Question 1

Can a solar array pay for itself out of energy savings?

Accepted Answer

That is the usual test. Rooftop and ground-mount solar is commonly funded over five to ten years so the payment sits below the electricity cost it displaces.

We will run the figures with you honestly — if the payment exceeds the saving, the term or the system size is the thing to revisit.

Question 2

What can be included beyond the panels?

Accepted Answer

Inverters, mounting systems, battery storage, EV charging, grid connection works, DNO fees and installation labour can all sit inside the same facility. Biomass boilers, heat pumps and the associated pipework and buffer tanks are funded on the same basis.

Question 3

How are payments handled during installation?

Accepted Answer

Staged payments to the installer against their schedule are normal, with the term starting on commissioning so you are not paying for a system that is not yet generating.

Question 4

Does the roof or land need to be owned?

Accepted Answer

Not always, but tenure matters. Where a system sits on a leased building, funders will want the lease to run comfortably beyond the finance term or a landlord's consent in place. Tell us the position early and we will place the case with a funder comfortable with it.

Question 5

I have never used a finance broker before. Is it more hassle?

Accepted Answer

Less, in our experience. You complete one application and one conversation with us. We then approach the funders on your behalf, rather than you filling in separate forms for your bank, the dealer's finance arm and anyone else you might have approached. We handle the paperwork, the funder's questions and the chase-up, and we come back to you with the options set out plainly. You keep the decision; we do the legwork. It also protects your credit file. Rather than several lenders searching you in a short space of time, we place the proposal with the funders most likely to say yes to that particular asset and business.

Question 6

What types of assets can be funded?

Accepted Answer

Broadly, anything identifiable, durable and used for business purposes. In practice that means: tractors; combines and harvesters; balers, mowers and forage equipment; telehandlers and loaders; ATVs, side-by-sides and utility vehicles; grain handling, storage and drying plant; livestock housing, feeding and handling equipment; milking parlours and robotic milking systems; irrigation and water management; groundscare machinery including greens mowers, fairway units, sprayers and top dressers; construction plant such as excavators, dumpers and rollers; commercial vehicles, vans and trailers; solar arrays, battery storage and other renewables; and IT, software and telematics. If an asset is unusual we will say so early. Specialist or bespoke equipment can usually be funded, though the funder panel narrows and the structure may differ.

Renewables finance

Finance for every category of renewables equipment

Renewables equipment we fund every week

Categories we regularly fund

Renewables finance: common questions

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