Commercial Blog

Running a charity is a constant balancing act. You're always trying to maximise your impact while keeping a close eye on the budget. Every pound spent on utility bills is a pound less for your core mission. It's frustrating, isn't it? Especially when energy prices feel like a rollercoaster you never signed up for.

Installing commercial solar panels is one of the most effective ways for UK businesses to cut energy costs, improve sustainability performance, and secure long-term resilience. But a successful project depends on choosing the right partner, one with engineering expertise, strong safety standards, and a proven commercial track record.

With energy markets in flux and corporate ESG reporting tightening, solar and battery systems are becoming cornerstone assets for UK businesses. In 2025, government-backed grants, capital incentives, and energy export payments are accelerating payback times and helping organisations strengthen both their sustainability and financial positions.

Across the UK, businesses are under growing pressure to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) currently prohibit the letting of commercial properties below an EPC rating of E, with government plans to raise the minimum to B by 2030. For property owners and facility managers, this shift is not just regulatory - it’s financial. Buildings with low EPC scores are becoming harder to lease, insure, or refinance.

Solar Skin for Commercial Projects: Branding, Planning and Aesthetics in One Solution

Solar technology has long been valued for its ability to reduce operational costs and support sustainability targets. But as more businesses seek to integrate solar without compromising visual impact or site design, aesthetics are becoming an increasingly important consideration. That’s where Solar Skin comes in.

With rising energy costs and growing environmental pressure, UK farmers need practical solutions to cut expenses and meet sustainability goals. The government’s Improving Farm Productivity Grant, administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), offers a direct route for farmers to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and improve their bottom line.

Our recent project for Philip Dennis Foodservice is a standout example of how choosing solar can yield impressive financial returns while also making a positive impact on the environment. It’s our largest commercial solar installation to date, and the results truly speak for themselves.

Sustainability has become a major buzzword in the corporate world, with increasing numbers of companies pushing the green agenda both in the boardroom and in their branding. But what benefits does this bring for companies, and with governments increasingly bearing down on Net Zero ambitions, are companies legally required to publish data on their carbon footprint?

Solar panels are a long term investment and it's prudent to keep the system in good working order. Like a car needs an MOT, or a boiler an annual service, a much larger investment the size of a solar array is definitely worth checking periodically to ensure everything is ticking over. There are several reasons for doing this, read on for why you should get your panels serviced and cleaned regularly.

Buried by the headline announcement of 0% VAT on battery only domestic installations came a welcome bit of news for charities looking to invest in solar to reduce their energy bills, that is the announcement that charities now qualify for 0% VAT on solar panel installations where the building in question is used solely for charitable purposes. This will come into effect from the 1st February 2024.

This means that not only must the building be owned by the charity but it must be used solely for charitable purposes. There is a bit of leeway here, for example church and village halls that can be rented out but are still owned by the charity, this was already written into VAT rules that there is leeway of 5% in the term "solely", so as long as the building is used 95% for charitable purposes, the VAT waiver still applies. This expands the definition to include places like village and church halls that can occasionally be rented out, so long as the primary use is a charitable one.

The announcement also covers battery installations, so if your charity already has solar PV installed and would like to take advantage of this change to retrofit a battery, now is a very good time to get in contact.