Sometimes as life sweeps you along it is easy to forget what you have achieved and where you have come from. It is especially easy to do this in our working lives. The challenges and demands of work can easily dominate our daily thoughts as we move from task to task without taking time to stop and think about what we are really doing. At Green Building Renewables we are creating something unique and in the last 18 months as a business, and as a team, what we have achieved is incredible. Our expanding nationwide network of renewable energy installation experts is something I am extremely proud of, and our story is one worth taking a moment to reflect upon. 

How did Green Building Renewables begin? 

Green Building Renewables is a Yorkshire based business headquartered in York and built upon Go Eco Renewables, which I co-founded with John Gilham in 2016. We were acquired by Efficient Building Solutions in December 2020 and rebranded to Green Building Renewables in 2021.  

With a strong focus on customer care and over 20 years’ experience in installing low carbon and renewable technologies, we have created a work ethos that helps every customer to lead a more sustainable life. Our vision is to help as many people as possible improve their lives by helping them to reduce their energy costs and to live more sustainably. We believe we can accomplish this by becoming the UK’s largest and best renewables installation company by 2025.  

In the last 18 months, Green Building Renewables has grown through our emphasis on, understanding in detail, each customer’s requirements, location and property, and by recommending the best technology to help them save money and reduce their carbon footprint. We have continually invested in the ongoing training of apprentices and our qualified, experienced Engineers. and We have built a team with NICEIC, Gas Safe, OFTEC registration, MCS installer certification, FGAS certification and REFCOM accreditation. We are also a member of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) as well as a registered installer for both the OZEV and Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants, providing customers with financial support for their EV Chargepoint and Heat Pump installations. 

Growing a nationwide network of renewable energy experts 

Green Building Renewables is actively acquiring like-minded renewables businesses to grow our local network across mainland Britain as well as organically growing the business in new regions. As part of this plan, in the last year we have expanded our network across the UK and now have offices in York, Doncaster, Daventry, Wellingborough, Colchester, Norwich, Newcastle and Oxford. Most recently, we are opening a new office in Nottingham. We want to be the UK's number one renewable technology installer, and we believe we are already on track to accomplish this.  

Our vision is to accelerate the transformation of UK buildings to low carbon and renewable energy. We believe the most effective way to do this is by creating this nationwide network of local renewable energy installation experts. The challenges are national, but the solutions, we believe, are best provided with a local touch. With our strong focus on customer care and staff development, we are building a business that ensures customers get the service they need to incorporate renewable technology into their buildings whilst simultaneously investing in the engineers of tomorrow. 

The large energy companies, using contractors in a top-down approach to installing renewable technologies in the UK, do not match our locally focused business model. We believe, building our national network by acquiring experienced, reputable and customer-focused businesses with a unique knowledge of the areas in which they operate will deliver the best customer outcomes. We understand the importance of being local, investing in the local economies where we work and employing and training local people. Our model is unique, built on over 20 years of experience in the industry, and we believe our approach will drive value in the industry. 

In three years' time, it is my belief that we will offer our services across all of England and Wales from regional offices. This will be done by continuing to acquire reputable local renewable businesses that pride themselves on their service. We are currently in discussion with several other local renewable companies and, in the next 12 months, expect to expand into London and the South East, the South West and across the Pennines into the North West, and North Wales.  

In the last 18 months, what we have achieved is remarkable. We have grown from a small family-run business based in York to a national company with offices around the UK. Our annual turnover has increased from £3m to £24m and staff has grown from 18 to over 120. We expect to grow our turnover to £100m by 2025. In the next 12 months, we aim to create further jobs around the UK. The potential of our growth, I believe, is limited only by the ambition of the business. 

Training the next generation of renewable energy experts 

The nation is in the midst of an energy crisis. We are too dependent on fossil fuels. Government solutions are short term, poorly thought out and lack joined-up thinking to solve the issues that families and businesses face. To meet our climate targets and help people lower their energy bills, we must transform buildings in the UK to renewable energy and low carbon technologies. This vision requires businesses with the ambition and commitment to lead the transformation of UK buildings away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and technology. Key to this transformation is having the talented workforce necessary to create change and we want to lead on this. 

 As well as our offices providing homeowners and businesses access to local renewable technology expertise, they are also regional training hubs to develop the skilled renewable installation workforce of the future. We have already opened our first training hub at our HQ in York, and new ones will open soon. Building a skilled workforce of renewable engineers will be paramount to the transformation needed in the UK. We are committed to this cause and already actively engage with local educational institutes in Yorkshire to train and inspire the future renewable workforce.  

Meeting our customers’ renewable needs 

The demand and interest in solar PV, solar battery storage, heat pumps and EV charging continue to grow. The decreasing cost of technology and a broader focus on renewable energies due to climate change has seen a significant upshot in demand for installations. Between 2022 and 2030, it is expected that the UK will have c70-80,000 solar PV installations conducted annually. The heat pump market will also grow rapidly, especially as gas boilers are phased out after 2025. People and customers are embracing renewable technologies recognising the financial, environmental and health benefits they bring to their buildings. 

As customer demand grows for the technologies we install, we aim to make the customer journey as easy as possible. We have built trust with our customers by keeping things simple and suggesting only relevant technologies, keeping pricing transparent by explaining potential payback periods and guiding customers through government incentives. This is why we have created easy-to-use tools like our website solar calculator and heat pump calculator, allowing customers to quickly check their home's suitability for the technology and estimate payback periods. We provide regular consumer advice to the media on renewable technologies to help improve education and dispel myths. We will continue to provide resources to the public and organisations to drive education on renewables, and we regularly present at local green events and exhibitions. Watch our video on why customers should choose us.  

The future will be challenging as a nation; we must completely commit to transforming our buildings with renewable energy technology. At Green Building Renewables, we passionately believe that we have an opportunity to create jobs, lower people's energy bills, improve their homes and reduce the UK's environmental footprint. And only when the whole of the UK has access to the installation of low carbon and renewable technologies will we be able to meet our ecological and moral commitments to the future of the UK. This is our mission, to be the biggest and best renewables installation company in the UK and this is what we have already begun to do. 

What we have achieved as a business is something I am extremely proud to have led. Every person at Green Building Renewables has played a crucial role in helping the business to grow in the last 18 months. We believe that we are creating something unique, and we are only at the start of what we can achieve. I look forward to sharing more of our journey and successes with you soon.  

Chris Delaney, Managing Director, Green Building Renewables 

Published 30th November 2022