Ploughcroft Building Services’ Managing Director, Chris Hopkins formed his company 14 years ago and his first job was a gutter clearance for which he charged £50.00.
Chris has always looked for the opportunity to diversify and re-energise his business and since the early years of his company he has increased turnover steadily to the current £2.5million. At the FMB National Conference he shared his passion and complete commitment to the solar market with other FMB members.
I’m an ordinary builder like most of you – used to pulling the boots on and getting stuck in to work. I joined the FMB in 2004 and since then have met many members and by speaking with them it has confirmed to me the opportunity that exists in the renewable energy market.
I began to look at this closely in 2006 and wondered why builders covered everything from the foundations upwards but stopped just short of installing solar products. But as builders already have relevant skills, I thought it would be ideal if there was a training course available designed by builders for builders, taught in a practical way by builders. So I set to it and designed a course which was ready to roll out in 2007 – just as the big demand for renewables began. The following year, 2008, we were accredited to provide NVQ training.
Accreditation
To commission a solar installation, a company must have Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation. MCS is an independent scheme that certifies microgeneration products and installers in accordance with consistent standards. It is designed to evaluate microgeneration products and installers against robust criteria providing greater protection for consumers.
The MCS is the only certification scheme to cover all microgeneration products and services. The scheme has support from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, industry and non-governmental groups as a prime method for making a substantial contribution to cutting the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions.
We gained our MCS accreditation and following this, with support from ConstructionSkills, we put a solar training course together which became NVQ and City and Guilds accredited last year – VR298 solar roofing. We now provide training to companies aiming for MCS accreditation.
As a professional building company, you are probably well on the way to reaching the standard required for MCS accreditation.
Business opportunities
The solar market is being driven hard now by many factors and you should get yourself into a position to take full advantage of the amount of work out there. One of the main factors driving the market is the Feed in Tariff (FIT), the Government scheme which ensures that customers get paid for the energy they produce through renewables such as solar. This payment is guaranteed for 25 years, so it’s very attractive to householders.
Ploughcroft can help you enter this expanding market, just visit: www.ploughcrofttraining.co.uk to find out more.
