DNO Application Service

DNO Applications. Fast, compliant, done for you.

A DNO application is the formal process of asking your local network operator for permission (or notifying them) to connect equipment that can export electricity to the grid.

Spirit Energy handles your DNO application, including any follow-up questions from the network operator, so you can confirm what your local electricity network will allow before you commit to a solar, battery, or EV charger design. Then we send you the outcome in a format you can share with any installer.

See our pricing below:

Under 50kW	Over 50kW
£120+VAT	£220+VAT

See our FAQ below if you have any questions.

The Process:

1. Submit the form, giving us details as to what you would like us to apply for. If you are unsure then please contact us and we can guide you.

2. At the end of the form you will enter card details and pay for the service.

3. After payment, you will receive confirmation that your submission has been received. You will be sent a letter of authority, which is the only document that we need from you in order to process the application on your behalf.

4. Upon receipt of the letter of authority, we will submit the application within 3 working days and send you confirmation of our submission.

A DNO application is the process of asking your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to approve, or record, the connection of equipment that can export electricity to the grid, such as solar PV, batteries, or an EV charger. Your DNO is the company that runs the local electricity network in your area (not your energy supplier). The DNO response confirms what export level, inverter size, or connection conditions are allowed for your property.

A DNO application is required whenever you install a solar or battery system with an inverter that can export electricity to the grid above the permitted limit of 3.68 kW per phase. This applies even if you do not plan to export or to use all the electricity on site, as any grid tied inverter has the potential to export and must be assessed by the DNO before installation.

If a system that should have been approved in advance is installed without the correct DNO process, you can run into delays at commissioning, requests to change settings (for example export limiting), or in some cases a requirement to submit retrospective paperwork and wait for an outcome. The practical impact is uncertainty and potential redesign after you have already committed to equipment. The point of doing the DNO application early is to avoid buying or designing around assumptions.

If your main goal is clarity on what the grid will allow, do the DNO application before you finalise your system design. The DNO outcome can affect sensible inverter sizing, whether export limiting is needed, and whether three phase is worth considering. If you already have a preferred installer and a fixed design, it can still be worth doing early because it reduces the risk of redesign later. This service is designed to be usable either way.

Think of grid capacity like a cake that has been cut into slices. The local electricity network can only handle a fixed amount of exported power, and each solar or battery system that connects takes a slice of that capacity. The first people to apply get the biggest slices, but as more systems are added, fewer and smaller slices remain. Once the cake is gone, anyone applying later has to accept a smaller slice in the form of export limits.

To submit a domestic application properly, we need your address and postcode, details of your electricity supply (single phase or three phase if known), and clear photos of your meter area. If you already have a proposed system, we also need the basic equipment details (for example inverter model, battery model, and whether export limiting is planned). If you do not know some of this, you can still start. We will tell you exactly what is missing and how to find it.

You get a complete DNO application handled end to end, plus the outcome documents in a format you can share with any installer. That includes submitting the application, handling DNO questions, and sending you a clear summary of the outcome and what it means for your design. If the DNO restricts or rejects the request, we will run through the options with you (for example export limiting, altering the proposed inverter size, or considering three phase). You are not tied to Spirit Energy for installation.

At the end of the form you will enter card details and pay for the service. After payment, you should receive confirmation that your submission has been received. Within a few working days, we will contact you to confirm either (1) the application has been submitted to your DNO, or (2) we need specific missing items before we can submit (we will list them clearly). We then manage correspondence with the DNO through to a formal outcome and send you the outcome pack.

Under 50kW: £120 + VAT. Over 50kW: £220 + VAT. Payment is taken at the end of the form by card.

Timescales vary by DNO and by the type of application. Some responses come back quickly, others take longer if the DNO has technical questions or if network checks are required. The most common causes of delay are missing site information (for example unclear photos or supply details) and follow-up questions from the DNO. What we can control is the quality and completeness of the submission and the speed of responses to DNO queries.

After a DNO application is assessed, there are a few typical outcomes. You may be approved for the full inverter capacity you applied for, approved with an export limit that restricts how much electricity you can send back to the grid, or approved for a smaller inverter size than originally requested. In some cases the DNO may offer additional capacity if network upgrades are paid for, but at domestic scale this is uncommon.

If the DNO restricts export or rejects the request as proposed, you normally still have options. Common options include applying with a different export level, using export limiting, adjusting the inverter size, or changing the proposed configuration. In some cases, a three phase upgrade may be the cleanest route to higher capacity. We will explain the options based on your DNO response so you can choose the most sensible next step before you commit to equipment.

Yes, you can reapply for more capacity later and there is no risk in doing so. A DNO cannot remove or reduce capacity that has already been approved and installed, and the worst outcome is simply being told that the existing limit still applies. Because the electricity network is constantly being upgraded, a restriction today may no longer exist in the future, which makes reapplying worthwhile, especially for older installations.

We have been installing solar and battery systems since 2010, so we understand how DNO decisions affect real system design (inverter sizing, export limits, battery behaviour, and single phase vs three phase). We manage the application end to end and hand you the outcome in a clear format you can take to any installer, with no obligation to use Spirit Energy for the installation.

Learn About Spirit Energy

Spirit Energy has been installing solar systems for homeowners and businesses since 2010, making us one of the UK’s most established and experienced renewable energy contractors. All design, project management, engineering, and installation work is carried out in house, allowing us to maintain complete control over quality and performance. Our focus is to maximise the generation a client can achieve from their roof space while ensuring the system performs reliably for over 25 years.

Our team brings together more than 165 years of combined industry experience, with long term leadership in operations, installations and system design. We employ some of the industry’s finest engineers and invest heavily in training, ensuring every installation is delivered with exceptional workmanship and meticulous attention to detail.

Although care is taken to ensure that the information on our website (www.spiritenergy.co.uk) and any guides, calculators or checklists provided by us, electronically or otherwise, are accurate and up-to-date, we cannot accept any responsibility for mistakes or omissions. We enter into no express or implied conditions, warranties, terms or representations regarding the quality, accuracy or completeness of the information. We exclude to the extent lawfully permitted all liability for loss or damage, whether direct, indirect or consequential arising out of your use of our website or any guides, calculators or checklists provided by us, or from any information or omission contained in our website or any guides, calculators or checklists provided by us.

DNO Applications. Fast, compliant, done for you.

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