A battery energy storage inspection record has to satisfy BS 7671, a DNO under G98 or G99, an insurer wary of lithium fire risk, and a homeowner years later. It ties the electrical install, the isolation and protection, the siting and ventilation, and the commissioning tests into one report. So the real question about inspection software is not which app has the most features. It is which tool gets the record written while the installer is still on site with the tester in hand.
Guide · Renewables
Battery energy storage inspection report software, UK.
A practical guide to capturing battery energy storage (BESS) inspection and commissioning on site, from paper and generic audit apps to a WhatsApp workflow your installers already use. Built around BS 7671, G99 and battery safety, not against them.
14-day free trial. No card required.
The point
Software does not make a battery system safe.
The competent installer does. Software makes the inspection record easier to complete correctly on site, harder to forget the isolation or the G99 reference, and faster to hand back to the office. A good tool means nobody rebuilds the commissioning data from memory in the van on the way home.
One platform, three jobs
Where low-carbon install teams use it.
Solar PV
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String tests, inverter settings and DNO notification captured as an MCS handover pack the moment the array is live.
EV charge pointsInstall and commissioning
PEN fault protection, load management and the RCD type recorded at handover, tied to BS 7671 and Part P.
Heat pumpsASHP commissioning to MCS
Flow temperatures, heat loss design and BUS evidence recorded against MCS 020 and the installation standards.
The friction
Most inspection apps never get used on site.
An installer working around a live battery is not opening a bespoke app with a fresh login to log the isolation sequence. They use it for a week, then quietly go back to paper and fill it in later. The record you complete at the point of test beats the one you rebuild that evening, every time.
Run inspections on WhatsApp
No app install. No training.
Installers use the phone they already have. Text, voice note or photo. The inspection report generates itself. Setup to first live workflow usually takes under a week.
The short version
- A domestic or small commercial BESS install is a notifiable electrical job under BS 7671 and Part P, often paired with solar PV.
- Grid connection needs a DNO notification: G98 for small single-premises systems within the limits, G99 where those limits are exceeded.
- The record captures the DC and AC install, isolation and protection, the battery siting, ventilation and fire separation, and the commissioning tests.
- Battery safety, thermal runaway risk and manufacturer siting requirements make the inspection and its evidence trail matter more, not less.
- Software captures the data and generates the report. It does not replace a competent installer, a calibrated test instrument or the manufacturer's commissioning requirements.
The point
What BESS inspection software is actually for
A battery energy storage system, whether standalone or paired with solar PV, is an electrical installation governed by BS 7671, the 18th Edition wiring regulations, and notifiable under Part P in England and Wales. It also connects to the grid, so it falls under the DNO notification framework. On top of the electrical rules sit the battery-specific concerns: siting, ventilation, fire separation and the manufacturer's own commissioning requirements, because a lithium system carries a thermal runaway risk that a homeowner and their insurer take seriously.
Software does not make any of that valid. The competent installer does, working to the standards and the manufacturer's instructions with calibrated instruments. What software does is make the inspection and commissioning record easier to complete correctly on site, harder to forget the isolation or the G99 reference, and faster to deliver as a clean report. The tool's only job is to make on-site completion the path of least resistance.
Grid connection
G98, G99 and the DNO notification
A grid-connected battery system has to be notified to the Distribution Network Operator. Small single-premises systems within the limits generally use the G98 connect-and-notify route, while larger systems, or several installations at one site, fall under G99 with an application before connection. Where a battery is added to an existing solar array, the combined inverter capacity is what matters for which route applies. The engineering recommendations sit under the Energy Networks Association framework and change over time.
Quickler can capture the reference numbers, the inverter and battery type-test details the installer records and photographs of the isolation and metering, as commissioning evidence. It is not the DNO portal and does not submit the notification for you. Check the current G98 and G99 thresholds and your DNO's process. This is guidance, not legal or regulatory advice.
Safety first
Siting, ventilation and isolation
The battery-specific part of the inspection is what sets a BESS record apart. It should confirm the unit is sited to the manufacturer's requirements, with the required clearances, ventilation and fire separation from escape routes and habitable spaces, and that the isolation and emergency shutdown arrangements are in place and labelled. A clear, staged isolation sequence matters because working around stored energy is not the same as working on a de-energised circuit.
Quickler prompts the installer to confirm the siting and isolation and to photograph the battery location, the clearances, the isolators and the labelling, at the point of install. It does not decide the siting or the fire strategy for you; the competent installer does, to the manufacturer's instructions and the current standards.
Commissioning
The electrical tests and the handover
The electrical side of the record covers the DC and AC install, the protective devices and RCD arrangement, insulation resistance, earthing and polarity, and the commissioning tests the electrical certificate covers, along with confirmation that the battery charges, discharges and communicates with its inverter and any monitoring as intended. The homeowner should leave with the electrical certificate, the commissioning results, the DNO reference, the battery and warranty details and the safety guidance.
Quickler pulls the inspection data and photos into one report the moment the job is signed off, so the handover is not a week of chasing paperwork. It records the values the installer reads off a calibrated multifunction tester; it is not the tester. For the wider electrical reporting, see the EICR and electrical reporting guide, and for a paired array the solar PV commissioning report.
Pricing
Per report, not per seat
Most inspection and audit apps charge per seat. For a storage installer that is the wrong shape: the office manager who reads one inspection report a month pays the same as the installer who files four a week, and every subcontractor you add costs more.
Quickler charges per report, with unlimited users on every bundle. Bundles run from Quickler 50 at 50 pounds a month for 50 reports, up to Quickler 500 at 500 pounds a month for 500 reports. Add as many installers, subcontractors, managers and admins as you like; you pay for the reports you file, not the people who could file them. Pricing is approximate and shifts, so check the current pricing page before you commit.
Questions, answered
What is a battery storage inspection report?
It is the record made when a battery energy storage system is inspected and commissioned: the DC and AC install, isolation and protection, the battery siting, ventilation and fire separation, and the commissioning tests such as insulation resistance and RCD operation, with photos of the battery, isolators and labelling. It sits alongside the electrical installation certificate and any DNO notification.
Do I need to notify the DNO for a home battery?
Yes, a grid-connected battery requires notification to the Distribution Network Operator. Small single-premises systems within the limits generally use the G98 connect-and-notify route, while larger systems or multiple installations at one site fall under G99. Where a battery is added to existing solar, the combined inverter capacity determines the route. Confirm the current G98 and G99 thresholds and your DNO's process, as the recommendations change.
What are the main safety checks for a BESS install?
The key battery-specific checks are siting to the manufacturer's requirements, adequate clearances, ventilation and fire separation from escape routes and habitable spaces, and clear isolation and emergency shutdown arrangements that are labelled. These sit on top of the standard BS 7671 electrical checks. The competent installer decides the siting and fire strategy to the manufacturer's instructions and the current standards; the software records the evidence.
Can I record a battery inspection over WhatsApp?
Yes. Quickler's inspection workflow runs over the WhatsApp Business API. The installer receives each question in their existing WhatsApp chat, replies with the reading, a voice note or a photo, and the report generates automatically. No separate app or login is required, and Quickler manages the WhatsApp Business API account on the firm's behalf. It records the values the installer reads off a calibrated tester; it is not the tester.