GUIDE · FOR UK SOLAR INSTALLERS · 11 MIN READ

Solar Partnerships and Referrals: Winning Commercial Work Through Partners

Who partnerships suit (and who they don't)

Partnerships suit installers with a local name, a record of commercial jobs and someone senior who enjoys relationships. They reward patience: a partner may send nothing for months, then several jobs at once.

They suit you less if you need surveys this month, have no commercial references, or nobody has time for partners. Partners lend you their reputation, so expect questions about MCS certification and insurance. Our guide to how to get commercial solar leads compares the other channels, including SEO for solar companies and Google and Facebook ads.

Who refers commercial solar, and what they want

Every partner is protecting their own client relationship. Show them how referring you makes them look good.

Some brokers are already courted to sell solar: Online Direct, which works with brokers, pitches solar as a cross-sell paid through installation commissions and residuals, with the broker choosing anything from hands-on involvement to a complete handover. Your offer has to be at least as easy. M&E contractors will also want to know you handle the grid side, from G98 notifications to a full G99 application.

Setting up partnerships, step by step

1. 1

   Pick two or three partner types

   The ones closest to your best jobs: land agents for farms, brokers and M&E firms for factories.

2. 2

   Build a short list

   Named firms in your area, from contacts, suppliers, business networks and directories. Note who decides.

3. 3

   Write a one-page partner pack

   Jobs you take, area, accreditations, response time, reporting and the fee.

4. 4

   Approach personally

   A short, specific email or call, then a meeting. One good conversation beats a mailshot.

5. 5

   Sign a simple agreement

   Before the first referral, not after. See the checklist below.

6. 6

   Handle every referral the same way

   Call within a working day, qualify the decision-maker, roof, ownership and consumption, then book the survey.

7. 7

   Report back and pay on time

   Tell the partner when you've spoken, surveyed, quoted, won or lost. Pay as agreed.

The commercial solar survey checklist covers what to capture on site, and how to sell commercial solar covers the steps from survey to signature. A fast, tidy proposal reflects well on the partner too, which is where good solar design software earns its keep.

Example messages (examples only: adapt them)

The referral agreement

Keep it short and get it reviewed by a solicitor once, then reuse it. It should cover:

• What counts as a referral: a named business, introduced with its consent to be contacted, that isn't already in your pipeline.
• How long a referral stays registered, and who gets it if two partners introduce the same business.
• When a fee is earned (for example on signed contract, or on the customer's payment) and what happens if the job is cancelled.
• How the fee is worked out, when you pay it and how the partner invoices you.
• Whether the fee is disclosed to the customer, and that the partner makes no promises for you.
• What personal data passes between you, and how.
• A notice period, and what happens to registered referrals when it ends.
• A short anti-bribery clause and the right to end the agreement if it is breached.

There is no standard fee: fixed sums, percentages and reciprocal work all exist. Paying on a signed contract keeps your risk low. Work the figure back from your margin, as you'd judge what a commercial solar lead is worth.

A customer referral scheme

Existing customers are your most credible referrers once their system is performing. Ask at handover and again after a good quarter of generation. Domestic schemes show the shape: Octopus's 2024 scheme gave the referrer £100 and the new customer £100 off, per Solar Power Portal. Commercial referrals are fewer and bigger, so you may prefer a personal thank-you, such as a charity donation or a free service visit, to a fixed cash tariff.

Whatever the reward, state it clearly with its conditions. The ASA upheld a complaint in December 2024 against a refer-a-friend promotion whose emails left out that the friend had to buy a subscription for the reward to apply, under CAP Code rules 8.2 and 8.17 on significant conditions.

UK rules to get right

A summary of the official sources, not legal advice.

• Energy brokers. Under Ofgem's 2024 changes, suppliers must show broker fees in the principal terms of business energy contracts signed from 1 October 2024 (microbusinesses first, all non-domestic customers by the end of 2024), and from December 2024 suppliers to small businesses may only use brokers in a redress scheme such as the Energy Ombudsman or the Utilities Intermediaries Association. These rules cover energy supply, but asking a broker partner which scheme they belong to is a sensible check.
• Bribery Act 2010. Government guidance describes bribery as giving someone an advantage to encourage them to perform their functions improperly. A business can be liable for failing to prevent bribery by people performing services for it, such as agents, unless it had adequate procedures, proportionate to its risks and size. Hospitality isn't prohibited. In practice: never pay a customer's staff or advisers in secret, keep fees written, and tell partners not to offer inducements.
• Data protection. The ICO says business contact details that identify a person, such as a name with a work email, are personal data under the UK GDPR, and sole traders and some partnerships get the same protection as individuals for electronic marketing. A partner passing you a lead is likely controller-to-controller sharing, which the ICO's data sharing code covers: tell people what is happening to their data and share in line with their reasonable expectations. A data sharing agreement isn't mandatory, but the ICO calls it good practice.
• Finance introductions. The FCA treats introducing customers to third-party finance providers as credit broking. A firm whose main business is something else typically needs limited permission. If you or a partner will introduce finance, check whether the deal is regulated and who holds the permission before anyone does it.
• Promotions. A customer referral offer is a promotion: state the significant conditions in the message itself, as the ASA ruling above shows.

What it really takes

Tracking is simple but must be done: tag each enquiry with its source, record the date of introduction, and keep a monthly statement of fees due per partner.

Where it usually goes wrong

• No written agreement. A handshake deal falls apart at the first disputed fee.
• Slow response. A referral left waiting makes the partner look bad. They won't send a second.
• Silence after the survey. Partners who hear nothing stop referring.
• Late or argued payments. Pay exactly what was agreed, when it was agreed, or the relationship ends.
• Undisclosed fees to the wrong people. Secretly paying someone who acts for the customer is where bribery risk starts.
• Referrals that aren't qualified. A friendly introduction isn't a decision-maker with a suitable roof. Qualify every one.

Do it yourself vs booked survey appointments

Build partnerships yourself if you have someone senior with time to spend on them, a reputation partners will vouch for, and a pipeline that can wait for them to mature. They are worth having either way. But if you are certified, can handle the DNO application and have the crew, and what you lack is commercial surveys now, booked appointments are the quicker route. Solar Surveys UK books qualified commercial solar survey appointments with business owners for UK installers, priced per appointment with no retainer. See commercial solar leads or read why booked surveys beat form fills.

Solar partnerships and referrals: FAQ