For trade partners
Steady work with a contractorwho has your back.
Fair rates, clear scopes, 14-day payment terms, and a pipeline that doesn't disappear in the off-season. We'd rather grow slowly with the right team than fast with the wrong one.
Let's not bury this
14 days. Every time.
Most subcontractors reading this have been burned by a main contractor who paid at 45 days, or 60, or "when the developer pays us." We don't do that.
Our standard payment terms for all subcontractors are 14 days from invoice. We hit that date. No held retentions unless your contract specifically requires one for a PAS 2030 or SHDF audit trail — and where retention does apply, it's released on a defined schedule you see in writing before you start.
We pay rates that sit above the market floor but aren't the absolute top of the market. Our working assumption is that we hire trades who want consistent, professional, well-managed work at a fair rate, not trades who chase the highest single-day number.
That means we're probably not the right main contractor for you if you're optimising purely on day-rate. And that's a fair thing to know before either of us invests time in a conversation.
What we pay
Rate ranges. Not a promise, but close to it.
These are the ranges we typically pay across our current network. Variance is by experience, certifications held, and scope complexity. We discuss specifics per engagement — but if the numbers below are off the mark for you either way, let's save each other a conversation.
| Trade | Day rate range (including standard PPE, excluding materials unless agreed) |
|---|---|
| Gas Safe engineer | £280–£340 |
| MCS heat pump installer | £340–£420 |
| MCS solar PV installer | £300–£380 |
| Scaffolder (2-man team) | £400–£560 |
| EWI / IWI specialist | £300–£380 |
| Plasterer (wet trade) | £260–£320 |
| Electrician (Part P, NAPIT) | £280–£340 |
| Plumber (non-gas) | £240–£300 |
| Groundworker / pipework | £240–£300 |
Rates are reviewed annually. Specialist skills (e.g., older-boiler decommissioning, heritage-building EWI, high-access scaffolding) are quoted per job and typically sit above these ranges.
The work on the table
The trades we use most.
Gas Safe engineers
- Volume
- 4–8 days/month for a good specialist; more during peak season (Sep–Mar)
- Work
- Combi replacements, system boilers, central heating upgrades, first-time central heating
- Accreditation required
- Current Gas Safe registration
- Preferred
- 3+ years experience, ASHP cross-training a plus
MCS heat pump installers
- Volume
- 3–6 days/month, growing as BUS demand grows
- Work
- ASHP installs under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, MCS paperwork support
- Accreditation required
- MCS heat pump
- Preferred
- EN 12831 heat-loss calc experience, radiator-sizing knowledge
Scaffolders
- Volume
- Project-led, usually 1–3 weeks per EWI or complex roof project
- Work
- EWI projects, complex roof flue work, solar PV on higher properties
- Accreditation required
- CISRS or equivalent
- Preferred
- CITB Scaffolder certification, experience on listed buildings
EWI / IWI specialists
- Volume
- Steady programme work, 6–10 days/month for the right team
- Work
- Solid-wall insulation on pre-1919 properties and post-war solid-wall stock
- Accreditation required
- PAS 2030 certified installer
- Preferred
- 5+ years wet-trade experience, moisture-management awareness
Electricians
- Volume
- 2–4 days/month supporting heating and solar installs
- Work
- Consumer unit upgrades, heat pump dedicated circuits, solar PV isolators and metering
- Accreditation required
- NAPIT or NICEIC Part P
- Preferred
- EV charger OZEV authorisation a plus
Solar PV installers (MCS)
- Volume
- Project-led, typically 3–5 days per install
- Work
- Domestic solar PV + battery + EV charger integrated installs
- Accreditation required
- MCS solar PV
- Preferred
- G98/G99 commissioning experience
We also work with retrofit coordinators (PAS 2035) as overflow partners for programme work, and with specialist groundworkers on ground-source heat pump jobs.
The standards
What we expect from you.
The bar isn't unreasonable, but it is specific:
Relevant accreditation for the work — Gas Safe for gas, MCS for heat pump and solar, NAPIT for electrical, PAS 2030 for insulation where certification applies
Public liability insurance of £2m minimum — £5m for programme work on social housing, £10m for commercial-scale work
Clean driving licence — and access to appropriate transport — vehicles can be unbranded or carry our livery, agreed per engagement
Willingness to follow Smart Energie site-conduct protocols — dust sheets, daily clean-down, tenant-first behaviour on social housing, no loud music audible from inside the property
Safeguarding awareness for work on vulnerable residents — we provide the briefing; you attend before first job
Timely, clear invoicing — especially where programme compliance requires day-by-day paperwork
Honest scope conversations up front — if a job is outside your comfort zone, say so on day one, not day four
Real numbers
Not vague promises.
We complete approximately 400 measures a year across West London, the Home Counties, and programme sites elsewhere in England. That breaks down (roughly) as:
- 120–160 boiler installs
- 30–50 heat pump installs
- 80–120 insulation jobs (cavity, loft, solid wall)
- 30–50 solar PV installs
- The rest: underfloor, minor ventilation work, programme-specific scope
For a specialist who integrates well with the team, we can typically offer 4–10 days of work per month — sometimes more during peak season (September–March for heating, April–October for solar and EWI).
We're not the right fit if you need 20+ days a month guaranteed, and we won't pretend otherwise. We're a good fit if you want steady, well-paid, professionally-managed work as part of a rotating portfolio of main contractors.
How we think about the team
A name on a payroll, not just a name on an invoice.
We employ our core engineers directly rather than running a subcontractor-first model, because the company's reputation lives or dies on what the engineers do in the customer's home. A name on a payroll has a different relationship with the craft than a name on an invoice.
That means we grow more slowly than a subcontractor-only model would let us — and that's a deliberate choice. The specialists we bring in outside our core team are partners we intend to work with for years, not interchangeable resource.
If that sounds like the kind of network you want to be part of, we'd like to talk to you.
Ready?
Tell us who you are.
We read every application properly. That means you'll hear back within three working days — either with next steps, or with a straight "not right now" if we don't have volume in your area this quarter.
Prefer a face-to-face?
Come for a coffee.
If the form feels impersonal, drop by the Greenford office. Monday to Friday, between 10 and 4. We'll put the kettle on and you can meet the team before you decide if we're the right fit for you.
Get in touch
Let’s start a real conversation.
Two easy ways in. Pick up the phone for a quick, no-pressure chat with the team, or drop by the Greenford office for a coffee and a proper conversation. A real person answers either way.
Monday–Friday, 09:30–17:30. A real person, every time.