Upskill to build your business urges Dan Redfern, Head of Marketing Communications at Marley
With more homeowners choosing to install solar PV systems, professional builders are uniquely positioned to expand their services and tap into this growing market.
The increasing demand for solar installations offers a chance to diversify, attract new customers, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. By adapting to this trend, builders can not only navigate challenges like rising material costs, skills shortages, and regulatory changes but also unlock new revenue streams and strengthen their business for the future.
Sustainable construction and ensuring building projects deliver more energy efficient properties and reduced emissions lie at the heart of current policy thinking. And this is impacting many areas, including roofing, where the emergence of integrated solar PV solutions is seen as critical to improving the future energy efficiency of the UK’s homes and buildings.
Evolving roofing trends and changing market demand mean we’re going to see an increased requirement for builders to not only install traditional roof tile solutions, but also to include renewable technologies, such as solar PV.
Training for a new world
The Government has pledged to triple the UK’s solar capacity by the end of the decade, as part of the energy efficiency measures needed to retrofit old properties and ensure new homes are built for an energy efficient future.
Expectations are that the forthcoming Future Homes Standard (FHS) will have solar PV as a central component, mandating the inclusion of the technology on most new build roofs so homes can generate more of their own energy, further reducing reliance on fossil fuels and impacting on emissions.
And to underline the opportunity, solar is also becoming more accepted by the general public. Marley’s own research found that 49% of UK homeowners are considering investing in solar panels, with 90% doing so to reduce their energy bills.
Upskill for business success
In light of the myriad changes, upskilling to add solar installation capability presents a growth opportunity and a great way to increase commercial revenues for builders.
There’s a recognised shortfall in the number of MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) accredited roofers in the UK, particularly in areas like solar panel installation, but work is underway to support the building sector and enable firms to add new skills capabilities to their market offering.
As an example, Marley runs a popular solar PV installation training course, which covers both the theory behind solar PV technology, as well as the practical steps needed to ensure a safe and best practice roofing installation.
The in-depth training sessions offer a comprehensive overview of solar PV, including how it works, how to design and set out a solar PV system, practical installation support and tips to consider for complex system arrays. Participants also get hands-on experience installing the roof integrated SolarTile® on Marley’s purpose-built training rig. The course also introduces the solar PV installation accreditation and permissions process, explains the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and covers the District Network Operator scheme.
These valuable training opportunities not only give roofers and builders alike the opportunity to add more services to their business, but they also help to increase confidence when talking about the solution to customers.
By upskilling into solar PV installation, those working in the sector can access a rapidly growing segment of the construction sector where future opportunity lies.
For more details on the Marley SolarTile training course click here.
