2026 Update: PSDS & IETF closed. Full Expensing permanent. 2026 active stack still delivers 40–60% effective subsidy. See 2026 grants →

Our process

From scoping call to grant approval in 16–22 weeks.

Five steps. Start to grant decision typically 16–22 weeks. Project delivery a further 12–16 weeks. The first step — the scoping call — is free and there is no obligation. Most clients have a written eligibility shortlist within one working day of the form submission.

4.9
180+
Projects
£42m
Secured
4.5yr
Avg Payback
MCS NICEIC RECC TRUSTMARK
  1. 01
    Duration
    1 week
    Cost
    Free, no obligation

    Eligibility scoping & free consultation

    A 20-minute call covering your sector, postcode, annual electricity spend and the asset you are considering decarbonising. We come back within 24 hours with a written shortlist of grants you would credibly win, indicative system sizing, and ballpark capex with payback after support.

    Deliverables
    • Written grant eligibility shortlist
    • Indicative project sizing (kWp, capex range)
    • Funding stack analysis (grant + tax + PPA modelled)
    • Decision on whether to proceed
  2. 02
    Duration
    4 weeks
    Cost
    Fixed-fee scoping (£950 + VAT) or rolled into application fee

    Energy audit, design & financial modelling

    We pull half-hourly meter data (typically 4 years), commission structural and electrical surveys, build an MCS-compliant PV design (and battery sizing if relevant), and produce a fully costed financial model — capex, opex, payback, IRR, NPV at three energy price scenarios. This is the document set that supports both the grant application and the eventual board paper.

    Deliverables
    • IETF/PSDS-compliant energy audit
    • PVsyst-modelled solar yield assessment
    • Structural assessment + DNO pre-application
    • Full financial model with sensitivity analysis
    • Board-paper-ready summary
  3. 03
    Duration
    3 weeks
    Cost
    £3,500–£8,500 fixed fee, or 3% success fee (capped £40k)

    Application drafting & submission

    For grant routes (IETF, PSDS, REPF), we write the funder-specific narrative. IETF needs decarbonisation pathway alignment, carbon-saving narrative and full state-aid declaration. PSDS needs an integrated Heat Decarbonisation Plan and procurement compliance. REPF needs productivity-anchored rural growth outcomes. The narrative work is the highest-leverage piece of the engagement — assessors score on what is on the page.

    Deliverables
    • Funder-specific application narrative
    • Supplier quotes (3+ per measure)
    • Subsidy control / state-aid analysis
    • Risk register and contingency plan
    • Monitoring & verification commitments
    • Submission via funder portal
  4. 04
    Duration
    8–12 weeks
    Cost
    Included in application fee

    Funder review & decision

    DESNZ (IETF), Salix (PSDS) or the relevant council (REPF) reviews and scores the application. We handle clarification questions on your behalf — these typically focus on energy data interpretation, monitoring methodology, and supplier quotation quality. Most clarifications resolve within 48 hours of being raised. Awards are announced as a batch at window close.

    Deliverables
    • Clarification question responses
    • Funder negotiation if scope adjustment requested
    • Award letter receipt
    • Grant funding agreement signed
  5. 05
    Duration
    12–16 weeks
    Cost
    Optional 2% project management fee, or PPA-funded

    Project delivery & milestone draw-down

    On grant award, we project-manage the build through one of our six MCS-certified delivery partners, picked by region and project type. You sign one set of contracts; we hold the milestones, manage the DNO connection, and stay on the line through to commissioning sign-off. Grant funding draws down against actual milestones, with monitoring & verification continuing for 18–36 months post-commissioning.

    Deliverables
    • EPC contractor selection and procurement
    • DNO G99 connection management
    • Build supervision and quality control
    • Commissioning and handover sign-off
    • M&V data submission to funder
    • O&M handover to client team

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. About 30% of clients we scope are advised against proceeding because the project doesn't pay back; we say so before any application work starts.

What's different about how we work

Our revenue comes from successful applications and project management on grant-funded builds, not from selling panels. That means we have no incentive to push you into a £400,000 system when £180,000 would pay back faster. About a third of the projects we audit have a stronger answer in a Power Purchase Agreement or Full Expensing alone than in any cash grant. The remaining sites get a properly competitive grant application written by people who have authored hundreds of them.

Where we work

UK-wide. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — each has its own decarbonisation funding architecture, and we apply through the correct route for each project. Our nearest associates are in Salford Quays, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast and Exeter, which keeps most site visits within the same working week as the initial scoping call.

Client testimonials

What clients said about working with us.

Real comments from operators we have funded. Names and roles published with consent; some company names withheld where the project is in active grant clawback period or pending public announcement.

"Daniel and the team rebuilt our solar project as an integrated decarbonisation package and walked us through the IETF scoring before we wrote a line. The £142k grant award was the difference between an internal hurdle miss and a board-approved capex. Honest, technical, and zero fluff."
John Marbury
Managing Director, Midshires Precision Engineering
Manufacturing Coventry · IETF Phase 2 + Full Expensing
"Priya understood public sector procurement better than our framework consultants. We secured 100% PSDS funding across six schools with no trust capex contribution — exactly what the bursary team needed to see. They came in early enough to do the HDP properly, and that bought the award."
Helen Forsyth
Chief Operating Officer, Oakhurst Multi-Academy Trust
Education Greater Manchester · Salix PSDS Phase 3b
"The REPF productivity narrative they wrote was a different category from anything I'd seen from other consultants. They turned a generic decarbonisation pitch into a jobs-and-contract-drying story that the council's economic development team scored top of pile. £62k of grant on a project I assumed wasn't fundable."
Mark Burnholme
Owner, Burnholme Dairy
Agriculture Pickering, North Yorkshire · REPF + Full Expensing
Free funding review

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.

Commercial solar funding across the UK

We work alongside a network of specialist sites covering every angle of UK commercial solar — installation, finance, sector expertise and regional delivery. If your enquiry is a closer fit elsewhere, the team will route it directly.