How UK Tradespeople Can Cash In on the Green Energy Boom
The UK government has committed to one of the most ambitious clean energy programmes of any country in the world – and for skilled tradespeople, the financial opportunity is enormous. This isn’t theoretical: the work is here now, the skills gap is real, and the government is spending billions to create demand. The tradespeople who get qualified early will have more work than they can handle for the next decade.
The government has set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028. The UK currently installs around 60,000 per year. That’s a 10x increase – and there aren’t nearly enough qualified tradespeople to meet it.
The Scale of the Opportunity
Three separate government mandates are driving a wall of demand for skilled tradespeople:
- Heat pump mandate – 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, scaling to millions annually through the 2030s
- Solar boom – government ambition to quadruple solar capacity to 70GW by 2035, with solar PV becoming one of the fastest-growing installation categories in the UK
- EV charger mandate – all new petrol and diesel car sales end by 2035; EV adoption is accelerating rapidly, driving demand for home and commercial charger installations
Each of these creates a specific opportunity for specific trades. Here’s exactly what’s available, by trade:
The Three Biggest Green Energy Opportunities
EV Charger Installation – for Electricians
Home EV charger installation has become one of the highest-growth niches in UK electrical work. Most jobs are straightforward: a consumer unit upgrade (if needed), a dedicated circuit run to the garage or drive, and the charger unit itself. Jobs typically take half a day to a full day.
Qualification needed: City & Guilds 2919 (Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation). This is a short course – most electricians can complete it in a few days. You also need to be registered with an Ofqual-approved scheme (most schemes accept it). The course typically costs £400–£600, and you’ll recover that in your first job.
- EV charger manufacturers include Myenergi (Zappi), Ohme, Easee, and Pod Point – becoming familiar with their products gives you an edge
- Homebuyer surveys and conveyancers increasingly mention EV chargers – estate agents are a good source of referrals
- Commercial work (car parks, retail, offices) is available at higher rates for those willing to scale up
Heat Pump Installation – for Plumbers and Heating Engineers
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants of up to £7,500 towards heat pump installations – available to homeowners and funded by the government. The grants have significantly increased heat pump demand, and the skills gap is severe: demand is outstripping qualified installers by a wide margin.
Qualification needed: MCS certification (Microgeneration Certification Scheme). MCS is the industry standard and required for installations to qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. The pathway typically involves: completing a heat pump design and installation course (manufacturers like Vaillant and Worcester Bosch offer training); gaining MCS certification through an MCS-approved certification body; and registering on the MCS database.
- Gas engineers have a significant advantage – pipework, system knowledge, and customer relationships transfer directly
- Manufacturers offer free or low-cost training courses to build installer networks – worth attending even before formal certification
- Waiting lists for MCS-certified installers are months long in many areas – early movers are already charging premium rates
Solar PV Installation – for Electricians
Solar PV has had a resurgence driven by high energy bills and falling panel costs. The average home solar installation generates £1,500–£3,000 in contractor revenue and typically takes two to three days for a team of two. Battery storage add-ons (increasingly popular) push the job value higher.
Qualification needed: MCS certification for solar PV, plus the Level 3 Award in the Design, Installation and Commissioning of Small-Scale Photovoltaic Systems (or equivalent). Electricians with Part P and 18th Edition qualifications have the strongest foundation.
- Battery storage and solar PV combined installations are increasingly requested – adding battery work significantly increases job value
- Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) means homeowners get paid for exporting excess electricity – this is a strong selling point to customers
- Lead volumes from comparison sites like Checkatrade and GreenMatch are high for solar – MCS certification is required to appear on most of them
How to Start Winning Green Energy Work
Step 1: Pick your opportunity
Choose the one that best matches your existing trade, skills, and local market. For most electricians, EV chargers are the fastest path to additional revenue – a short course, no MCS required, and jobs are everywhere. For plumbers and heating engineers, heat pumps are the biggest long-term opportunity but require more qualification time and upfront investment.
Step 2: Get qualified
Book the course before you start marketing. Customers and installers increasingly check credentials – and for heat pumps and solar PV, you legally need MCS certification for installations to qualify for government grants. Don’t try to win work before you’re qualified.
Step 3: Update your marketing
Update your Google Business Profile, website, and any directory listings to include your new green energy services. Add “MCS certified” or “EV charger installer” prominently. Homeowners searching for these services often look for credentials specifically. Getting job management sorted – quoting, scheduling, invoicing – before your new work picks up will save you a lot of pain later.
Try Tradify Free for 14 Days →Frequently Asked Questions
Three main categories: (1) EV charger installation – primarily for electricians, requiring City & Guilds 2919 qualification, paying £300–£600 per job; (2) Heat pump installation – for plumbers and heating engineers, requiring MCS certification, with typical job values of £8,000–£15,000+; (3) Solar PV installation – for electricians, requiring MCS certification and a solar-specific Level 3 qualification, with job values of £1,500–£3,000. Each has strong government-backed demand and a severe shortage of qualified installers.
City & Guilds 2919 (Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation) is the standard qualification. It’s a short course – most electricians can complete it in a few days – and typically costs £400–£600. You also need to be registered with an Ofqual-approved competent persons scheme. Unlike heat pumps and solar, EV chargers don’t require MCS certification, which means EV charger work is the fastest way for an electrician to add green energy services to their offering.
MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the UK industry standard for installing renewable energy systems – heat pumps, solar PV, and battery storage. It is required for installations to qualify for government grants like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (which provides up to £7,500 towards a heat pump). Without MCS certification, customers cannot access the grant – making you significantly less competitive than MCS-certified installers. For plumbers and electricians wanting to move into heat pumps or solar PV seriously, MCS certification is effectively essential.
Earning potential varies by technology: EV charger installations typically pay £300–£600 per job (half-day to full-day work); solar PV installations pay £1,500–£3,000 per job (two to three days for a two-person team); heat pump installations are the highest value at £8,000–£15,000+ per installation. Green energy skills command a premium over standard trade work – and with demand significantly outstripping qualified installer supply, rates are rising. Tradespeople getting qualified now are positioning themselves to benefit from a decade of growth.
Yes – and the demand is not speculative. The government has legally committed to targets that require a massive scale-up: 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028 (vs around 60,000 currently); quadrupled solar capacity to 70GW by 2035; and an end to new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035. Each target requires qualified tradespeople to deliver it. The skills gap between the installer workforce today and the workforce needed for these targets is one of the most significant in UK construction history. The work will be there – the question is whether you have the qualifications to win it.
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