CASE STUDY · COMMERCIAL SOLAR INSTALLER · 8 MIN READ

James Vincent Enterprises: Commercial Solar Leads, and What to Know Before the Site Visit

in commercial solar

1 year

in commercial solar

working with our team since, roughly

June 2026

working with our team since, roughly

what his most promising project should be worth

£50k to £60k

what his most promising project should be worth

where that project is now

With the DNO

where that project is now

8:33

Who James is

James has spent the past year in commercial solar, in his words "under various guises". His business is James Vincent Enterprises, and his work starts with the lead: "Really looking at the sorts of leads that have been collected by his company and how I can then take those on and visit the clients and work out what's right for them".

He covers the Bristol, Wales and Bath area, and is clear about where that ends. When the team first rang him with leads they thought were right for him, some were further out than he wanted: Bristol, Wales and Bath "doesn't mean on the South Wiltshire Coast, in the nicest possible way. 'Cause there is a limit about how long I'm prepared to drive." They settled it: "I think we, we found a groove, and we found the way to find the right balance."

Working across Wales as well as England has its own paperwork. Wales makes its own changes to the Building Regulations, which our guide to competent person schemes for solar installers flags before you self-certify a job there.

How he picks his leads: look at plenty, pay for a few

New leads reached James in a WhatsApp group, and he could answer on the spot. What he valued most was how fast that was:

“It really demonstrated how quickly you guys can get leads in front of me as someone that wants to buy them.”

From there he could "work out how I could diarize and go and see these leads." He also valued Bryn, one of our managers, who he found knowledgeable and reassuring about how the process should work for him.

He did not buy many, and that was the plan: "I ended up buying only a handful of leads from yourself. But that was, that, that was fine." He needed to see the volume first, to "really understand the sorts of leads, whether they were right for me, whether they were big enough for me to service in whatever way."

That is how Solar Surveys UK is meant to be used too: browse the live leads free, look at as many as you like, and only go after the sites that fit your area and the size of job you take on.

The project with the DNO

Of the leads he bought, one stands out: "that project should be worth about 50, 60K. So I'm really hopeful that that goes ahead." There have been a couple of meetings, and it is with the DNO: "It's not necessarily super simple, but I think it's going through in the right way."

One thing he did on that job is worth copying. He brought in a local subcontractor to walk round the site with the client: "I think that, that gave the client some some real reassurance."

He is realistic about the wait: "it can be six weeks or, three months if things get complicated, so you never really know." On most commercial systems that wait is the network operator's connection application. Our guides to the G99 application and to DNO applications for solar cover who submits what, and how long each step takes.

Paying for attended appointments

James was paying, in his words, "about £400 a lead" (appointments run from £250 to £1,000+VAT, set by system size and qualification). Asked whether paying only for an attended appointment works for a business like his as it grows:

“In answer to your question, yes, I do think that's scalable. And it focuses my mind as an introducer and a solar provider on exactly what sort of leads I want to pay for ultimately.”

You only pay for appointments that are actually attended, and any that aren't viable we replace. What leads cost depends on the job; our guide to commercial solar lead costs sets out how it is worked out.

What he checks before a site visit

James is honest that a lead only proves itself on site: "you never know how good the lead is until you actually turn up and see the property and talk to the person and see the bill." So he asked for more of the facts that decide whether the drive is worth it. These are his three:

1. 1

   Has the business already been talking to another solar company, and how far did it get?

   "Has the client, potential client engaged with another solar provider already and how far have they got through that process?"

   If another installer has already taken the job as far as the DNO application, the visit is over before it starts. In James's words about a site like that: "that means it's a wasted trip for me, but it's still a learning."

2. 2

   Roughly how big is the system?

   "Number two it's probably learning about size of system."

   James sizes the opportunity before he goes, "really gauging what the opportunity is and if it's a quick win or if it's likely to take a little time", using OpenSolar.

3. 3

   Single phase or three phase?

   "The third one would be, and this depends on whether it's a farm or industrial, that sort of thing, the whole single phase, three phase."

   Farms show why. James visited one with Airbnbs, yurts, a swimming pool and a field the owner offered for a ground mount: "Great, but when you then start thinking about transmission and groundworks, it gets really complex".

Sizing a job before you visit is quicker with the right tools: our solar design software guide compares OpenSolar with the other options for UK work. For everything else to confirm before, during and after the visit, use the commercial solar survey checklist.

What changed because of his feedback

James's questions are now on the leads. Every lead says:

• whether the business has had quotes from other solar providers
• whether the site is single phase or three phase
• how many meters the site has

The team can also now pull half-hourly data from the supplier with a letter of authority (LOA), so usage is known before anyone drives out. James on the LOA: "the more we can ... prep a customer for what I'm likely to ask or want then yeah, the, the better really."

From the interview

Two exchanges, word for word.

Q: What would they be? Just out of curiosity.

James: number one, Has the client, potential client engaged with another solar provider already and how far have they got through that process? So for example if I turned up to a place and and I, we didn't know that they'd already gone with another company and the DNO had already been been submitted, that means it's a wasted trip for me, but it's still a learning. So that, that's number one.

Q: And one final question. Would you recommend us to other companies who are looking to get a consistent flow of commercial solar work?

James: Yes, absolutely. We've talked about a relatively short relationship, but I've bought leads, I've seen the process end to end. And I've made some valuable contacts and the clients have been hopefully, fingers crossed will come out. So I will sing your praises even more when I when that lead comes in.

The full interview is in the video above. TNW Marketing's own write-up of James Vincent's interview is on tnwmarketing.com. More installers talk about their leads in our case studies and on the reviews page.

James Vincent Enterprises case study: FAQ