The Dalkeith business landed the prestigious national honour after impressing the judges with its growth over the past year following a successful transition into renewables.

The last 12 months have seen the firm more than double its staff to 50, using the nearby Energy Training Academy to upskill gas engineers into heat pumps and electricians into solar battery storage as part of a complete rebrand of the company. Turnover is also on course to hit record levels due to the ongoing demand.

“One of the key objectives we set at the at the start of the year was winning an H&V News award and it goes without saying how happy we are. Being recognised in this way when up against some of the UK’s largest contractors is a special achievement for us,” said Mark.

“We knew we had to adapt to the changes in the sector. Transitioning into renewables was never going to be easy and the team deserves enormous credit for what they have done.

“I put a lot of faith in Dougie Bell when making him managing director and he has taken the business to another level while fostering a terrific spirit within the staff and delivering an enhanced customer service.

“In terms of recognition, it has to be my proudest moment since starting the business. We lifted the Small Company Achievement of the Year award in 2021 but this is the big one we wanted. Congratulations to all the other winners.”

Dougie Bell took on the MD role in January this year as Mark stepped into the chairman role. Reflecting on this latest honour, he said: “Being nominated was a big thing for us but to actually win contractor of the year is incredible.

“I was stunned when I heard us called out as the winners and there was a bit of disbelief to be honest! It’s still not really sunk in that we have been recognised in the industry as the best contractor in the UK.

“None of this would have been possible without our amazing staff, from those in the office to everyone out in the field. It’s been a real team effort and credit to everyone – this award is for all of them as they have all flourished over the past year.

“It was a big decision to move into the renewable space and we carried out a full rebrand of the business to reflect that. If we hadn’t made that transition, we wouldn’t have seen that exceptional growth in the past 12 months.”

On a memorable night in London for EBC, it was also highly commended in the low carbon impact category.

Neil Merrett, editor of emap’s H&V News said: “It is a pleasure to be part of the continued recognition of innovative thinking across the HVAC and building engineering sector. The winners in 2024 demonstrate some of the most transformational technologies, products and services being developed to tackle notable challenges in the supply of lower cost and lower carbon heat for a range of users.

“They also serve as important case studies for the wider industry to demonstrate the different approaches to efficiency and decarbonisation.”