At this year’s Solar & Storage Live, David Applegate, our Co-Founder and Chief Sales Officer, sat down with Jonathan Moorhouse, Head of Business at HIES. It was a chance to reflect on how far the industry has come, and to talk openly about why consumer protection and accreditation are more important than ever.
Jonathan began by describing the relationship between HIES and Solar Panel Funding:
“The guys at Solar Panel Funding — good friends of ours, good clients of ours, doing a lot of work now for the past six or seven years.”
For us, hearing those words on camera meant a lot. Solar can feel like a fast-moving world, full of new businesses, but the partnerships that last are the ones built on trust and doing things properly.
Why accreditation matters in the UK solar industry
David reflected on that too, pointing out that when Solar Panel Funding first entered the market, accreditation often felt fragmented. Installers had to go to one body for one thing and somewhere else for another. What HIES has done is bring those processes under one roof. Now, instead of chasing paperwork across half a dozen organisations, companies can make one call and speak to the right person who can guide them through the whole journey.
What consumer protection means for homeowners
That level of support might not be obvious to homeowners when they’re first thinking about solar, but it makes all the difference in the background. Insurance-backed guarantees, deposit protection, and access to trusted schemes like MCS and TrustMark are what turn an installation into a long-term investment. They’re the safeguards that mean families can put panels on their roofs with confidence.
Raising standards for new installers
Jonathan also highlighted how important this is for new businesses entering the sector. The domestic solar market is growing rapidly, and demand is high. But to build credibility, new installers need to be able to show they’ve done things the right way from day one. That’s why some of the biggest names in the industry, from Octopus Energy to Project Solar, also work with HIES. For Solar Panel Funding, being mentioned in the same breath reinforces the level we’ve been operating at for years.
Building long-term trust with HIES
For David and the rest of our team at Solar Panel Funding, this is what matters. Our role isn’t only about providing access to funding, it’s about making sure the households we support are protected by the highest industry standards. Working closely with HIES for more than half a decade has helped us deliver that promise.
Looking ahead: the future of UK renewables
As we look to the future, it’s clear that accreditation is more than a formality. It’s the foundation of trust that will allow UK solar to keep growing responsibly. Having Jonathan Moorhouse say publicly that Solar Panel Funding has been a reliable partner for the past six to seven years reinforces what we’ve always believed: building strong relationships with respected organisations is just as important as installing panels on rooftops.
