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How we check and update our solar answers

Solar rules in the UK are changing quickly, so a page that was right last month can be wrong now. This is what we do about that, and what we cannot do.

Official sources first

Each guide and answer links to the pages it is based on: legislation and government guidance first, then regulators, then independent advice bodies such as the Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice, and industry standards. Where we rely on a secondary source, we say so. The full list is on the sources page.

What the dates mean

“Reviewed” is the date a person last read the answer against its sources. “Last checked against official sources” is the date our system last downloaded the official pages behind that answer and found nothing that contradicted it.

Weekly and monthly checks

Our system downloads the official pages that can be read automatically: 8 fast-moving pages every week and 33 slower-moving ones every month. It compares each page with the last copy it saw. If a page has changed, it compares the new text with the answers that rely on it. Nothing is published automatically: if an answer may be out of date, it is held for an editor to approve, edit or reject.

Notices and SolarBot

When a rule changes, an editor can post a short notice that appears in the app straight away, and can update the background notes SolarBot uses, without waiting for the guides to be rebuilt. The guides and FAQs are then updated to match.

Portable power station models and prices

The example portable power stations in our sizes guide and the app’s planner come from the makers’ UK websites and UK retailers, with the date the prices were checked. Prices change often and sales are frequent, so an editor updates prices, links and models directly, and the page shows the date of the last price check. Links marked as affiliate links may earn Be Wise a commission.

What we cannot check automatically

Some sources are PDFs, registers or law texts that a computer cannot compare reliably. Answers that rest only on those are reviewed by hand, and the rest are re-read by hand at least every few months.

What we do not do

We do not give legal, electrical or financial advice, and we do not tell you what to do in your own circumstances. The guides explain how the rules generally work so that you can ask the right questions of your council, network operator, landlord or installer.

Spotted a mistake?

Please tell us using our contact form, with a link to the page and to the official source that says something different. Corrections are logged on the recent changes page.

Updated 2026-10-05.