Solar Design Software UK in 2026: 5 Tools for British Installers

Solar design software in the UK is a different problem than it is in the US. MCS-accredited installers do not just need a panel layout. They need BS 7671 compliance flags, an MCS-friendly handover pack, DNO G98 or G99 connection paperwork, SEG (Smart Export Guarantee) tariff comparison, and a customer-facing proposal that talks in pounds and pence rather than dollars. The big international platforms (Aurora, HelioScope) treat the UK as an afterthought. PV-only desktop tools (PVsyst) handle the physics but skip the proposal. OpenSolar is close but patchy on MCS documentation.

The 2026 answer for most British installers is SurgePV, the cloud platform that ships BS 7671 + IEC code rules, AI 3D roof modelling from satellite, 8,760-hour bankable shading, and a white-label proposal in one workflow, at GBP-equivalent pricing that beats Aurora by roughly 4x per seat. This guide compares SurgePV against four other tools UK installers are actively evaluating: OpenSolar, Aurora Solar, HelioScope, and PVsyst.

Key takeaway. The best solar design software in the UK for 2026 is SurgePV. BS 7671 plus IEC code coverage, MCS-aligned handover output, SEG tariff comparison, AI 3D roof, plus 8,760-hour bankable simulation, plus white-label proposals on every plan. From $1,299 per user per year at the 5-seat tier, roughly GBP 1,020 at current rates.

What UK solar design software actually has to ship

Before any panel goes on a roof in Britain, the install paperwork has to satisfy four authorities. Your software needs to feed all four without you copy-pasting between three apps.

1. BS 7671 compliance (the IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition and amendments). Conductor sizing, OCPD, earthing, isolation, DC and AC string protection. Your tool needs to flag non-compliance before it gets into the design pack.
2. MCS handover pack (Microgeneration Certification Scheme). Customer-facing performance estimate, system specification, half-hourly yield, plus an installer compliance declaration. MCS is a hard requirement for SEG eligibility, so missing it kills the customer's export tariff.
3. DNO G98 or G99 approval. G98 covers up to 16 A per phase (Fast Track for residential). G99 covers larger systems and requires application before commissioning. The design pack needs system size, inverter type, and grid connection point clearly stated.
4. SEG tariff comparison. The Smart Export Guarantee replaced the old Feed-in Tariff in 2020. Rates vary by supplier (Octopus, OVO, EDF, E.ON Next, others) and tariff structure (flat or time-of-use). Your customer wants to see which supplier maximises payback.

The international tools largely cover #1 in IEC terms. The fall-down is on #2, #3, and #4. SurgePV is the platform built closest to UK reality without losing the engineering depth of the desktop incumbents.

The 2026 UK solar design comparison

1. SurgePV, the 2026 UK winner

Best for: MCS-accredited UK installers shipping 5 or more residential or small C&I deals per month. EPCs working across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland want one platform that does design, simulation, and proposal in the browser without an export pipeline.

Strengths.

• BS 7671 and IEC 62548 / IEC 61730 code rule library, with conductor sizing, OCPD, and DC isolation flagged on every layout.
• 8,760-hour module-level shading on every plan. Same simulation backbone PVsyst uses for bankability, but in the cloud.
• AI 3D roof modelling from satellite imagery in under 60 seconds, with ±3% accuracy versus LIDAR ground truth. No drone, no rooftop survey for the design phase.
• Half-hourly performance estimate in line with what MCS expects for the customer-facing handover.
• White-label proposal with SEG tariff comparison across the major UK suppliers, payback in years, lifetime savings in pounds.
• 70,000-module and 12,000-inverter database with UK-typical brands (JinkoSolar, LONGi, JA Solar, Trina, Q CELLS, plus SolarEdge, Fronius, Solis, GivEnergy, Tesla for inverters and storage) pre-loaded.

Weaknesses.

• Brand is newer than PVsyst or Aurora, so first-time enterprise customers occasionally want a reference.
• MCS-aligned handover document is mature, but installers still hand-sign the MCS compliance declaration outside the platform.

SurgePV vs the field. Compare what you get on a 5-seat plan ($1,299 per user per year, or roughly GBP 1,020) against what an Aurora Premium 5-seat order runs. SurgePV ships the same NEC and IEC compliance, plus BS 7671 flags Aurora does not have, at one-third the per-seat cost. See SurgePV pricing for the breakdown.

