Straight answers to the things people actually want to know about solar panels, battery storage, EV chargers, and electrical work in Central Scotland.
For a typical 3-4 bedroom house in Central Scotland, a solar-only system usually costs around £6,000 to £8,000 — panels, inverter, mounting, scaffolding, DNO notification, and MCS certification included. Nothing extra on top. Solar and battery systems start from around £9,000 and go up depending on battery size and system spec. A 4kW system could save many households around £500 to £700 a year on electricity bills. Add a battery and a smart tariff and that can reach £1,000 or more — though it depends on your usage, your roof, and how the system is set up. We quote a fixed price after a free home survey. The number we give you is the number you pay.
Yes. We wouldn't have built a business around them if they didn't. A 4kW system in Central Scotland generates around 3,400 to 3,800 kWh a year — enough to cover most of what an average household uses. You get the most from April to September, but panels still produce on overcast days. And there's no shortage of those round here. Add a battery and you store what you generate during the day, then use it in the evening when you're actually home. That's where the real savings start to stack up.
Funding and interest-free loans may be available through Home Energy Scotland for eligible measures — the amount depends on what you're installing and your circumstances. We can help you check what applies before you commit to anything. For EV chargers, eligible renters and flat owners may be able to get up to £500 off an install through the OZEV grant scheme. Grant rules change fairly often, so we check eligibility as part of the process rather than guessing. You don't need to apply separately — we sort the paperwork.
Most jobs take one to two days. A straightforward 4kW system on a simple roof — we're usually done in a day. Bigger systems or solar-plus-battery installs might run to two or three. Before that, there's a home survey and a DNO application to sort out. From first phone call to the system being switched on, you're typically looking at two to four weeks. We give you a date and we stick to it.
Yes, and a lot of people do exactly that. We set up solar systems so they're battery-ready from day one — so when you decide to add one, it's a straightforward job. No rewiring, nothing ripped out. Most customers who start with just panels come back for a battery within a year or so, once they've seen what their system generates and worked out where a battery would help most.
We're based in Stirlingshire and cover most of Central Scotland — Stirling, Falkirk, Perth, Dunblane, Bridge of Allan, Alloa, Helensburgh, Bearsden, Callander, and everywhere in between. For bigger projects, we travel further. Not sure? Just call and ask. Takes ten seconds.
We're electricians. We've been doing electrical work across Central Scotland since 2000, and we added solar, batteries, and EV chargers because our customers kept asking — not because we spotted a trend. When you call, you get Tam or someone from the team. Not a call centre. The people you speak to are the people who turn up. We use our own engineers, we quote a fixed price, and we don't vanish after the job. We're still looking after systems we put in years ago.
Yes. Fault finding, emergency repairs, consumer unit replacements — if something needs sorting urgently, call us on 07990 504549 and we'll get to you as fast as we can. Same day where possible. All electrical work is NICEIC-certified to BS 7671.
A home battery system typically costs £3,500 to £6,500 installed, depending on the size you need. Most of our customers go for a 5 to 10 kWh unit. Where batteries really earn their money is on a smart tariff. You charge overnight when electricity is cheap — sometimes 7p a unit — and use stored power during peak hours when it's 30p or more. We've seen customers knock a few hundred pounds more off their annual bill just by adding a battery to an existing solar setup.
Mackie Electrical is a family-run electrical and renewable energy business based in Stirlingshire. We've been working across Central Scotland since 2000 — started with domestic and commercial electrical work, then expanded into solar panels, battery storage, and EV chargers as demand grew. We're MCS-certified, NICEIC-approved, and registered with TrustMark, RECC, and the Energy Saving Trust. Our own in-house team handles everything from rewires to full solar systems with battery storage.
Costs, performance, grants, planning permission, and brands
Costs, charger comparisons, OZEV grants, and solar charging
Costs, brands, backup power, smart tariffs, and installation
Emergency callouts, EICR testing, rewiring, and consumer units