SMA
Sunny Boy 3.6
German engineering, open standards. SMA's residential inverter has no proprietary ecosystem lock-in — works with any panels, any battery brand, any monitoring software.
~£699
How it scores
Scores based on published manufacturer specifications and weighted criteria — not lab testing. Methodology.
Specifications
- KW
- 3.6
- Mppt
- 2
- Phase
- single
- Efficiency %
- 97.6
- Warranty years
- 10
What I noticed
SMA is the original residential solar inverter brand — the company that defined the category in Europe. The Sunny Boy 3.6 is the residential flagship: highly reliable, fully open-protocol (Modbus, SunSpec, open API), and compatible with any brand of battery or monitoring solution.
Who it suits
Technically confident installers who want full control over their monitoring setup without being forced into a proprietary portal. Home automation enthusiasts who want to integrate solar data into Home Assistant, Node-RED, or similar platforms.
Watch for
SMA's UK installer network is smaller than SolarEdge or Solis. Not a problem for the technically confident, but if you'll need future service, check availability in your area first. The Sunny Boy doesn't include shade optimisation — for shaded roofs, consider Enphase or SolarEdge.