2. OpenSolar

Best for: UK sole traders and sub-5/month residential installers who want a free core platform and accept a learning curve.

Strengths. Free at the core. Reasonable proposal builder. SEG tariff data is reasonably current.

Weaknesses. Shading is shallow on the free tier, and the per-deal add-ons stack up. MCS-aligned documentation is patchy, several UK installers fill in MCS forms by hand outside OpenSolar. There is no module-level 8,760-hour shading on the free tier, which means lender-grade yield reports are out of reach.

SurgePV vs OpenSolar. If you ship 5 or more deals a month, OpenSolar's per-deal economics overtake SurgePV's flat seat price quickly, and you still need to fill MCS handover paperwork outside the tool. SurgePV gives you one workflow, one price, and bankable simulation by default.

3. Aurora Solar

Best for: UK residential teams with a US parent group and Premium budget who want the polished UI and have already standardised on Aurora globally.

Strengths. Polished UI. LIDAR option for residential. Strong sales-side proposal layout.

Weaknesses. US-first product. BS 7671 is not a first-class code library. MCS documentation has to be built outside the tool. SEG tariff modelling is not native. Premium tier sits at $259 per user per month, which is roughly GBP 2,500 per seat per year before VAT. Mac performance has been a complaint in installer forums.

SurgePV vs Aurora. For UK-only installers, SurgePV ships the BS 7671 and SEG modelling Aurora does not have, at a fraction of the per-seat price. For multi-country EPCs, SurgePV's cloud platform covers NEC, IEC, AS/NZS, and IS code in one license.

4. HelioScope

Best for: UK C&I engineering teams that need lender-grade yield modelling and have a separate CRM and proposal stack.

Strengths. Cloud-native 8,760-hour engine. Strong single-line diagram export. Solid C&I module library.

Weaknesses. Pricing climbs from $99 to over $300 per user per month depending on tier. No proposal layer, you build the customer pack elsewhere. BS 7671 flags are not native, you reason about UK code by hand. The lower tier gives you single-line shading rather than 8,760-hour.

SurgePV vs HelioScope. The same 8,760-hour simulation HelioScope does, plus the proposal, plus the BS 7671 flags, in one license. You can try the same solar shading analysis software without leaving the browser.

5. PVsyst

Best for: Utility-scale and large C&I yield engineers who need the gold-standard P50/P75/P90 output for project finance and accept a desktop tool.

Strengths. The bankability standard. Lenders trust the PVsyst PDF. Decades of horizon and shading library work.

Weaknesses. Windows desktop install. ~EUR 500 per seat per year for the Pro license, plus 20% annual maintenance. 1990s UX. No proposals, no CRM, no AI, no satellite roof, no MCS handover. Single user per license, no real collaboration.

SurgePV vs PVsyst. For project-finance scale you may still run PVsyst as a cross-check. For everything else, SurgePV ships the same P50/P75/P90 output in the browser with the AI 3D roof and proposal in the same workflow. See solar simulation software for the side-by-side.

UK solar context in 2026

According to IEA Renewables 2024, European residential rooftop continued to grow in 2024 with the UK among the top five EU-area markets by installations. IRENA reports UK cumulative solar capacity above 17 GW and growing. The MCS-accredited installer base has been broadening as residential demand rises faster than commercial.

What this means for software choice: the typical UK MCS installer now ships more deals per month than three years ago, and the per-deal economics of the legacy desktop or sales-tool stack do not hold up. A platform that runs design, simulation, and proposal in one cloud workflow pays back in a week if you ship more than five deals a month.

How SurgePV handles a typical UK residential job

A 4 kW MCS residential job in the South East. The customer wants a SEG-eligible system, half-hourly performance estimate, and a 25-year payback story. Here is the workflow inside SurgePV.

