PV Solar Uk Ltd / Free Electricity 4U Ltd

goody2
goody2 Posts: 88 Forumite
edited 9 August 2010 at 12:23PM in Shop but don't drop
Hi there

Has anyone had any dealing with PV Solar Uk Ltd or FreeElectricity4U.co.uk based in Lanarkshire, as we recently had a visit from them [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

They came around our home to discuss installing Solar Photo Voltaic Panels.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Thanks

Bill
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Comments

  • shaven-monkey
    shaven-monkey Posts: 651 Forumite
    edited 9 August 2010 at 12:45PM
    [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

    Solar PV is a nice nod towards environmentally friendly living but it won't pay for itself.
    "Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves." - Norm Franz
  • shaven-monkey
    shaven-monkey Posts: 651 Forumite
    edited 27 March 2010 at 5:46AM
    I was mistaken about solar PV not paying for itself eventually. There are some fairly obscene grants being offered to promote small scale generation at the moment.

    http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Feed-in-Tariff-Clean-Energy-Cashback-scheme

    provides information about the feed in tariff which may have been where they were pulling the £1758 per annum figure from.

    There's no mention either Microgeneration Certification Scheme or Solar Keymark scheme on their website that I can find but if you have the cash and you have the interest then it may be worth asking them about that.
    The fact that their registered office is a solicitor is not unusual, I just found it funny that the solicitor in question specialises in liquidations.
    The rush to get customers is due to grants for installation changing at the end of this month.
    "Gold is the money of kings; silver is the money of gentlemen; barter is the money of peasants; but debt is the money of slaves." - Norm Franz
  • Michael_Nottingham
    Michael_Nottingham Posts: 297 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    £1758 per annum seems a lot of income / electricity savings from a panel. I have seen quotes / examples more in the £800-£900 range (but will obviously depend on panel size / direction of your roof etc).

    From reading around, I would expect a payback period of 10-15 years - for example see this article with quotes

    I expect a lot of new companies (including large well known brands) will be moving into these products after the April introduction of the FIT (Feed In Tariffs) so you could always wait and get a quote from one of them as well
  • simonm_3
    simonm_3 Posts: 62 Forumite
    edited 8 April 2010 at 1:20PM
    Michael / Nottingham is pretty close with his figures. A very broad summary of costs and returns is:

    2kW of solar panels installed is about £12,000 3kW is about £15 - £16,000.

    Every unit you generate you get 41.3p whatever happens to it. If you use it you save, If you sell it back to your supplier you get a marginal additional income (seperate to the 41.3p).

    The system MUST be installed by an installer who is registered as MCS (Microgeneration Certified Scheme) or no Feed in Tariff (FIT)!

    The FIT is guaranteed for 25 years by the Govt and paid for by the Electricity suppliers.

    Overall return of about £800 - £900 per year is about right.

    Also, PV Solar UK Ltd is not and is in no way associated with SolarUK a Kent based company that is legit, within the Solar Trade Association.

    My view on FITs? A cludge to deal with a stupid way of paying our electricity bills. My electricity (like everybody's) is expensive for the 1st 1,000 units then cheap(er) for the rest. The more I use the cheaper on average it gets. Turn this around so the more we use the more expensive, then there is an incentive to save electricity and / or use microgeneration.
  • Michael_Nottingham
    Michael_Nottingham Posts: 297 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    As an update, most of the big energy companies and several high street names have now launched their solar pv offers if it is something that still interests you

    PM me if you want links
  • chommin
    chommin Posts: 22 Forumite
    QUOTE=Michael_Nottingham;31711151]As an update, most of the big energy companies and several high street names have now launched their solar pv offers if it is something that still interests you

    PM me if you want links[/QUOTE]
    i would appreciate links
    many thanks
    David
    Sarah x
  • eileenfromplaistow
    eileenfromplaistow Posts: 553 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    We went through SolarCentury, who provided the name of some installers. Our panels are being installed this week! Cost is £12,500

    http://www.solarcentury.co.uk/
  • PV_Installer
    PV_Installer Posts: 1 Newbie
    edited 9 August 2010 at 12:38PM
    As PV installers of many years we have come up against these people recently...
    [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]
    There are many good installers. To find one look on the list of PV installers on the MCS website

    microgenerationcertification.org/Home+and+Business+Owners/Microgeneration+Installers/Solar+Photovoltaic"]microgenerationcertification.org/Home+and+Business+Owners/Microgeneration+Installers/Solar+Photovoltaic

    The MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) accredits PV installers. This is the government run approval standard for PV installers. Most installers that have been around a while are reputable - look for a company on the list that has been registered since the MCS accreditation started in 2007 - there are a number of newcomers with little experience and some are just sales organisations with little technical knowledge. Make sure the company that does the selling holds MCS accreditation and does the installation themselves. Many sales companies use newly qualified, inexperienced MCS accredited installers to do their installations. and that is where things can go wrong. It is worth digging a bit deeper to find a good company that is technically proficient.




    goody2 wrote: »
    Hi there

    Has anyone had any dealing with PV Solar Uk Ltd or FreeElectricity4U.co.uk based in Lanarkshire, as we recently had a visit from them and [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

    They came around our home to discuss installing Solar Photo Voltaic Panels.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated

    Thanks

    Bill
  • penrhyn
    penrhyn Posts: 15,215 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    eileenfromplaistow wrote: »
    We went through SolarCentury, who provided the name of some installers. Our panels are being installed this week! Cost is £12,500

    http://www.solarcentury.co.uk/


    Why did you have them, eco-bling or are you expecting them to pay for themselves?
    That gum you like is coming back in style.
  • D_Hillage
    D_Hillage Posts: 2 Newbie
    edited 9 August 2010 at 12:33PM
    goody2 wrote: »
    Hi there

    Has anyone had any dealing with PV Solar Uk Ltd or FreeElectricity4U.co.uk based in Lanarkshire, as we recently had a visit from them and [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

    They came around our home to discuss installing Solar Photo Voltaic Panels.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated

    Thanks

    Bill
    They have just completed my installation of 18panels. All was carried out efficiently by Liam and his team and I have generated over 4 units since 9am. I am now arranging to pay the balance of the cost (£12 800 in total) in order to get my MCS certificate to send to my electricity supplier, who I called this morning.

    If anyone wants to know more about the installation etc, feel free to contact me.
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