Only Panels - Solar Installer Chats

"It's lonely being a spark." Only Panels goes on the road. Dan Holliday and Michael Stott set up in the corner of the Elite Sparking Krew (ESK) annual Curry Night, the "Annual Sparky Get Together" held the same night as Elex at Stoneleigh Park, and grab whoever they can between the quiz, the raffle, the bingo and the curry.
Jamie explains how a 30-person curry-house meet-up became a night for sparks who spend all day working on their own ("it's lonely being a spark"), and why it's "not PC, just a good crack". Craig Gifford tells us how he became the Secret Millionaire, and why you don't have to be rich to be a millionaire. Charles from TradeCert and Antonio from ALO Electrical & Security talk certs built with real sparks, and Antonio's van that needed building twice in 30 days. Kev from HDT closes the night with the test-equipment company behind the brands, and how feedback took a PV tester from 15 A to 20 A with a firmware update.
In this episode:
• How the ESK Curry Night grew: curry house → Stoneleigh Park
• "It's lonely being a spark": why the ESK WhatsApp community exists
• Quiz, raffle, bingo and a curry: a working men's club for sparks
• Craig Gifford: how the Secret Millionaire name stuck
• You don't have to be rich to be a millionaire
• TradeCert: PV certs designed with installers
• Antonio's van: two builds in 30 days
• HDT: the OEM behind the testers you already use
• 15 A to 20 A with a firmware update
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:42 Only Panels on the road: the ESK Curry Night
1:40 Jamie: how the curry night grew
2:32 It's lonely being a spark
4:18 Quiz, raffle, bingo and a curry
5:03 Not PC, just a good crack
6:05 Same time next year
7:08 Craig Gifford, the Secret Millionaire
7:57 Elex at Stoneleigh Park
8:44 You don't have to be rich to be a millionaire
12:32 What's your curry?
13:03 Charles (TradeCert) & Antonio (ALO Electrical & Security)
15:38 Antonio's van: two builds in 30 days
17:53 The worst raffle in the world
18:34 Kev from HDT: the testers behind the brands
21:09 15 A to 20 A with a firmware update
21:58 Kicking-out time
Guests: Jamie (Actual Electrical Content, ESK organiser), Craig Gifford, Charles (TradeCert), Antonio (ALO Electrical & Security), Kev (HDT)
Hosts: Dan Holliday (DMH) & Michael Stott (East Renewables)
Recorded at the ESK Curry Night, Elex week, Stoneleigh Park, 22 October 2026. Same time next year: tickets go on sale about three months before.
🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@OnlyPanelsPodcast
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/onlypanels
TikTok & Instagram: @onlypanels
#electrician #sparky #OnlyPanels #Elex #ESK #solarinstaller #TradeCert #electricalcontractor

If your roof needs replacing anyway, why put slates where solar panels could go? Sarah Wallace from LONGi talks to installer Leon Rygol from Rygol Electrical Services and Shane from GSE Integration on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, NEC Birmingham.
Leon bought a house that needed a complete new roof, so he put his own money where his mouth is: 44 LONGi 480 W all-black panels on a GSE in-roof system, 21 kWp in total. He explains why, as an investor, it's one of the very few jobs on a property that pays for itself, what he expects it to generate against a new 7 kW heat pump, and why it finally gives him an answer when customers ask what's on his own roof.
⚡ Short Circuit #2: one topic, no resistance. A short episode from the Only Panels Podcast, out every Sunday at 6pm.
You'll also see Leon in next Wednesday's main episode, Only Panels S3E4 "Training Has Missed the Trade" (Wednesday 28 Oct, 6pm).
Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:14 Meet Leon (Rygol) and Shane (GSE Integration)
0:33 A 21 kWp in-roof system on a brand-new roof
1:36 Why a new roof should pay for itself
2:09 Why LONGi panels and a GSE in-roof kit
2:49 15,000 kWh vs a new heat pump
3:38 Finally, solar on the installer's own house
Guests: Leon Rygol, Rygol Electrical Services · Shane, GSE Integration
Host: Sarah Wallace, LONGi
Recorded on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, NEC Birmingham.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yYBoF-2Bra4
Only Panels Podcast with Michael Stott & Dan Holliday. Show supporters: LONGi · A121 Training

What does it actually take to run a solar install business in 2026? Live from the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, five people who do it every day talk customers, leads, kit, admin and standards.

