Solar Panel Megathread

[Eck! 10]

Should you wish to do anything which would require the panels being removed then the company will come and do this for you, free of charge, twice during the 25 year period. Should you require to have the panels removed more than twice then you would have to pay for it yourself.

 

I would imagine this is true for repair work (such as a leak) but not for extension work or any type of work that would alter the shape, angle or area of the roof, or introduce any shading.

[Eck! 10]

I sit in my conservatory righ tnow and it's so Hot I am sweating. It reaches between 70-80oC nist days here and the sun is beating in yet based on google maps they told me my roof is pointing in the wrong direction.

 

Totally godsmacked by that one. It's southwards facing!

 

The temperature of your conservatory is not a factor. The effectiveness of PVs drops dramatically for every degree away from direct sunlight. The optimum harvest for the PV companies is therefore directly south and angled fairly precisely towards the sun either side of midday, as it is sometime in June or July. This way they get a quicker return and more profit for their investment.

[rothschild 10]

Ending the contract simply means they would remove their panels at their expense and probably use them elsewhere. At no point is the home owner liable for any expense unless of course you wanted to have the panels removed for a third time.

As for altering the shape/angle of the roof in such a way as it would effect the maximum performance of the panels, the above would apply. The company would simply end their contract with you.

It really is all very straightforward and transparent and is laid out clearly in the contract.

[Eck! 10]

Ending the contract simply means they would remove their panels at their expense and probably use them elsewhere. At no point is the home owner liable for any expense unless of course you wanted to have the panels removed for a third time.

As for altering the shape/angle of the roof in such a way as it would effect the maximum performance of the panels, the above would apply. The company would simply end their contract with you.

It really is all very straightforward and transparent and is laid out clearly in the contract.

 

Well that sounds like a pretty good deal. But I would check the smallprint. Once company I looked at has a "buy-out" option whereby you can buy the panels at any point during their installation based on straight line depreciation, which sounds attractive. But, they also have this to say...

 

22. What happens if I move house and the new owners don’t want to ‘inherit’ the deal?

 

If you move house the contract will pass to the new homeowner, and they will continue to receive free electricity. But if the new owners don’t want to inherit the deal, you or the new homeowners can buy the contract out. There are no penalties – it is just a straight-line depreciation from the first to the last day of the contract.

 

23. Who pays a) for removing the kit b) if my roof needs repairing or c) if the kit is damaged beyond repair?

 

a) The homeowner is responsible for removing the system at the end of its useful life. If the system needs to be removed temporarily to allow the roof to be repaired, we will do this at a cost to the homeowner of approximately £1,000 – it should be noted that we assess the condition of the roof during the technical survey and we will not install systems on roofs that we do not believe will last for at least 25 years.

 

b) The homeowner is responsible for making any repairs to their roof in the normal way, unless damage results specifically from the solar PV installation, in which HomeSun is responsible for any repairs.

 

c) If damage was caused by storm, fire etc., we are covered by insurance. If the damage was caused maliciously or negligently by a homeowner then we would expect them (or their own liability insurance) to cover this cost.

 

In other words, if the new owners dont want the deal, you are forced to buy out of the deal. They also dont offer the 2 free mods that others are offering.

[rothschild 10]

A shade greener definately don't charge the homeowner for the removal of the panels. It's stated in the contract that they will remove them entirely at their expense twice during the 25 year contract. You pay for any further times that you might need them removing.

At the end of the contract the system will pass to the homeowner totally free of charge. Should you not want it then the company will come and remove it.......again at their expense.

 

Granted, if a person interested in buying your house doesn't want the panels then I'm afraid they won't be buying your house then. There isn't an option to buy the system at any stage or for any reason. I can't think that many people would refuse a free system and free electricity though......especially after the FIT has finished.

[Eck! 10]

I can't think that many people would refuse a free system and free electricity though......especially after the FIT has finished.

 

You may be right, or not. Thats the gamble. A lot will depend on the state of the housing market at the time you come to sell too. When the FIT has finished the equipment is near the end of its useful life and the new owner is facing removal and scrappage costs. If this is anything like the £1000 quoted by homesun, the savings made on fuel will prove to be false economy.

[Bonny 10]

We're having the solar panels fitted too - hope to have them in place by the end of October. I'm more than happy for the company to fit them, i'd have been really disappointed if we'd not been accepted. The money we'll save each year in electricity will be a big help but it's also good to be able to contribute to providing more 'greener energy'.

 

They are a local company too and most of the people who work for them live locally. It turns out we live only about a mile or so from the place where the panels are made so it's very environmentally friendly in every respect.

[Simon_G 10]

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience of having solar panels fitted to their home, and what the overall experience was like; would you consider it worthwhile; has it made much difference to utility bills; are there any local companies you'd recommend or not recommend?

 

With this being quite a large undertaking, I was wondering what people's thoughts and experiences were on this?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Regards,

Simon

[rgb91 10]

Hi, I would think it would take several years of use just to recoup the installation costs, maybe many years in this country due to lack of sunshine

[Lostrider 10]

Solar panels do not need sun they need light. I have 18 solar panels on a south facing roof & they produce enough power to run my hose for free during the day, most days. This would cost around £12000, but were supplied free by "A Shade Greener". They get the goverment payment we get free electricity which suits us, as we wont be around :-) to get a return on an investment of £12000.

I keep detailed records of solar output and usage. At the time of writing the sun is behind a cloud, the panels are producing 520 watts & the usage is 310 watts.

[cruella 10]

Im intrested in these pannels but i think my roof faces the wrong way, loads of my neighbours have had it done and the ones that have all have thier roofs facing southish.... was that a requirement?

[Lostrider 10]

Im intrested in these pannels but i think my roof faces the wrong way, loads of my neighbours have had it done and the ones that have all have thier roofs facing southish.... was that a requirement?

 

You need south facing roof or very near, the pitch of the roof also comes into the equatoin. It does not mean they dont work if they are not exactly south facing but they do not perform as well. You used to be able to go on the "A Shade Greener" website and put the address of your house into Google earth and it would tell you if you are suitable for free panels.