feature is that domestic performance estimation follows a defined MCS methodology, so the compliance layer partly dictates the design layer rather than the other way round.
TL;DR
- Six layers, and for domestic work the compliance layer constrains the design layer.
- MCS sets a defined method for domestic performance estimates, so a fancier simulation does not override it.
- DNO notification runs under G98 or G99 depending on size, which is a form-filling problem, not a modelling one.
- Commercial and utility work escapes the MCS constraint and needs a real simulation tool.
- Total stack cost runs from roughly £1,500 to £20,000 a year depending on stage.
What “Solar Software” Actually Means in the UK
Six distinct jobs sit under the phrase, and the British balance between them is unusual.
Design and simulation. Layout, string sizing, shading, and yield. Split in the UK between domestic work, where the method is prescribed, and commercial work, where it is not.
Sales and proposal. Customer-facing savings documents and finance comparison.
MCS and DNO documentation. The certification paperwork for domestic installations and the network operator notification. This is the UK-specific layer.
Monitoring. Post-commissioning production data, usually from the inverter manufacturer.
CRM and operations. Lead tracking, survey scheduling, installer dispatch.
Procurement. Distributor sourcing.
The UK Solar Software Stack, Layer by Layer
| Layer | Representative tools | Who uses it | Typical cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and simulation | PVsyst, Easy PV, SurgePV, HelioScope | Designers | £400 to £1,500 per seat |
| Sales and proposal | Easy PV, OpenSolar, SurgePV | Sales team | £0 to £1,500 per seat |
| MCS and DNO documentation | Easy PV, MCS umbrella scheme tools | Compliance | Often bundled or per-certificate |
| Monitoring | Inverter vendor portals | O&M | Usually bundled with hardware |
| CRM and operations | HubSpot, Pipedrive, sector-specific tools | Everyone | £250 to £1,400 per seat |
| Procurement | Distributor portals | Purchasing | Usually free |
Easy PV appears three times in that table, which is the single most useful thing to know about UK solar software. It is built around the domestic MCS workflow, and for a residential installer it collapses three layers into one product. That is a genuinely different market structure from the US, where no equivalent consolidation exists.
The Layer That Is Specific to the UK
MCS certification is what makes British solar software different.
For domestic installations, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme sets out how the system’s estimated annual generation must be calculated, including a defined method for accounting for overshading. This is a procedure with prescribed inputs, not an invitation to model the site however you like. An installer who runs a detailed hourly simulation and gets a different number has not overridden the MCS figure; they have produced a second number that sits alongside it.
That has a practical consequence most people miss. For domestic work, buying an expensive simulation platform does not change what goes on the certificate. The performance estimate is already determined by the method. The simulation is useful for engineering judgement, for deciding whether a shaded position is worth using, and for commercial work. It is not a route to a better MCS number.
Separately, the grid connection runs under Engineering Recommendation G98 for smaller installations, notified after commissioning, or G99 for larger ones, which requires application before connection. That is a documentation and process problem rather than a modelling one, and it is handled with forms and a competent administrator rather than software.
Commercial and utility-scale UK work sits outside MCS entirely. There the picture looks like any other European market: a real simulation tool, a real yield study, and a lender who reads it.
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For the commercial jobs MCS does not cover
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What Stack You Need at Your Size
Domestic installer, under 100 systems a year. Two layers, and one product can cover both. An MCS-oriented workflow tool handles design, proposal, and certification paperwork. A separate simulation platform is not earning its licence at this stage.
Domestic installer, 100 to 500 systems a year. Three layers. The same workflow tool plus a real CRM, because lead volume now exceeds what a shared inbox can hold. Monitoring becomes an operational concern as the fleet ages.
Mixed domestic and commercial. Four layers, and this is the transition that catches people out. The moment you take commercial work, the MCS-shaped stack stops being sufficient. Commercial clients and their funders want a proper yield study, and that means adding a simulation tool to a business that never needed one.
Commercial and utility-scale. Five to six layers, with PVsyst as the engine of record and a documented G99 process.
Pricing the Whole Stack in Pounds
| Company stage | Layers | Realistic annual software spend |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic under 100 systems | 2 | £500 to £2,500 |
| Domestic 100 to 500 systems | 3 | £2,500 to £8,000 |
| Mixed domestic and commercial | 4 | £8,000 to £20,000 |
| Commercial and utility | 5 plus | £20,000 upward |
Exchange rates matter here too. Several of these platforms price in dollars, so a seat quoted at $1,299 moves with the rate against a contract priced in pounds.
Per-platform detail is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
What Most UK Installers Get Wrong
They carry the domestic stack into their first commercial job.
The domestic business works well. MCS-oriented software handles design, proposal, and certification in one place, and the team stops thinking about the design layer as a separate thing because it has been bundled for years. Then a commercial enquiry arrives, the client’s consultant asks for a yield study with stated loss assumptions, and the tool that has served 400 domestic installs cannot produce one.
That is not a criticism of the tool. It was built for a market where the method is prescribed. The mistake is assuming the layer boundaries that apply to domestic work also apply to commercial work, when the compliance regime that merged them does not extend there.
The second mistake is treating an MCS performance estimate as an engineering opinion. It is a defined calculation. Arguing with it in front of a customer, or quietly substituting a more favourable simulation output, creates a problem the certificate will eventually surface.
When Software Is Not the Answer
If a commercial enquiry stalls because nobody can produce a layout, a yield study, and a compliant single-line diagram inside the week, that is engineering capacity rather than a software gap.
Our solar rooftop detailed engineering design and solar 3D pre-design services cover exactly that, with sales-stage models turned around in 48 hours. See the sample design pack or talk to our team.
Conclusion
- For domestic work, the compliance layer sets the design layer. A better simulation does not produce a better MCS number.
- Add a simulation tool the moment you take commercial work. The domestic stack does not stretch.
- Treat G98 and G99 as process, not software. They need a competent administrator, not a subscription.
In this country series: best solar design software in the UK, best solar proposal software in the UK, shading analysis software in the UK, Pvsyst review. Tool deep dives: Helioscope review, Aurora Solar review.
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Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is solar software? An umbrella term for six categories: design and simulation, sales and proposal, compliance documentation, monitoring, CRM and operations, and procurement. In the UK the compliance layer is unusually influential because MCS prescribes the domestic performance method.
What solar software do UK installers actually use? Domestic installers commonly run an MCS-oriented workflow tool such as Easy PV covering design, proposal, and paperwork, plus a CRM and the inverter vendor’s monitoring portal. Commercial work adds PVsyst or an equivalent.
How much does solar software cost in the UK? Roughly £500 to £2,500 a year for a small domestic installer, £8,000 to £20,000 for a mixed domestic and commercial business, and more above that.
Does MCS require specific software? MCS prescribes the method for calculating a domestic performance estimate, including the overshading procedure, rather than naming a product. Any tool implementing the method correctly is acceptable.
Do I need PVsyst in the UK? Not for domestic MCS work, where the method is already defined. Yes in practice for commercial and utility projects, where a client’s consultant or a funder will read the yield study.
What is the difference between G98 and G99? G98 covers smaller installations that can be notified to the network operator after commissioning. G99 covers larger ones and requires application and agreement before connection. Both are documentation processes rather than modelling tasks.
Related: the design layer in depth is in best solar design software in the UK, the sales layer in best solar proposal software in the UK, and shading specifically in best solar shading analysis software in the UK.
