Family homes, different roofs and real reasons to choose solar. Take a closer look at the systems we’ve designed and installed across our region.
Recognised standards.
Independent reassurance.
A well-designed system starts with the property and the people living in it. These eight installations show how we bring those details together.
Solar + battery
A slate-roof installation with 24 Risen panels, a three-phase Fox ESS hybrid inverter and battery storage sized for a larger home.
Tesla Powerwall
All-black AIKO panels and a Tesla Powerwall 3, with grid approval arranged before installation and a complete handover afterwards.
Solar + battery
Twelve AIKO panels paired with a Fox ESS EP11 battery. Designed, installed and commissioned by our team in July 2025.
Solar + battery
Twenty-one JA Solar panels, a Fox ESS KH8 inverter and Mira battery storage, with the grid application and paperwork handled by our team.
Solar + battery
Sixteen AIKO panels and Fox ESS storage, including bird protection, generation metering and the G99 grid-connection application.
In-roof solar
Sixteen all-black Jinko panels fitted into a GSE integrated mounting system, with a Fox ESS inverter and no battery specified for this installation.
Solar + battery
Eighteen AIKO panels across two roof aspects, paired with a Fox ESS hybrid inverter and Mira battery to suit a household with higher electricity use.
In-roof solar + battery
The homeowner wanted a discreet finish. We fitted twelve Canadian Solar panels into GSE roof frames and added SolaX battery storage.
kWp is the rated output of the solar array. Battery figures are the published storage capacities for each project; usable capacity can differ. Follow “View project” for the full specification.
You don’t have to arrive with a panel count or a favourite battery. That’s what our survey and design work are for.
Direction, pitch, usable space and shade all influence how much a solar array can produce. We also consider the finish you want and the condition of the roof.
Your annual consumption is a start. When you’re at home, whether you have an electric car and how you expect your needs to change matter too.
You’ll see the proposed equipment, estimated generation and price in your quotation. We’ll talk through the assumptions and help you compare the options.
Good solar starts with people who know their trade. It should come with people you can speak to afterwards, too.
Stephen and Haley Fairless started Sustainable Energy Engineering in 2006. Twenty years on, we’re still a family business, still focused on the North East and still taking pride in getting the details right.
We bought our own Washington premises in 2022. With more than 2,000 projects behind us, we have the experience to guide you through the choices and the local base to support your system in the years ahead.
You don’t need to know all the technical terms. Tell us what you’d like your system to do and we’ll talk you through the options.
0191 340 7001Yes. The featured projects are installations published by Sustainable Energy Engineering, using photographs of the actual work. Each project links to its own case study with more information about the equipment and design.
Not necessarily. We look at your usable roof space, shading, electricity demand and budget. A recent bill showing your annual electricity use is a helpful starting point. The installations here show different approaches; your proposal will be based on your own property.
It may be an option, depending on the roof and the work you’re planning. Integrated panels sit within the roof covering and can give a particularly neat finish. We’ll explain the installation work, costs and practical differences compared with a system mounted above the roof.
Yes. We design solar and battery systems together and can add storage to suitable existing solar installations. We work with brands including Tesla, Fox ESS and Sigenergy, and will explain which options suit your home and how you use electricity.
Qualifying installations of solar panels and electrical battery storage in residential accommodation currently benefit from 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. Eligible standalone battery installations and battery retrofits are included. Equipment bought on its own is not covered by this installation relief. We’ll confirm the VAT treatment in your quotation.
From our Washington base, we install and support solar panels and home batteries throughout Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside.
Speak to a family-run solar installer with two decades of North East experience and a local team for the years ahead.
Free initial advice and quotation. No pressure to go ahead.Our North East base, serving local homes
and businesses since 2006.
