An independent funding consultancy — not a solar installer dressed up in grant talk.
We started this firm because too many UK businesses were being walked into the wrong grant by installers who only had one product to sell. Eight years on, we have supported 180+ commercial solar projects through to grant approval, secured £42m of funding, and walked roughly 30% of clients away from the project they originally asked for — because the numbers didn't work.
Why "independent" matters in commercial solar funding
Most UK installers offer some form of "we'll help with grants" service. The structural problem is that they only get paid if you build — so the incentive is to find any grant that will get you over the line, even if a different funding stack would be better. We have no installation revenue. We charge a fixed fee for the funding work, plus an optional project management fee on the build. That keeps us honest: if the right answer is "don't build this", we say so, because our P&L doesn't depend on the project happening.
About a third of the projects we audit have a stronger answer in a Power Purchase Agreement or Annual Investment Allowance than in any cash grant. About one in five sites have a roof or grid connection problem that no grant can fix and we will tell you that on the first call. The remaining sites get a properly competitive grant application written by people who have authored hundreds of them.
Who actually does the work
Commercial Solar Grants is a small, specialist team — not a call centre. Every application is led by one of our senior consultants, with technical modelling done in-house by a chartered engineer. We do not subcontract application writing. The four people below handle the bulk of client-facing work.
Twelve years inside UK industrial energy. Daniel built Commercial Solar Grants in 2018 after running ESOS audits for 40+ FTSE-listed manufacturers and seeing how often grant applications failed on technical detail. CEng MEI, Energy Institute member.
Former Salix programme officer. Priya has assessed and authored more than 200 PSDS applications across NHS trusts, multi-academy trusts, FE colleges and local authorities. PRINCE2 Practitioner.
Half-hourly meter data is Tom's native language. He builds the financial models and energy yield assessments that sit underneath every IETF and PSDS submission. MEng (Edinburgh), CEng MIET.
Sarah owns the project management of every grant-funded build, from contract sign to final commissioning sign-off. Eight years inside Tier 1 commercial solar EPCs.
Accreditations and how we deliver
We are accredited or registered under the schemes that govern UK commercial PV. The certifications below cover both the application work (where MCS, RECC and TrustMark sit on the customer-protection side) and the technical delivery (NICEIC, IWA insurance-backed warranty, CHAS contractor accreditation).
- MCS — MCS Certified Installer Network (NIC-MCS-101842)
- NICEIC — NICEIC Approved Contractor
- RECC — Renewable Energy Consumer Code
- TRUSTMARK — TrustMark Government Endorsed
- IWA — Insurance-backed Warranty (IWA)
- CHAS — CHAS Premium Plus Accredited
The PV install itself is delivered by one of our six MCS-certified partner installers, picked by region and project type. We project-manage the build, hold one set of contracts on your behalf, and stay on the line until handover sign-off. See completed projects.
What we charge
The first conversation is always free, and includes a written shortlist of grants you would credibly win. After that, fees fall into one of three brackets, all agreed in writing before any work starts:
- Fixed-fee scoping (£950 + VAT) — for businesses that want a full funding strategy document but aren't yet ready to commit to a build. Around 20% of clients use this as a board paper input.
- Application package (£3,500–£8,500 + VAT) — full IETF, PSDS or REPF application, including energy audit, financial model, design and write-up. Fee is based on application complexity, not project size.
- Success-fee on grants over £250k — for larger PSDS and IETF projects, we offer a 3% success fee on the awarded grant in lieu of upfront fees, capped at £40k. Most NHS and FE clients prefer this structure.
What we don't do
We don't sell solar panels. We don't take commission from installers. We don't sign you up to multi-year retainers. We don't apply for grants we don't think you will win. And we don't ever submit an application without you having sat with us through the financial model line by line.
How to start
The fastest route is the free funding review form. It takes four minutes and gives us enough to come back within one working day with a grant shortlist and ballpark numbers. Or call us on 020 4525 6101 — Daniel or Priya will pick up.
See which grants your business qualifies for — free 20-minute funding review.
Tell us your sector, roof size and energy spend. We come back within one working day with a shortlist of grants and the realistic capex you can expect to recover.
No obligation. We don't charge for grant scoping.
Funding by asset class
The allowance depends on the asset, and most pages on this topic get it the wrong way round. Solar PV is special-rate expenditure (HMRC Capital Allowances Manual CA22335), so the 100% year-one route is the Annual Investment Allowance — Full Expensing is a main-rate measure and does not reach it. Battery storage, EV charging and heat pumps are main-rate plant, so Full Expensing genuinely does apply to those.
- commercial heat pump prices by system size
Main-rate plant, so Full Expensing does apply here.
- battery storage economics for commercial sites
Main-rate plant. Stacks with solar for self-consumption.
- commercial solar capex bands for 2026
Capex bands per kWp before any relief.
- solar panels for industrial buildings
Large roofs, high daytime load — the strongest case.
- AIA on a commercial solar installation
Solar is special-rate, so AIA is the 100% year-one route.
Find out which 2026 schemes your site actually qualifies for
- 1. A short written funding note naming every scheme your site qualifies for in 2026 — and the ones it does not.
- 2. Indicative system size and a capex band for your roof.
- 3. Year-one tax treatment per asset in £ — solar is special-rate expenditure, so the route is the Annual Investment Allowance; battery storage and heat pumps are main-rate plant, where Full Expensing does apply. Most pages get this the wrong way round.
- 4. Projected SEG export revenue at current rates.
- 5. Any red-flag eligibility or DNO issues we can see up front.
Covers solar PV, battery storage, EV charging and commercial heat pumps — separately or as one bundled project. If your project is a heat pump or a battery rather than a roof, say so in the message box and the note is written against that asset instead.
- · We do not pass your details to multiple installers.
- · We do not run a lead auction, and we never ask for your phone number.
- · No marketing lists, no unsolicited calls.
- · We are an independent funding consultancy — not an installer, and we take no installer commission.