Case Study - S&P Renewables

Monday 7 September 2026

A renewable energy shop on the main street of Galashiels

Most renewable energy installers are a van, a phone number and a unit on an industrial estate somewhere out of town. S&P Renewables has a shop. It sits on Channel Street in the middle of Galashiels, with the solar panels, batteries and heat pumps it fits set out in the window, and a Trusted Trader certificate on display beside them. Anyone in the Borders who is thinking about a heat pump and would rather ask a person than fill in a web form can simply walk in.

The business was incorporated on 28 January 2009, a small team with an interest in clean energy and a view that the industry could be better at customer service than it was. Seventeen years later it has six staff covering installation, servicing and customer care, and it still works from the one base in Galashiels rather than spreading itself across the country.

What it fits has broadened as the technology has. Solar PV and battery storage remain the core of it, alongside air source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging points, inverter replacement and servicing, and general electrical work and testing.

The accreditations behind a heat pump

Renewable energy is one of the few parts of the home improvement market where the paperwork behind the installer genuinely matters to the customer's pocket. Grant funding, the manufacturer's warranty and, in many cases, the ability to export power back to the grid all depend on the installation being signed off by a certified installer rather than simply being fitted competently.

S&P Renewables holds four of the accreditations that govern this work. MCS certification covers the design and installation of the technology itself. The Renewable Energy Consumer Code sets the standards for how a company sells to a householder, from the quotation to the deposit protection. NAPIT covers the electrical side, and TrustMark is the government endorsed quality scheme that sits across the lot.

Ewan Robertson, who runs the company, says the team invests in ongoing training, assessments and product knowledge “to ensure we always offer the best technologies and the best service”.

Why a scheme, when you already hold four accreditations

It is a fair question, and the answer is that trade accreditations and a Trusted Trader listing do different jobs. The accreditations tell a customer that the company is qualified to do the work. What they do not do is tell them what it was like to have that company in the house.

“As a renewable energy business, trust is everything,” Ewan says. “People want reassurance that they're choosing a company with proven standards, transparent practices, and consistently good customer service.” Joining Scottish Borders Trusted Trader in 2023 gave new customers somewhere to read that from other householders in the Borders rather than take it on the company's word.

What Trading Standards actually check

Scottish Borders Trusted Trader is run in partnership with Scottish Borders Council Trading Standards. Before a business is accepted onto the scheme, Trading Standards check the business and the people who own it: complaints history, insurances, Companies House records, the disqualified directors register, advertising and terms of business, and an interview at the trader's own premises. S&P Renewables found that process straightforward. Everything was clearly explained, the requirements were easy to follow, and each stage was completed without any issues.

What Trading Standards do not do is inspect anybody's workmanship, and that is deliberate. The council satisfies itself that the business is who it says it is and has behaved properly. The customers, in the reviews, say what the work was like.

Three years at the top of the review table

Reviews on a Trusted Trader profile are left by the customer and validated before they appear, so they cannot be selected, bought or quietly removed by the trader. That validation cuts both ways. Ewan describes one occasion where a review was submitted that was not genuine, and where the Trusted Trader team contacted the company, guided it through the process and dealt with the matter. “We were extremely grateful for how well the issue was managed.”

The profile now carries 132 reviews at an average of 5.0 out of 5, and for three years running S&P Renewables has taken the highest number of positive, verified reviews on Scottish Borders Trusted Trader.

“Trusted Trader membership shines a spotlight on the service and standards we’re proud to deliver.”

The company is not shy about the badge either. The logo goes on the website, the vans, the customer paperwork and the roller banners at events, and the membership certificate sits in the shop window on one of the busiest streets in the town.

Better kit, and a quieter week for the customer

The next year is less about growth than about what a customer actually goes through during an installation. A new brand of heat pump is being introduced, chosen because it makes for a smoother and less intrusive fit in an occupied house. A major international manufacturer is being adopted for solar inverters and battery systems, on the strength of its reliability and its support.

For a company whose work involves scaffolding, roof panels and a week of disruption in somebody's home, choosing equipment on how easily it goes in is a reasonable measure of where its attention sits.

Ewan Robertson
Director, S&P Renewables

Questions we are often asked

What area do S&P Renewables cover?
The Scottish Borders, from their premises at 95 to 97 Channel Street in Galashiels, which is a walk in renewable energy centre as well as an office.

What do they install?
Solar PV, battery storage, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points, along with inverter replacement and servicing, electric heating and general electrical work, inspection and testing. They are accredited with MCS, the Renewable Energy Consumer Code, NAPIT and TrustMark.

Has Trading Standards checked the business?
S&P Renewables has been a Scottish Borders Trusted Trader member since 2023, on a scheme run in partnership with Scottish Borders Council Trading Standards, and the business and its owners have been vetted by Trading Standards. Trading Standards do not inspect or approve individual jobs, so the workmanship is judged in the customer reviews on the profile.

• View S&P Renewables' Scottish Borders Trusted Trader profile.
• Read S&P Renewables' verified customer reviews.
• Visit the S&P Renewables website at www.sandprenewables.co.uk.
• If you would like to become a Trusted Trader, you can apply here.
• If you are a Trusted Trader and would like to leave a case study either as text or as a video, get in touch.