With solar panels your home is no longer only a consumer but also a producer. That changes something fundamental: parts of the installation can be live while the main switch is off. Which is exactly why an inspector wants to see a PV installation clearly on the diagram.
What belongs on the diagram?
- The inverter, with its power rating and number of phases.
- The PV circuit from inverter to distribution board, with its own protection.
- The DC side to the panels, with the isolating device.
- A possible home battery and how it is connected.
- Earthing of the mounting structure and the inverter.
What inspectors look at
A PV installation must be safely isolatable, and that has to be visible: clear labels at the board and at the inverter, so an emergency responder knows a second source is present. The protection of the feed-in circuit and the choice of RCD are checked as well.
Panels added later? Update the diagram
Solar panels almost always arrive after the original installation, so the diagram drawn at construction time is no longer accurate. Update it when the inverter is connected — not the week before the next inspection, when nobody remembers exactly which circuit starts where.
Related reading
How Voltuno helps
An installation that keeps growing needs a diagram you can update without friction. With Voltuno you draw a correct single-line diagram, position diagram and matching bill of materials in minutes, straight from your browser. The software is built around AREI requirements, so you work faster and walk into the inspection with a clear, complete file.
Please note: this article is a general explanation and not legal advice. Always consult the official, consolidated AREI text (FPS Economy) for the exact obligations and article references.
