Free solar panel discussion

pauldreed

I wish you guys would give it a rest. This petty wrangling is becoming boring.
If you really must keep keep bickering at each other, then why not move it to a new thread - 'Free Solar Power - bickering & rants' ??

Cardew

pauldreed wrote: »

I wish you guys would give it a rest. This petty wrangling is becoming boring.
If you really must keep keep bickering at each other, then why not move it to a new thread - 'Free Solar Power - bickering & rants' ??

Mea culpa

However, underlying the bickering is a very important issue that could potentially cost people a great deal of money unless the correct procedures are known and implemented.

Many people getting solar PV(both free and purchased) do not have extensive electrical knowledge and should be able to depend on advice on this Forum

Smallfish_2

pauldreed wrote: »

I wish you guys would give it a rest. This petty wrangling is becoming boring.
If you really must keep keep bickering at each other, then why not move it to a new thread - 'Free Solar Power - bickering & rants' ??

Just to let you know that I agree with you, I'm off to check out other Solar information as this has been ruined by all the childish behaviour.

Jon_Tiffany

Cardew wrote: »

Mea culpa

However, underlying the bickering is a very important issue that could potentially cost people a great deal of money unless the correct procedures are known and implemented.

Many people getting solar PV(both free and purchased) do not have extensive electrical knowledge and should be able to depend on advice on this Forum

I would not recommend that anyone makes a decision based purely on advice in this forum. Posts made on here should be treated as opinions and views - it may influence your decisions but do not take it as solid advice.

Take a look at Martins disclaimer when he posts on here, it applies for all posts:

"Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance."

Smallfish_2

Hi to you all, I signed up to have a system installed by British Gas (buying the system) The scaffolding went up on Friday and the fitters are due to start in the morning so I will keep you all informed how it all go's.
More details later about cost etc, only to say up to now the service has been good, scaffolding chaps were very good.

zeupater

Smallfish wrote: »

Hi to you all, I signed up to have a system installed by British Gas (buying the system) The scaffolding went up on Friday and the fitters are due to start in the morning so I will keep you all informed how it all go's.
More details later about cost etc, only to say up to now the service has been good, scaffolding chaps were very good.

Hi Smallfish

I know someone who has recently had a BG system fitted and all went very smoothly - a very tidy installation all 'round. Total system had a summer discount (August ?, I think) applied and came in at below the Tesco's quoted price (which was bloated by scaffolding & wiring extras) after accounting for the value of an included remote monitor ....

Hope all goes well

Gizmosmum_2

pauldreed wrote: »

ASG installed their system on my home yesterday, and here are a few photos of what and how it was installed.

Overall, a very tidy and impressive installation. No mess, and everything done very neatly.

Nice house Bit confused though - Building Regs say you have to have the generation meter in with the consumer unit from 1st Oct 2010. I could have read it wrong - does anyone else know???

What type of panels did they fit?

Smallfish_2

zeupater wrote: »

Hi Smallfish

I know someone who has recently had a BG system fitted and all went very smoothly - a very tidy installation all 'round. Total system had a summer discount (August ?, I think) applied and came in at below the Tesco's quoted price (which was bloated by scaffolding & wiring extras) after accounting for the value of an included remote monitor ....

Hope all goes well

Thanks zeupater
BG gave me 10% off or I could have had 2 years interest free.

pauldreed

Gizmosmum wrote: »

Nice house Bit confused though - Building Regs say you have to have the generation meter in with the consumer unit from 1st Oct 2010. I could have read it wrong - does anyone else know???

What type of panels did they fit?

Don't know about the first point, but doubt that it would fit, and not sure of why this should be either.

The panels fitted are 18 x Phono Solar modules type PS190M.
190W, 37V made in China.

Smallfish_2

Don't miss the full details that I will be posting shortly.
You will see how British Gas Installations sort out an installation, from sending to your home a British Gas ENERGY EXPERT to survey your property telling you what system you can have on your roof, taking measurements and photos, and of course a 10% deposit, to sending a team to erect the scaffolding and then on the day of fitting...........
Are they cooking on gas......or are they making an ash of it!

Right then now I have had dinner, and a rest to get over today's farce, I feel I have a little more power to my elbow if not to my roof!

So the scaffolding went up on Friday (see my prior post) and Monday morning British Gas start to arrive, first one van, then another, then another, and another with workers to match, gosh have we got enough mugs little did I realize that British Gas may have thought that I was going to be one of the Mugs...
A couple of hours and we had lots of British Gas workers whisperings and looking thoughtful, up on the roof tape measure in hand, measuring this way that way, down again from the roof, on the phone, up on the roof measure again that way and this.....this went on for a while, until finally the chap with the smashed iPhone said the 2.52kWp system consisting of 12 x 210W panels, that British Gas own "Expert" said would fit......WOULD NOT FIT.
But, but British Gas said they were sending an EXPERT to do the survey, he said it would cost £12,646.80 and told us we had to pay him a deposit of over £1,264.68 so we gave him our nice sunny yellow coop card and he called the British Gas "Money expert......my words this time" to take the payment.
The British Gas survey Expert did say that all would be checked and then we would get confirmation Direct from British Gas which we did, so what went wrong, well somethings afoot or should I say a meter with his measuring or is it that he was rushed to soon out on to the Job as he had told me he had not been with British Gas for long. The first two workers to turn up this morning, one had only been with British Gas 3 Weeks and I think the other said 5 weeks.
So in conclusion, The scaffolding is coming down, and I have had 2days off work and lost money taking cash out of my ISA not to mention other bits and bats that had to be sorted out.
Never mind It could have been worse, we could have gone to a Cowboy outfit.... ok so that was a little below the belt, and to be fair all the staff were very pleasant but you have to wonder if British Gas are just trying to jump on a gravy boat, and how much training are all these new staff and EXPERTS getting?
I rang customer service and the are now refunding my money to my sunny yellow coop card.
So British Gas it's the RED CARD from me.... As you have left me out of pocket on this one.