Thomas Halliwell Ltd delivers 80 solar panel system at stunning home near local landmark

Thomas Halliwell is proud to have installed an 80 solar panel system on a stunning domestic property at an idyllic local landmark.

We fitted the 34.4kW system at Hollingworth Manor, a beautiful home nestled in a picturesque spot overlooking Hollingworth Lake in Littleborough, Rochdale.

The owners of the house were on the lookout for a solar PV system to help them save money on their electricity bills and Thomas Halliwell Ltd was recommended to them by one of our previous satisfied commercial clients.

You can view spectacular footage of the install here:

For this job, we installed sleek Viridian Solar 405W in-roof panels - which are among the most aesthetically pleasing on the market - on three elevations on the property’s extensions after our survey discovered the profile of the roof on the main house made it unsuitable.

Our design included a Solis 25kW inverter - which is needed to convert the Direct Current (DC) electricity the panels produce into Alternating Current (AC) for use in the property. We also recommended fitting each panel with optimisers made by Tigo Energy to compensate for any loss of electricity generation due to shading.

Optimisers are an optional extra we regularly recommend because they are said to improve system safety, insurability, longevity, monitoring, maintenance and performance.

We erected scaffolding and stripped slates off the three roofs and replaced them with the Viridian panels - then re-slated back to the flashing of the modules. There had been some leaks in the property due to previous roofing work so we also carried out some damp and water ingress rectification work for the client.

An unusual aspect of this job was the size of the client's electricity system – which was similar in scale to a commercial business such as a restaurant – while we also had to work out how the client’s backup generator might affect the operation of a solar PV system.

Another challenge we overcame was identifying the best cable route from the panels on the roofs back to the inverter in the garage, as the route was 40m long and needed to pass through five rooms.

In total, the job took around six months from the first inquiry until completion, and we have built up such a good rapport with the client that we have been back to undertake several other jobs at their property.

The solar simulation software we used, PV*SOL, forecasted that the solar PV system at Hollingworth Manor would generate 23,000kWh of electricity per year. The total size of the system was 34.4kW.

Andy Barrow , our Renewables Operations Director, said: “On this project, while the installation of the solar PV system had domestic elements to it, the size of the house and the existing electricity system, along with the number of panels fitted, made it more like a commercial job. Thomas Halliwell’s experience of working on a commercial scale meant we were confident we could fulfil the job to our usual high standards. It would have been a difficult one for a domestic-only installer.

“We were particularly pleased that this job came to us from a recommendation. It is always satisfying when our previous clients are so happy with the work we’ve done that they feel confident to recommend us to friends and business associates.

“And we were also delighted to have been chosen to complete this installation on such a beautiful property at an iconic local landmark.”

The client added: “We’re thrilled with our new solar PV system. It looks fantastic, is good for the environment and has reduced our electricity bills. We couldn’t be happier.

“We’re very grateful to Thomas Halliwell for their hard work and the support they have shown us throughout the project. The workmanship has been first class and they have gone above and beyond to ensure the job went as smoothly as possible.”