Why West Hill homes are ideal for solar
West Hill sits on a south-facing ridge above Ottery St Mary, with most properties enjoying excellent solar aspect. The village is largely composed of detached homes built between the 1960s and the present day, on generously sized plots with simple roof geometries — exactly the sort of property our designers can specify high-yield, clean-looking solar layouts for. Many homes also have detached double or triple garages and outbuildings that can carry additional panels where the main house roof is partly shaded by mature trees.
Tree shading is the one factor we look at carefully in West Hill. The village is well wooded, and conifers in particular can cast surprising shadows even in summer. Our surveyors carry out a full shading analysis using on-site solar pathfinder readings or drone imagery, and our designs use string-level optimisers (typically Tigo or SolarEdge) to mitigate the impact of any unavoidable shading on annual yield.
Solar for high-consumption rural homes
West Hill households typically consume well above the UK average. Many properties run electric heating top-ups, oil or LPG boilers, hot tubs, swimming pools, large hot water cylinders, home offices, AGAs and one or more electric vehicles. That high baseline consumption is exactly what makes solar so financially attractive — the more electricity you use during daylight, the more value you extract from each kilowatt-hour generated.
We typically design 6–10kW systems for West Hill homes, paired with 10–13kWh battery storage. This sizing comfortably covers daytime consumption, charges the battery for the evening, and produces a healthy export surplus that earns SEG payments. For households running heat pumps or planning to electrify their heating in the next few years, we may recommend a slightly larger array to support that future load.
Ground-mounted solar where roof space is limited
Where mature trees, listed-building constraints or unusual roof geometry make rooftop solar challenging, a small ground-mounted array can be the perfect alternative. Many West Hill plots are large enough to accommodate a discreet ground array hidden behind hedging or shrubs. We use steel screw-pile foundations that don't require concrete and can be fully removed at end of life.
Planning, permitted development and East Devon Council
Most West Hill solar installations fall under permitted development rights and don't require planning permission. The main exceptions are listed buildings (rare in the village itself but more common in nearby Ottery St Mary) and ground-mounted arrays over 9 square metres, which require full planning consent.
East Devon District Council generally takes a supportive view of well-designed renewable applications. We handle the full planning process where required, including any pre-application discussions, and design installations that respect both the property and the wider village character.
West Hill and surrounding areas we serve
- West Hill (EX11) and Ottery St Mary
- Aylesbeare, Whimple, Tipton St John
- Newton Poppleford, Colaton Raleigh
- Sidmouth fringe, Bowd, Sidford
- Honiton corridor along the A30
Battery storage, EVs and the all-electric home
Many West Hill households are already on the path to full electrification. Heat pumps, EV chargers and induction hobs are increasingly common, and the financial case for combining solar PV with battery storage gets stronger every year. A 10–13kWh battery sized to a typical West Hill home will capture almost all surplus midday generation and discharge it through the evening, lifting self-consumption above 85%.
Combined with a time-of-use tariff such as Octopus Go and a 7kW EV charger, the same battery can charge from the grid overnight at low rates and discharge during the expensive evening peak. For households running heat pumps, this strategy can reduce total annual energy bills by 60% or more compared with oil or LPG.
Why choose Engage Solar in West Hill
We're based in Exeter, just 15 minutes from West Hill, and we install across the village regularly. Our team has an excellent working relationship with East Devon District Council planners and the local distribution network operator, which keeps installations smooth and on schedule.
Every system is designed and installed by our own NICEIC-certified employed engineers — we never subcontract — and protected by a comprehensive workmanship warranty alongside the manufacturer warranties on panels and inverters. We're NICEIC and HIES accredited, fully insured and known across East Devon for tidy, careful installations that look good for decades.