1. Address in, satellite roof out. AI 3D roof in under 60 seconds. You see roof planes, tilt, azimuth, and obstructions.
2. Module + inverter selection. Pick from the 70,000-module library. Defaults to UK-typical brands.
3. Auto-layout with BS 7671 setbacks. Fire access, edge setbacks, MCS-recommended clearances applied.
4. 8,760-hour shading. Module-level, with the chimney and dormer modelled from the AI 3D pass.
5. String sizing. MPPT-bounded auto-sizing against the inverter you picked.
6. SEG tariff compare. The proposal layer pulls in the major export tariffs and shows payback under each.
7. Branded PDF or interactive web proposal. Half-hourly yield, lifetime kWh, lifetime pounds, MCS-aligned performance statement.

Average designer goes from address to a branded proposal in around 20 minutes. Compare that to a typical Aurora plus a separate proposal tool workflow, which often runs 60 to 90 minutes per deal.

You can book a free SurgePV demo and design one of your real projects on the call.

DNO connection paperwork: G98 vs G99

The single most missed item in UK design software is DNO paperwork. UK government guidance on the Smart Export Guarantee assumes the system is already connected, but you have to clear G98 or G99 with the District Network Operator before you commission.

• G98 (Fast Track). Single-phase systems up to 16 A per phase. Notify the DNO within 28 days of commissioning. Most residential systems fall here.
• G99 (Full Application). Anything above the G98 threshold. Application before commissioning. The DNO can require a network study. Typical for C&I and three-phase residential.

SurgePV ships system size, inverter type, point-of-connection, and the half-hourly yield curve the DNO needs for the G99 application straight out of the design pack. You still submit the application through your DNO portal, but the data extraction is automatic.

Pricing comparison for UK installers

Where QuickEstimate fits

QuickEstimate is built for the Indian solar market with PM Surya Ghar subsidy automation, DISCOM net metering, and WhatsApp-first sales workflows. For UK installers the natural pairing is SurgePV plus your existing CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or a UK-specific solar CRM). SurgePV exposes a clean API and Zapier integration so design outputs flow into whichever CRM your sales team already lives in. If you operate across India and the UK, see how the QuickEstimate solar CRM handles the Indian side. The QuickEstimate guide to the best solar CRM software in India covers the sister stack in detail.

Implementation: how long to get a UK team up and running

1. Day 1. SurgePV account live, first user trained on AI 3D roof and 8,760-hour shading.
2. Day 2. MCS handover template customised with your installer logo, MCS number, and SEG tariff defaults.
3. Day 3. First three real projects designed in SurgePV alongside your existing tool. Compare yield and pack output.
4. Day 5. Whole team onboarded, BS 7671 rule set checked against your in-house QA list.
5. Week 2. Cancel the old tool. Average UK installer reports payback inside 30 days at 5+ deals per month.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best solar design software in the UK for 2026?

SurgePV. BS 7671 plus IEC code coverage, MCS-aligned handover, SEG tariff comparison, AI 3D roof modelling, 8,760-hour bankable simulation, and a white-label proposal in one cloud workflow. Pricing from $1,299 per user per year at the 5-seat tier, roughly GBP 1,020.

Does SurgePV produce an MCS-friendly performance estimate?

Yes. The 8,760-hour module-level simulation gives auditors the per-hour breakdown MCS expects. The handover PDF is built to align with what MCS-accredited installers submit to customers.

Can SurgePV model the Smart Export Guarantee?

Yes. The proposal layer compares the major UK supplier SEG tariffs (Octopus, OVO, EDF, E.ON Next, and others) so the customer sees which supplier maximises export payback.

Does Aurora Solar work for UK installers?

Aurora is US-first. BS 7671 is not a first-class code library, MCS documentation is built outside the platform, and the SEG tariff layer is not native. UK installers using Aurora typically run a second tool for proposals and handover paperwork.

Will SurgePV cover DNO G98 and G99 paperwork?

The design output includes the system size, inverter type, point-of-connection, and half-hourly yield curve the DNO needs. You still submit through your DNO portal, but the data extraction is automatic.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. Free trial with no credit card required. Bring a real UK project and you can design it end-to-end on the trial.

How does SurgePV pricing compare to PVsyst for a UK team?

PVsyst is ~EUR 500 per seat per year plus 20% annual maintenance, desktop only. SurgePV is $1,299 per user per year at the 5-seat tier and ships AI 3D roof, MCS handover, SEG tariff compare, and proposals on top of the same bankability-grade simulation.