For solar PV installers
Solar PV jobs, from survey to handover
Quote the panels, inverter and battery with the right VAT on each line, keep the install photos on the job, record the AC tests on a Cert 1 job and keep the handover documents with the property. All in the same app you use for the rest of your electrical work.
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The PV job in Handl
Six stages, one job record
Here's where Handl fits in a typical domestic PV install, and the one step that still happens outside it.
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In Handl
Step 1
Survey the site
Add the client and the property, note the roof, shading and board, and take survey photos on the job.
- Client
- Property
- Survey notes
- Photos
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In Handl
Step 2
Quote it
Panels, inverter, battery, mounting and labour as separate lines, each with its own VAT rate. Send the PDF; customers can accept online.
- 0% VAT lines
- Quote PDF
- Online acceptance
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Outside Handl
Step 3
Notify ESB Networks
Submit the NC6 form to ESB Networks as usual. Handl doesn't send it for you, but you can keep a copy on the property.
Submitted to ESB Networks
- NC6 form
- Copy kept on the property
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In Handl
Step 4
Install
Work through the job checklist and take the install photos (array, nameplate, inverter, isolators, consumer unit) as you go.
- Job checklist
- Install photos
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In Handl
Step 5
Test and certify
Record the I.S. 10101 tests for the AC side against the board on a Cert 1 job, then certify through Safe Electric as usual. Upload your PV commissioning report to the property.
Certified through Safe Electric
- Cert 1 job
- ET101 test records
- Interim certificate
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In Handl
Step 6
Hand over and get paid
Turn the quote into an invoice, take a card payment if you use Stripe, and keep the datasheets and warranties with the property.
- Invoice
- Card payment
- Handover documents
ESB Networks and Safe Electric logos are shown to identify those steps. Handl isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ESB Networks or Safe Electric.
Quoting
0% VAT where it applies, line by line
Since 1 May 2023, supplying and installing solar panels on or beside a private home is zero-rated for VAT. Under the same supply-and-install contract that covers the ancillary equipment too, such as the inverter, batteries and wiring.
Handl sets VAT per line at 0%, 13.5% or 23%, so a PV quote can sit at 0% while any other work on the same job is charged at its own rate. The totals and the VAT summary on the PDF follow the lines.
Revenue's guidance has the detail, including schools, commercial buildings, farms and subcontracted installs. Handl doesn't choose the rate for you.
On site
The install photos, taken on the job
SEAI's code of practice for the Domestic Solar PV Scheme asks for photos of the mounting, the array, the module nameplate, the inverter and isolators, the consumer unit and more.
Put that list on the job's checklist and take each photo on the job, so nothing is missing when you put the grant paperwork together. Job photos are on the Journeyman and Master plans.
Testing
The AC side, recorded the ET101 way
A PV install still needs the I.S. 10101 tests and a Safe Electric certificate. Handl's test records work the same on a PV job as on any other.
Cert 1 job path
When you create the job on the web, choose the Cert 1 path and the "Solar PV / inverter installation" title, and its compliance project starts as a new installation.
Boards and circuits
Add the board, record Ze, then insulation resistance, continuity, polarity, Zs and RCD results against the PV circuit.
Pass or fail as you go
Results are checked against the limits as you enter them, with a test summary for the job.
Interim certificate
Issue an interim certificate PDF from the recorded results on the Master plan.
Handl doesn't have PV string test sheets (EN / IEC 62446 open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and DC insulation tests) yet. Upload the report from your PV tester to the property instead.
Handover
Everything about the system, kept with the house
Each property in Handl has a register of its installations, including Solar PV and Battery, alongside the electrical installation, plus a document store and an inspection timeline.
Upload the datasheets, warranties, your NC6 copy and the commissioning report, so they're there when the customer calls about the inverter in three years' time. The property register and documents are on every plan, on Handl for the web.
Good to know
- Handl doesn't fill in or submit ESB Networks NC6 / NC7 forms, and doesn't submit SEAI grant applications. Keep copies on the property.
- There are no PV design tools: no array layout, string sizing, shading, DEAP or yield calculations.
- PV string tests (EN / IEC 62446) aren't built in yet. The I.S. 10101 test records cover the AC installation.
- Job photos and online quote acceptance need the Journeyman or Master plan, and interim certificate PDFs need Master. Quotes, jobs, checklists, test records and the property register are on every plan.
- VAT rates come from you. Check Revenue's guidance on solar panels for the job in front of you.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Handl built for solar PV installers?
Handl is job management for electrical contractors, and PV installs fit into it: quoting with per-line VAT, jobs with checklists and photos, I.S. 10101 test records on a Cert 1 job, and a property record for the system. It doesn't do PV design or PV-specific DC testing yet.
Can I quote at 0% VAT?
Yes. Every quote and invoice line has its own VAT rate: 0%, 13.5% or 23%. You decide which rate applies; Revenue's guidance on the supply and installation of solar panels explains when the zero rate is available.
Does Handl do the SEAI grant or the NC6 form?
No. Handl doesn't submit SEAI grant applications or ESB Networks forms. It helps you keep the photos, test results and documents those processes need in one place.
Which plan suits a PV installer?
Journeyman adds job photos, online quote acceptance and templates, which most PV installers will want. Master adds interim certificate PDFs and the lowest card payment fee. Every plan is free for the first 14 days.
Quote your next PV job in Handl
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