Started a new company wanting to get into renewables, advice please!

[Rodreguez]

Me and a friend have started a new company called Zero Carbon Energy Ltd. We are both competant plumbing and heating engineers and both on the GSR. I also have my ticket for solar domestic water heating but have never fitted one!

I would just like some advice of how you or your company went into renewables, like heat pumps, biomass, UFH, etc. we have plans to do some courses in the future in these areas but want to get experience really. who would we ask, how would we ask them?

We both work full time for companies and are running this on the side the company has only been set up a week and got six jobs come through, all be it some just services and landlords tickets but we think this is a good start.

i think renewables are the future and want to get on the band wagon!

 

[mrlennie]

I think renewables are the future and its good to get ahead now as when the gubberment do make a move theres gonna be a lotta new startups. If you start before them people are gonna go for you.

 

[Rodreguez]

I think renewables are the future and its good to get ahead now as when the gubberment do make a move theres gonna be a lotta new startups. If you start before them people are gonna go for you.

that was me and my friends thinking exactly, where i live there's no 1 local who offers renewable services any work i have seen have come from national companies

 

[fuzzy]

whats your feedback like or is it too early to say?

 

[mrlennie]

that was me and my friends thinking exactly, where i live there's no 1 local who offers renewable services any work i have seen have come from national companies

Looks like its just a waiting game then

 

[Rodreguez]

whats your feedback like or is it too early to say?

sorry i dnt understand we want to get into renewables haven't done any yet. but with gas/plumbing etc we've been working together at weekends and after work for a couple of years building up a client base, finally decided to go above board.

 

[Toddyplumb]

So the firms you work for are they plumbing firms ?

 

[Rodreguez]

So the firms you work for are they plumbing firms ?

yes they are mate

 

[Toddyplumb]

Dont forget you will need your own gas safe registrations

 

[Rodreguez]

Dont forget you will need your own gas safe registrations

i know mate had gas safe out today told the man, gonna sign me off as soon as i got reg. jus waitin for my business charge cards 2 come thru so i can set up

 

[kirkgas]

what area are you in, best to check with the makers to see what courses they are running perhaps in colleges etc

 

[Rodreguez]

i live in leighton buzzard, bedfordshire. have checked local colleges/training centres. but have read that not all courses are recognised by MCS scheme.

 

[moony]

unless the government do something about the mcs scheme its not for a 2 man band imo - ive read a lot into it and at the moment the paperwork supposedly involved is astronimical and you'll need someone on that full time. go for it though i will am advertising for re-newable energy with my business but as of yet i only get enquiries off people who want to know how it works - they will as soon as they want it go for the grant - which as im not on the mcs scheme i will not be able to offer them - i have told them to come to me for a price as im sure the bigger companies will overprice it that much we will still be able to compete - but if your not on the mcs scheme theyre unlikely to trust you imo

catch 22 sir

out of interest you say youve done some landlords and servicing - but your company is not yet gas safe - how have you managed to sign the certs off? be careful if youve used your companies gs number mate - you may get caught out with that

 

[dontknowitall]

q-plumb - I totally agree with your views of the mcs scheme. It seems so skewed against local small businesses.

 

[Rodreguez]

unless the government do something about the mcs scheme its not for a 2 man band imo - ive read a lot into it and at the moment the paperwork supposedly involved is astronimical and you'll need someone on that full time. go for it though i will am advertising for re-newable energy with my business but as of yet i only get enquiries off people who want to know how it works - they will as soon as they want it go for the grant - which as im not on the mcs scheme i will not be able to offer them - i have told them to come to me for a price as im sure the bigger companies will overprice it that much we will still be able to compete - but if your not on the mcs scheme theyre unlikely to trust you imo

catch 22 sir

out of interest you say youve done some landlords and servicing - but your company is not yet gas safe - how have you managed to sign the certs off? be careful if youve used your companies gs number mate - you may get caught out with that

we have had got the jobs booked in for as soon as we get gas safe, but i'm still waiting for the charge cards to come through from natwest for the business to set it all up. had 2 more jobs come through jus this morning luckily both plumbing jobs so can do them!

 

[moony]

we have had got the jobs booked in for as soon as we get gas safe, but i'm still waiting for the charge cards to come through from natwest for the business to set it all up. had 2 more jobs come through jus this morning luckily both plumbing jobs so can do them!

ah good lad


- good luck with it all matey

 

[Rodreguez]

cheerz

 

[markfxy]

Some companies do an umbrella scheme whereby you can install their equipment and they will sort out the MCS grants Nu-Heat are one i can think of.
Good Luck you are getting into renewables at the right time as long as the government keeps providing the grants you should have no problems.

 

[Toddyplumb]

Some of these umbrella schemes only help you apply for MCS so watch out .
Also my understanding is that there will only be 40000 grants which will be reviewed after 16000 grants.
I was talking to someone who had payed £6000 just to get the solicitors letter draughted for the lease of the house roof for photo voltaics!

 

[markfxy]

I might be wrong but having looked at the nu-heat web site you pay £600 then they will register your installations for MCS grants. ICS heat pumps offer free training but when I inquired recently it cost £295.00 not what i'd call free?

 

[Toddyplumb]

I dont know how Nu Heat can do this , will have to have a look

 

[dave88]

Well, renewable energy is something very tricky also. It`s sure that if you have the right financial support and ideas you will get 100% return on investment. My idea is to check similiar companies to see what are their company strategies.

Dave,

 

[dave88]

What аrе going to be your future projects аbout this energy? Any specific ideas?

Dave,

 

[FD Powerflow]

Guys first off best of luck with the new career move.

Renewables are a massive buzzword at the moment but from some of the govermental papers Ive been reading you really want to get your training sorted first as the jobs are at least 6months to a year off.

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is what were all waiting for at the moment, basically for every kw/h of energy created by renewable means the home owner gets "paid" by the government as well as obviously receiving the power for free.

There are a lot of suppliers making renewable measures, the ones that you are most likely to come across are Solar PV which will be sparkys only unless you can dedicate yourself too training for, Air source heat pumps (stick to the big manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Heat King, Daiken as they are the ones with specifications for local authorities and already have good brand awareness), Ground source (try getting on the Worcester Ground Source training course, Viessman also have an excellent product) and Solar Thermal (usual suspects have good training like baxi vaillant etc but it sounds like you have this one covered).

One thing to bear in mind with Solar thermal is that the SEDBUK ratings of domestic gas boilers is currently based on 20% hot water and 80% heating, boilers are therefore designed to work most efficiently when heating up the rad system, SEDBUK decided that this should now be 50/50 which means boiler companies will be looking to make their hot water demand more efficient and what better way to increase those percentages than with free solar thermal energy! Even if all the thermal kit does is preheat the cold mains before the boiler heats it fully then it will improve the efficiency massively so in my eyes solar could be the way forward.

Whatever your next step id honestly recommend getting applied for one of the big brands training packages, MCS approval is also a must be get yourself into Mitsubishi and let them advise you first as I would be suprised if they didnt have a tailored package to get people through the training as soon as possible and to get more people installing.

Good luck lads

 

[MJM01]

Hi, forgive me but why would he need Gas Safe registrations for renewables?