Village halls, clubhouses, places of worship, sports pavilions and charity premises tend to be older, harder to heat and used in bursts rather than continuously. They are also funded by hire fees, fundraising and grants, so an energy bill that rises faster than income does not simply get absorbed. It comes out of the activity the building exists for, and eventually it becomes a question about whether the doors stay open at all.

The hesitation we hear from trustees is rarely about whether renewables work. It is about committing money that took three years to raise, on the strength of a quote nobody on the committee is qualified to check. Three contractors visit, three quotes arrive specifying three different things, and none of them can be compared against the others. Our approach is to set out the options in plain terms, explain what each one will and will not do for your building, and put the reasoning in writing so the whole committee can read it rather than only whoever was in the room. Specification then follows the building.