Desktop Structural Roof Loading Reports for Commercial Solar PV

A Desktop Structural Roof Loading Report is a remote structural assessment of a building's load-bearing capacity for solar PV, produced without a site visit. A qualified structural engineer uses aerial imagery, planning records and available building data to produce Eurocode-verified load calculations and issue a pass, conditional or fail determination. Desktop Structural Roof Loading Reports produced by Solar Surveys satisfy MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9 requirements for eligible commercial building types.

Just the site address. Our proprietary assessment suite accesses aerial imagery, planning records and available construction data to complete the structural assessment remotely. No drawings, prior surveys or technical documents are required from the client. We confirm scope and acknowledge every instruction within 2 hours.

Desktop Structural Roof Loading Reports are delivered within 48 hours of receipt of all required client information. For batch programmes, all reports in the batch are delivered to the same benchmark, accompanied by a clear escalation schedule identifying any sites requiring on-site follow-up assessment.

Yes. Desktop Structural Roof Loading Reports produced by Solar Surveys are MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9 aligned for commercial buildings where available structural data supports a remote determination. Where remote data is insufficient for a definitive assessment, we issue a conditional determination and recommend an on-site survey, with priority engineer deployment available.

A Desktop Structural Roof Loading Report uses remote data, aerial imagery and building records to assess structural suitability without a site visit, delivered within 48 hours of instruction. An on-site structural survey involves a qualified engineer physically measuring purlin spacing, truss condition and load paths. On-site surveys are used where lenders require physical site evidence, or where remote data cannot produce a definitive determination.

BS EN 1991-1-4 is the current UK structural standard for wind loading, replacing the withdrawn BS 6399-2:1997. Every Desktop Structural Roof Loading Report produced by Solar Surveys applies BS EN 1991-1-4 with the UK National Annex for wind load calculations, alongside BS EN 1991-1-3 for snow loading. This ensures all assessments reflect current Eurocode requirements, which is a condition of MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9 compliance.

A conditional pass indicates the building is structurally suitable for solar PV installation subject to specific defined conditions being met. Conditions typically involve further investigation of a structural element, submission of additional data or a targeted on-site measurement. Every conditional determination sets out the precise condition and action required, so your programme can continue without a full on-site survey where the condition can be resolved remotely.

Desktop Structural Roof Loading Reports are priced between £130 and £150 per report. Batch programmes attract volume-adjusted pricing depending on programme size. Contact us for a programme quote. We respond to all enquiries within 2 hours of receipt.

Desktop assessment is suitable for standard commercial construction types including steel portal frame, concrete frame, brick and blockwork, and reinforced concrete buildings with clear roof geometry and available building data. Non-standard construction, known asbestos or ACM roofing, undisclosed structural alterations and complex typologies will typically require an on-site structural survey. We assess eligibility on instruction and advise immediately where a site requires escalation.

Solar Surveys accepts batch instructions of any size with no minimum order. The same 48-hour delivery benchmark applies to every report in the batch. Batch programmes are assigned a dedicated programme manager as a single point of contact, and an escalation schedule with flagged sites is delivered alongside the individual reports.

For pass determinations, the report proceeds directly to the MCS-licensed installer's job file, the lender's technical file or a planning application. For conditional determinations, the defined condition must be resolved before final structural sign-off. Where an on-site structural survey is required, Solar Surveys offers priority engineer deployment with a 24-hour mobilisation target and a report delivered within 48 hours of site visit.

All instructions are acknowledged within 2 hours of receipt. A programme manager is assigned on the same working day. We confirm scope, flag any data requirements and advise on expected delivery before engineering analysis begins. For batch programmes, a programme schedule is issued alongside the instruction acknowledgement.

Every Desktop Structural Roof Loading Report applies BS EN 1991-1-4 (wind, UK National Annex), BS EN 1991-1-3 (snow, UK National Annex) and BRE Digest 489 (2014) for PV-specific wind pressure coefficients. Load combinations are verified under BS EN 1990. BS 6399-2:1997 was withdrawn in 2010 and is not cited. Ballasted flat roof systems are assessed under MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9.13(h) as standard.

Not in all cases. MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9.6 defines building types and conditions requiring a qualified structural engineer to attend site in person. These include structures with unknown roof loading history, certain portal frame buildings with cold-formed purlins, and any structure returning a conditional desktop result requiring physical verification. Where an on-site survey is required, Solar Surveys targets engineer mobilisation within 24 hours with a report delivered within 48 hours of site visit. See On-Site Structural Surveys for full scope.

BS 6399-2:1997 (Loading for buildings: Wind loads) was withdrawn by BSI in 2010 and replaced by BS EN 1991-1-4 (Eurocode 1: Actions on structures: Wind actions) with the UK National Annex. Any structural report citing BS 6399-2 references a withdrawn standard. MCS certification reviewers and lender Technical Advisors routinely reject reports on this basis. Solar Surveys applies BS EN 1991-1-4 and BRE Digest 489 (2014) as the current authoritative references for all wind load calculations on UK solar PV projects.

MIS 3002 V6.0 Section 5.9.13(h) specifies additional structural assessment requirements for ballasted flat roof PV systems, where the installation relies on ballast blocks or weighted trays rather than mechanical fixings into the roof structure. The structural engineer must confirm that the roof deck and waterproofing membrane can support both the static ballast load and the dynamic wind uplift forces applied to the array. Ballast mass, tray geometry and uplift interaction must each be addressed individually. Solar Surveys applies this assessment on every ballasted flat roof instruction.