Energy Saving Group

SouthernAir

I had these knock on my door a couple of days ago. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Firms that are offering solar panels for free are not doing it because of a government grant. Government grants for solar panels no longer exist. From April 2010, the grants were replaced by whats known as Feed In Tarrifs, whereby the government pays 41.1p per kWh generated, whether it is used or not. On top of that, the distribution network pays you 3p for every kWh that you do not use (and therefore send back to the grid).

The girl that knocked on my door was adamant that if I had solar panels fitted, I would benefit from both the Feed In Tarrifs AND they export tarrif to the grid and that the reason they could offer it for so cheap was because of some non-existent government grant. This means that the sales crew are either liars OR they have been misinformed - possibly maliciously. A phone call to the company gets the same response.

If you can afford to get them done, and now REALLY is the time to get it done, you should pay the full price and get the Feed In Tarrifs yourself. If you cannot afford it (and cannot get a loan) then there are plenty of more established firms that will do the install for you for free.

So why pay £500 to a firm that is at best shoddy and at worst fraudulent?

knowloads

This mob are advertising for canvassers this week in North West, What I never get is the high costs of installations in the first place. They are talking £12-24,000 for a basic system. Sounds very high. Has anyone (customers) actually shown these savings???? And as mentioned above, if you heat and cook on Gas, what is the payback time even for your £500? S'all a bit of an odd one.

macman

What output (capacity) is your system in KW-and how many panels)?

macman

That's a very big system (16 panels)-most of the domestic installs are probably no more than 8 or 10 panels.

Cardew

jack1988 wrote: »

My output is is 2.80 Kwh based upon 16 panels which fitted my roof which is around 22 m squared. I'm not directly south facing around 26 degrees south west. ----

----I am noticing savings of around £15-£20 per month on my electricity as well as sending 20 ish units per day back to the national grid. On my workings i calculate that to be 60p a day working out at around £180 per year plus a deduction of £180 - £240 per year of my electricity bill. All in all a sound £500 investment as my money will easily be re-couped within 24 months

I am sorry but "My output is is 2.80 Kwh" is meaningless in this context. That is electricity worth about 30p.

I suspect you mean you have a 2.8kWp system?? That will mean 16 panels - each 175Wp.

The important factor is how much electricity in kWh it produces per year. I suspect system of that size might produce between 2,000kWh to 2,200kWh per year in Redditch.

You will do very well if you use 50% of that generated power in your property - say 1,100kWh and your saving will be around £100 a year. Many people save less than that.

So I am afraid your figures of saving £15 to £20 a month and exporting 20 ish units(kWh) (earning £180 a year) are just fantasy!

To earn £180 @ 3p/kwh you would have to export 6,000kWh per year and to save £15 to £20 a month you would need to be using a further 1,800kWh to 2,400kWh a year.

A more realistic, but still optimistic!, estimate of saving might be £100 per year off your bill and £35 a year from getting 3p per kWh.

cavemancjc

Cardew wrote: »

However why pay £500 when firms fit the system for free!

These companies who claim to provide the panels for free will only deal with people who have a one-degree-off South facing roof and they will not provide the 3p per unused kW.
Having dealt with the Energy Saving Group in the Cambridgeshire area and having dealt with numerous other companies they clearly have the best deal on the market at the moment.
If you pay for a system outright you'll spend 10-15 years waiting to see the initial outlay returned. With ESG you start benefitting from reduced electricity bills as soon as the panels are installed and you start feeling as if you're making up your environmental Karma quota.
Having studied the ESG and spoken to many of their employees I can safely say they have the most cost effective package on the market and with regards to insulation they filled my cavity walls and rolled my loft within three weeks of the first call at my door from a pleasant young man for a total of £400 which would have been over double that had I gone through a private firm.
I take my hat off to the ESG!:T

Pennylane

WIll watch this thread with interest.

Nickjames

There are a number of things that people should know about the Energy Saving Group.
Firstly - the people coming to visit you on an appointment are NOT trained surveyors. They are salesmen with about two hours training in filling out forms. I know because I attended one of the "courses" and having listened to what they are telling you to say decided to walk away.
Secondly - they use Norton (trading also under the name My Energy Station) for their solar panel insulations, and use Eaga for their cavity wall and loft insulation. [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] Put simply, they are a sales organisation, that has grown rapidly and not been around for very long. I have nothing against them being a sales company, everything I own has been sold to me at some point, but I dislike the way that they dont actually mention this on their website [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]. Any contracts that you sign will be direct with Norton/ My Energy Station or Eaga. So why involve a middleman. [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

The solar package deal - [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]- you sign a lease agreement with My Energy Station and NOT the Energy Saving Group. If you want to purchase a system, get a quote from both companies (remembering they are fitted by the same people) [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

On Eneregy Savings Group paperwork, prices for cavity wall and loft insulation are in four price brackets of £129, £149, £179 and £199 depending on the size of house -[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

I will post further on this company, and I'm only using it because I have personal experience.... I'm sure others are at it too.

Cardew

It is quite typical of many companies in this(and other) fields - they will charge what the market will stand.

ChairtyA

My advice? Don't touch with a bargepole. They cold-called my elderly disabled mother who confused them with the Energy Saving Trust and invited them round. They then tried to sell her a PV system that she has no way of understanding or judging whether it was a good deal or not. Fortunately she didn't sign up for the PV, but she did accept their offer of free insulation (which she doesn't need, she already has more than the maximum eligible for grant) and some other paid-for 'improvements'. When I called the salesman to cancel he was extremely defensive and unhelpful, to the point where he initially refused to tell me how to cancel the order. Maybe this particular salesman is a rogue one, but you have to question a company that pays commission to a person like that.