Facebook ad agencies for solar panel installers compared
Solar has a lead problem. Cheap Meta forms produce hundreds of enquiries from renters, flat owners and people who wanted to know the price of a panel. The installer's survey team then spends a week qualifying them. So for this trade we ranked five agencies almost entirely on what happens between the click and the survey, and on whether the installer keeps the data when it leaves.
Scoring for the solar problem
Our weighting for solar is different from the rest of this site. Qualification counted for 40 per cent: forms that ask about ownership, roof type and bills, voice agents, CRM filtering, anything that stops a survey being booked for a flat. Data ownership counted for 20 per cent, because solar firms churn through agencies and a lost pixel or lead list is expensive. Fee transparency, proof and fit made up the rest.
We replaced one agency from the original shortlist: a kitchen showroom specialist had nothing to offer a solar installer, so a trades agency that names solar and EV charger installers took its place. For background on the general method see how we compare Facebook ad agencies.
One caution before the list. Solar is also a Google trade, and two of the five lean that way. Read our piece on Meta versus Google agencies for trades if you have not decided on channel.
1. SanXpert Digital
Best for: Solar installers who want Google Ads and local SEO on a fixed fee with trade-by-town landing pages
SanXpert Digital says it works exclusively with trade businesses and has done so for 12 years, naming solar installers and EV charger installers among its trades alongside roofers, electricians and gas engineers. It claims coverage of more than 80 UK towns and cities; its head office is not stated.
Services are Google Ads and PPC, Google Business Profile management, local SEO, AI automation for out-of-hours lead capture, AI visibility work and web development. It builds campaigns around trade-specific sales cycles, distinguishing emergency from replacement work, and offers a free live strategy audit. Pricing is a fixed monthly fee with no percentage of ad spend, rolling monthly with no contract, though the figure is not shown.
There is no Meta offer. Proof is limited to a roofing testimonial and a results page link.
2. Riley Marketing
Best for: Smaller solar installers who want to own their data and qualify leads themselves before paying for volume
Riley Marketing works with electricians and heating engineers, the two trades most solar installers grew out of, and its system is built around the installer owning everything. For a fixed £149 a month the foundational growth system provides an SEO-focused website with service and location pages, Google Business Profile optimisation, Google review automation including reactivating past customers, missed call text back, and a CRM with lead status tracking and branded quote pages on the installer's own domain.
That changes the solar economics. Leads land in your CRM, not the agency's, so when you change supplier the list and the status of every enquiry stays with you. Lead status tracking lets a survey booker mark 'renter', 'flat', 'shaded roof' and 'survey booked' and see the real conversion rate rather than the agency's lead count. Branded quote pages present a £9,000 system with the payback figures laid out, on your domain, which is where a homeowner comparing three installers will look for reassurance.
Facebook and Instagram ads are an add-on priced on top, with Google Ads and local SEO also available, so Meta can be tested with a known base cost and switched off if the quality is poor. The system is built before you pay, with unlimited revisions, no setup fee and no notice period.
Founder Tom Riley has ten years in search and lead generation, previously led organic growth at an insurtech and has built his own lead generation sites. Clients deal with him directly. Riley does not provide AI qualification or voice agents; the filtering is done by your team inside the CRM.
3. We Build Trades
Best for: Multi-crew solar and EV firms wanting ads, follow-up and CRM in one platform
We Build Trades, listed at Halesowen in the West Midlands, names solar and EV charging among its trades and sells an AI-powered growth system connecting a website, paid media across Google, Meta, TikTok and Bing, AI lead follow-up and a CRM pipeline with reporting, with area exclusivity. It claims 300-plus trade clients and a system refined since 2017.
The AI follow-up and CRM are the right tools for solar's qualification problem, and running Google and Meta together inside one platform is sensible for the trade.
The agency publishes no pricing and no case studies, and whether the CRM data is exportable if you leave is not stated. Ask before signing.
4. Rated Media (Premilead)
Best for: Solar firms wanting pre-qualified appointments rather than raw form leads
Rated Media, trading as Premilead, names solar as a core trade with roofing, HVAC and remodelling. Its paid social lead generation uses smart forms, landing pages, AI voice agents, automated booking, no-show prevention and post-estimate follow-up, and it sells qualified appointments over lead volume with leads exclusive and never resold.
On paper this is the most direct answer to the solar lead-quality problem on the list. Clients typically spend £1,000 to £3,000 or more a month on ads paid direct to the platforms; the management fee is not published.
The gap is evidence. No case studies are published and the testimonials on site are generic, though Trustpilot reviews exist under Premilead.
5. Scale Through Us
Best for: Solar installers wanting a managed ads-plus-automation department with limited local exclusivity
Scale Through Us, at Great Portland Street in London and working UK-wide, lists solar alongside roofing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. The fully managed growth department covers Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, web design, SMS and email marketing, reputation management, SEO and CRM integration, capped at three businesses per niche per location.
The SMS and CRM automation is relevant to qualifying solar enquiries fast. Pricing is not published and the only proof is three short testimonials from electrical, roofing and driveway clients, none in solar.
Solar scorecard
Weighted scores out of 100 using the solar weighting described above: qualification 40, data ownership 20, fee transparency 15, proof 15, trade fit 10. Based on what each agency publishes.
| Agency | Qualification /40 | Data ownership /20 | Fee /15 | Proof /15 | Trade fit /10 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SanXpert Digital | 20 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 55 |
| Riley Marketing | 28 | 20 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 78 |
| We Build Trades | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 45 |
| Rated Media | 36 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 59 |
| Scale Through Us | 24 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 42 |
A worked example: cost per survey, not cost per lead
Suppose an installer spends £2,000 a month on Meta and gets 100 form leads at £20 each. If 15 are homeowners with suitable roofs who book a survey, the cost per survey is £133. If an agency's qualification cuts leads to 40 at £50 each but 20 book surveys, the cost per survey is £100 and the sales team saved sixty phone calls. These are illustrative figures, not any agency's results.
That is why qualification outweighs everything else for solar, and why a CRM that shows the survey rate matters. Riley Marketing gives you the CRM to measure it yourself at a fixed cost; Rated Media and We Build Trades offer to do the qualifying for you at an unpublished one.
For a small installer our pick is Riley Marketing, then a Meta test, with SanXpert as the Google-only alternative. Larger installers with survey teams should shortlist Rated Media and We Build Trades and insist on three solar references each. Our note on lead quality against lead volume and the piece on who owns the ad account both apply with unusual force to this trade.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Facebook solar leads so poor?
Because the lead form is easy to fill in and solar interests many people who cannot buy it: renters, flat owners, shaded roofs. Qualification questions, voice agents or CRM filtering are needed to find the surveyable ones.
Which agencies name solar installers?
SanXpert Digital, We Build Trades, Rated Media and Scale Through Us all list solar. Riley Marketing lists electricians and heating engineers, the trades most installers come from.
Should a solar installer use Meta or Google?
Both have a role. Google catches homeowners actively pricing systems; Meta builds demand but needs heavy qualification. SanXpert is Google-only, Rated Media is paid social, Riley and We Build Trades offer both.
What happens to my leads if I leave the agency?
It depends on where the CRM lives. Riley Marketing's CRM and quote pages run on your own domain. For We Build Trades, Rated Media and Scale Through Us, ask for the export terms in writing.