Sam Waxman (Waxman Energy), nearly 20 years in, says the industry has gone from constant firefighting to finally planning ahead. Ben Price explains how Heatable works with local installers, pays them the full rate and takes the DNO, MCS and NAPIT red tape off their hands. Ben Fogg (Evo Renewables) says customers now buy on the tech spec, not the double-glazing pitch, and with the app and the data in their hands, "there's nowhere to hide". Dan Holliday (DMH) on why people buy from people, and holding his team to the highest standard. Plus Alicia Reid (Tomlinson Longstaff) and Michael Stott on support you can get hold of, and lifting a 120 kg battery.

In this episode:
• From firefighting to planning ahead
• How Heatable works with local installers
• Selling on the tech spec, not the sales pitch
• Customers chase brands
• YouTube vs buying leads
• Nowhere to hide: honesty and no package deals
• 5% VAT: a boom coming?
• Taking the red tape off installers
• Choosing your panels and kit
• Support, and the 120 kg battery
• Keep learning
• Holding your team to the highest standard

Chapters
0:00 Cold open
1:05 Welcome to Only Panels
1:13 Sam Waxman: from firefighting to planning ahead
2:28 Ben Price: how Heatable works with local installers
3:49 Selling on tech spec, not the double-glazing pitch
5:20 Customers chase brands
6:47 YouTube vs buying leads
7:41 Nowhere to hide: the customer has the data
9:28 5% VAT: boom or bust?
10:40 Taking the red tape off installers
12:36 Choosing your panels and kit
15:09 Support, and the 120 kg battery
17:10 Keep learning
18:14 Holding your team to the highest standard
19:11 Wrap-up

Guests: Sam Waxman (Waxman Energy), Ben Price (Heatable), Ben Fogg (Evo Renewables), Alicia Reid (Tomlinson Longstaff), Dan Holliday (DMH)
With Sarah Wallace and Phoebe Cho (LONGi)
Hosts: Dan Holliday (DMH) & Michael Stott (East Renewables)
Recorded on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, NEC Birmingham.

Train with A121 Training (book at a121.co.uk):
• Solar Roofing Masterclass: 1-day hands-on course
• Gateway, Battery & Inverter Masterclass: 1-day course
• Level 3 Solar PV: 3-day course designed to meet MCS requirements

New episodes Wednesdays 6pm · Short Circuit Sundays 6pm

Show supporters: LONGi · A121 Training

#solar #solarinstaller #solarbusiness #installerlife #OnlyPanels #SolarAndStorageLive #LONGi #A121Training

The best bits from three days on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026

17 guests, one sofa, and a host who was "slightly hungover". Hats, mortgages, meetings about meetings, a Jacuzzi… and one installer who really hoped his German host wasn't a murderer.

Who made you laugh the most? 👇

🎧 Season 3 of Only Panels is out now on YouTube and Spotify. New episodes Wednesdays 6pm, Short Circuit every Sunday 6pm.

Only Panels, in association with LONGi. Supported by A121 Training (a121.co.uk)

#OnlyPanels #SolarAndStorageLive #SolarInstaller #Electrician #Solar

Cory Mac from Oy Electrical called the plug-in solar brands "sellouts" and planned a video on why he wouldn't touch it. Then installers across Europe got in touch, and he went to Germany to see real systems for himself.

Recorded on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, NEC Birmingham, with Sarah Wallace from LONGi.

Cory found one host had three generations of plug-in systems, with paybacks of around 1.4 and 2 years. His verdict: "we're making a big hissy fit over nothing. Bodgers are gonna bodge." He'd rather someone hangs a couple of panels off a balcony than climbs onto a slate roof with a drill and silicon. Sarah pushes back: the real problem was announcing plug-in solar before the rules were in place.

⚡ Short Circuit: one topic, no resistance. A new 5-minute episode from the Only Panels Podcast every Sunday at 6pm. Ready for Monday morning in the van.

🎬 Clips from Cory's own video, "Why Every Electrician is Worried about THIS" (Oy Electrical on YouTube), used with his permission.

In this episode:
• Why Cory called the plug-in solar brands "sellouts"
• The brand that agreed to an honest review, whatever the outcome
• Meeting a stranger off Instagram in Germany: three systems, three generations
• "Bodgers are gonna bodge": balcony vs roof
• Announced before the rules: where it went wrong

Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:17 Meet Cory Mac from Oy Electrical
0:31 Why I called plug-in solar brands sellouts
2:36 Investigating plug-in solar in Germany
4:08 The verdict: bodgers are gonna bodge
4:35 The real problem: no rules at launch

Guest: Cory Mac, Oy Electrical
Host: Sarah Wallace, LONGi
Recorded on the LONGi stand at Solar & Storage Live 2026, NEC Birmingham.

Show supporters: LONGi · A121 Training

#solar #pluginsolar #balconysolar #solarinstaller #ukSolar #OnlyPanels #SolarAndStorageLive #LONGi