Stage1Energy
A pre-design feasibility screen for anyone who needs a credible first answer before committing survey time, specialist resource, or client expectation. Postcode in. Site-specific numbers out. Under ten minutes.
Under 10 minutes
A credible Stage 1 screen before the opportunity waits on design.
Any roof type
Pitched, flat, or mixed. Pitch, orientation, obstacles, and usable area assessed from site context, not assumed away.
No specialist required
Anyone handling the first conversation can run the screen without a modeller or engineer in the room.
Before survey spend
Know whether site time and survey budget are justified before committing either.
Used by solar installers, roofing contractors, surveyors, asset managers, energy consultants, and developers — anyone who needs a credible pre-design screen before specialist time is committed.
The gap
Whether the site is a terrace, a warehouse, a hotel, or a school — the same friction appears early: uncertainty about whether the roof is worth pursuing slows qualified progression. Stage1Energy gives anyone handling the first serious conversation a roof-focused pre-design screen they can run before detail work, survey spend, or engineering review.
Domestic calculators and postcode-level estimates ignore pitch, orientation, obstructions, roof utilisation, and structural context. The numbers skew — sometimes by more than 15% — before anyone has visited the site.
A site survey typically costs £1,500 to £3,000 and a slot in a specialist's diary. Committing that before a basic screen is done means dead-end sites absorb real budget. Stage1Energy sits before that decision, not after it.
Without a credible early envelope, opportunities sit in limbo — or worse, move to whoever gave a faster answer. Better qualification means more viable sites reach the next stage, regardless of who runs the first conversation.
What Stage1Energy is
Stage1Energy takes a roof from unknown to assessed using a postcode, a quick guided trace of the roof outline in the app, and a short sequence of roof questions. No CAD drawings, drone, or specialist knowledge are required at first contact—the sketch step is built to stay fast.
The tool runs the modelling automatically and returns the first-pass numbers needed before deciding whether to spend more time, survey budget, or engineering resource. Outputs include system size range, annual generation estimates, a 25-year financial value range, and a plain-English view of whether the site warrants further investment — for any roof type, any property type, across the UK.
Access is currently by invitation only as part of a private pilot programme. Stage1Energy is not publicly available yet.
Approach
Stage1Energy is built for the first serious conversation about roof-mounted solar feasibility—whether the deck is worth pursuing before survey and detailed layout work. Roofing, asset, and survey inputs matter where they affect solar viability on that roof. It does not replace engineering professionals; it tells you when to bring them in.
No drone. No site visit. No specialist required at first contact. The screen uses site context and adjustable assumptions so teams can compare scenarios before committing design or survey resource.
Capture site location, property context, and roof signals with enough detail for early-stage solar viability modelling.
Why it matters
The first screen stays light enough for client-facing teams to use before they commit specialist time.
Apply UK-specific irradiance data, roof-type constraints, and adjustable project assumptions to compare first-pass scenarios across any site context.
Why it matters
Scenario-led assumptions and roof constraints turn a rough lead into a defendable first-stage conversation.
Return a plain-English summary so stakeholders can discuss whether to proceed without translating technical outputs in the meeting.
Why it matters
The output explains the decision path and assumptions, so non-technical stakeholders can act without decoding a spreadsheet.
Use outputs and flags to decide whether to commission full survey, structural checks, planning work, or grid engagement.
Why it matters
Clear flags show when to progress, pause, or bring in engineering checks before anyone overpromises.
Decision-ready outputs
Adjust assumptions, compare cases, and keep the discussion pre-design: enough to qualify the next step without pretending to be a final business case.
Estimated kWp envelope shaped by site context, roof assumptions, and the layout scenario being tested.
Estimated output under the site context and assumptions selected, using UK irradiance and roof-specific inputs.
Financial value envelopes across chosen assumptions and horizons, useful for triage before full business-case work, whatever the property type or ownership structure.
Payback-style outputs under the scenario selected, giving stakeholders a quick financial sense check.
Early indicators for wind uplift, structural loading zones, and DNO export threshold context.
How much of the deck realistically converts to array area, helping teams sanity-check layout headroom before detail design.
Plain-English narrative grounded in the selected scenario set, so the discussion ends with a clear next step.
Validation and trust
Validated against real case studies with metered generation data. Typical mean bias sits within ±10% of measured output. Teams get a stronger basis for scenario comparison, not a number that flatters the case.
Scope boundaries
FAQ
Yes. Current modelling, assumptions, and thresholds are UK-specific by design. Geographic expansion is possible later but not current scope.
Not yet. The product is pre-commercial and private pilot partnerships are being discussed for H2 2026.
Use them for early triage and decision framing. The assumptions are explicit so teams can compare scenarios, but positive cases should still proceed to detailed design, engineering checks, and formal project development.
Think first-pass qualification: enough to decide whether survey and specialist time are justified, with assumptions spelled out so you know what you are looking at. Strong leads still go through full design and engineering; this gets you to that decision faster.
Anyone who handles early solar conversations before design starts: solar installers, roofing contractors, asset managers, surveyors, energy consultants, green finance teams, local authorities, and developers. If your work involves deciding whether a roof is worth pursuing for solar before a specialist gets involved, this is built for that step.
Updates
Pilot access is open to a small number of organisations ahead of the H2 2026 launch. If your team handles pre-design solar conversations and wants to test the tool against real sites, apply below.
Access cost is calibrated to organisation type and volume. Teams running occasional screens pay differently from those embedding it into a high-volume workflow — contact us to discuss what fits your context.
Your details are used only to review access requests and contact you about Stage1Energy. They are not shared, sold, or used for advertising.
Private pilot phase is targeting H2 2026. No public product date is committed.