Following recent reports linking a UK school fire to rooftop solar on 22nd Sept. 2025, some customers (Residential and Commercial) have asked how Stratford Energy Solutions (SES) manages PV fire risk. Short answer: “We’ve had zero incidents over 15 years and 3000 installations—and that’s not luck. It’s our engineering process.”
What we do differently
- Built to UK codes, verified in the field. We design to BS 7671 Section 712 and commission to IEC 62446-1 with full test records (insulation, polarity, continuity, IV curves).
- Matched DC components only. We use PV-rated H1Z2Z2-K cabling and manufacturer-matched connectors—no mixing—plus correctly sized PV fusing and DC SPDs where required.
- Arc-risk minimised by design. We prioritise inverters and switchgear with proven arc-mitigation features, robust terminations, and appropriate enclosure/fire ratings.
- Roof integration done right. MCS-approved mounting hardware and clear separation, fire-stopping, and cable routing keep electrics away from ignition risks.
- Our proposals and handover documentation make this crystal clear
Build, then verify—every time
- Documented risk assessments & handover. Each system ships with a full safety file, isolation maps, labels, and a maintenance schedule.
- Thermography & spot checks. We use IR imaging and targeted inspections to identify connector or isolator hot-spots before they become issues.
Always-on safety with Energy Assured – Stratford Energy’s Monitoring Platform for Customer Systems
- 24/7 monitoring & alerting. Our Energy Assured platform watches your system around the clock, tracking string health, inverter status, RCD trips, insulation readings (where supported), and rapid drops in yield that may indicate a DC fault.
- Remote diagnostics first. Most alerts are triaged remotely with firmware checks, parameter reviews, and restart routines to avoid unnecessary site visits.
- Predictive maintenance. We trend yields, currents, and fault codes to catch connector degradation or isolator issues early—before they escalate.
- Regular Safety inspection included. Every service contract includes a yearly or bi-annual site visit: visual, electrical and mechanical checks, DC resistance and insulation re-tests, sample IV curves, thermography of connectors/isolators/combiner boxes, and verification of labels, isolators, and access routes. A plain-English report with actions is provided.
- Clear SLAs & incident response. If a safety-related alert is flagged, we prioritise same-day remote triage and rapid on-site intervention where needed.
PV fires are rare—and preventable
Independent evidence shows most PV fire incidents trace back to poor terminations, mismatched DC connectors, or defective isolators—issues our specification, Quality Assurance QA, and Energy Assured monitoring are expressly designed to prevent.