System Shutdown Procedure

You shouldn't normally need to switch your system off. It looks after itself, and it shuts down automatically in a power cut. But if an engineer, electrician or the fire service asks you to, or you need to isolate it in a hurry, here's the safe way to do it.

Your handover pack shows where each switch is on your system. The switches are also labelled on site.

Switching off

1. Turn off the AC supply. Switch off the breaker labelled for solar, PV, inverter or battery in your consumer unit (fuse box), or the AC isolator switch on the wall next to the inverter. The inverter is now disconnected from your home and the grid. It will stop working and its screen or lights may change.
2. Turn off the solar (PV) DC isolator. This is a rotary switch, usually on the side or underneath the inverter, or in a small box next to it. Turn it to OFF. This disconnects the panels from the inverter.
3. Turn off the battery. Depending on your system, press and hold the battery's power button, or switch off the battery breaker or isolator between the battery and the inverter.
4. Wait at least 5 minutes. Parts inside the inverter can hold a charge for a few minutes after it's switched off. Don't let anyone work on it before then.

Switching back on

Do it in the reverse order:

1. Turn the battery back on (breaker or isolator, then the power button if it has one).
2. Turn the solar (PV) DC isolator back to ON.
3. Turn the AC supply back on at the consumer unit or AC isolator.

The inverter runs its own safety checks before it starts. This can take up to 5 minutes, so it's normal for nothing to happen straight away.