Free solar panel discussion

free_juice?

HomeSun_company_representative wrote: »

Hi free juice?,

Please send me your full address to [EMAIL="customerservices@homesun.com"]customerservices@homesun.com[/EMAIL] and I will be more than happy to look in to the £100 side of things for you. Please indicate your MSE user name on the email subject and mark it for my attention.

Thanks

Krish

I sent an email there only 24 hours ago after last week's phone call failed to materialise so I think it is only fair to give them a bit longer to respond before chasing them up again.

Thanks anyway. If I've not heard anything by the middle of next week I'll do exactly as you say.

Elainemary

Here is a quote from The Mail on Sunday ( January 30th )
" If you pay for your own panels you remain in control. Apart from maintenance - installers insist that modern panels are self-cleaning andlargely maintenance free - you should have no problems.
But if you opt for the 'free' rent-a-roof schemes ther may be future difficulties.... you will sign a 25 year contract ehntitling the company not only to collect the feed-in tariffs, but also giving it access to maintain the equipment. You will also be promising not to develop your property in any way that hinders the panels, for instance by creating shade.
What would happen if the firm owning the panels went bust or failed to maintain the system? And how would the contract affect future sales of the property?
No one really knows and future buyers' solicitors will scrutinise contracts and may urge caution. Conveyancers are voicing doubts, although with no known sales of properties apply as yet, there are no concrete examples.
One conveyancer said " put it this way. Would you want to buy a home where a 25 year contract was in place to an unknown 3rd party, giving that 3rd party various entitlements over the property and subjecting you to various limitations or potential costs?

To buy your way out would usually cost you the full amount ( av £14000 )."
It then gives the contact details of some suppliers doing "free" installations.
I know a lot of this has been covered in various posts over the length of this string, but it certainly puts a lot of things in one place. There is also a (MUCH) longer article by Richard Dyson laying out the pros and cons in far greater detail. This is all in the Personal Finance section of the newspaper and it's all certainly given me pause for thought.
I'm also quite surprised that no-one had already mentioned it; am I the only person who ever reads a paper??

suecoo66

Just had an email from Homesun to say I may be eligible for
the free solar scheme.
One question I have is that if I sell and the new owners do not
want the panels who is responsible for removing them?

free_juice?

suecoo66 wrote: »

Just had an email from Homesun to say I may be eligible for
the free solar scheme.
One question I have is that if I sell and the new owners do not
want the panels who is responsible for removing them?

I don't see an alternative to you buying Homesun out and disposing of the panels yourself. If I am right that could be a hugely expensive course of action.

Did you see last Sunday's Mail article? Sorry I am too new here to be able to give a link but it is in the Green and Ethical forum.

Optimist

free_juice? wrote: »

I don't see an alternative to you buying Homesun out and disposing of the panels yourself. If I am right that could be a hugely expensive course of action.

Did you see last Sunday's Mail article? Sorry I am too new here to be able to give a link but it is in the Green and Ethical forum.

Here you go Link Here

grahamc2003

suecoo66 wrote: »

Just had an email from Homesun to say I may be eligible for
the free solar scheme.
One question I have is that if I sell and the new owners do not
want the panels who is responsible for removing them?

Witht the contract in place, you simply won't be able to sell to someone who doesn't want them. the company would have to give a licence to assign the lease, or similar, and without that, the conveyancing will grind to a halt.

If you wanted to sell to someone who didin't want the panels (for instance, if they wanted to install their own and get the fit, or if they wanted to add a loft extension or other development with the roof during their ownership), then you'd have to get the contract cancelled.

It's reasonable to expect to pay the full cost the company has incurred, plus all future lost profit, so cancelling won't be cheap.

Having said that, some companies apparently allow a buyout at a fixed yearly depreciating cost, or so has been posted here. But such a company would simply be in danger of going bust due to a pretty crap business model imv.

I would try to get a specimen contract from the solar company, and see what it says about cancelling the contract during the 25 (or 26) year lease.

zeupater

grahamc2003 wrote: »

...... some companies apparently allow a buyout at a fixed yearly depreciating cost, or so has been posted here. But such a company would simply be in danger of going bust due to a pretty crap business model imv.

Hi grahamc2003

Probably not so bad for their business model ..... buy and fit for £Xk, receive the FiTs for a while and sell at a depreciated value based on at least doubling the initial outlay (>2x£Xk) then using the profit & capital released to fund another couple of projects without additional financial exposure ..... money in the bank is like a bird in the hand .....

Just depends on how many would go this route ....

HTH
Z

paulisimo

I can't see how this is going to be a good plan.

You are really selling the rights to the roof of your house if you go down the free route for very little return.

Apart from the issues with selling your house, maintanance or replacement to the roof,

and alterations or extensions you might want to make (as mentioned above) there are also........

There is also the big issue of possible future changes to the scheme!!! (it's been done with state pensions and many other things we never thought the government would renege on 25 years ago).

The purchase route seems to produce a return of around 4% if my calculations are correct. Not the much vaunted 12%. Can someone explain how the 12% calculation works?

mickflynn39

I'm going to buy a system and want to maximise my return on investment but am getting contradictory information from potential suppliers. Some say the panels must be at least 300mm from the edge of the ridge tiles and all other edges of the roof. Another says 200mm is ok and another says 150mm is fine. If it has to be 300mm I'll end up with a 3kWh system. If I can go to 150mm I can get a 3.96kWh system. I want the largest system but not if clearance is going to cause me a problem. I can't find any definitive advice anywhere on the web. Any advice appreciated.

Gizmosmum_2

You need a minimum of 300mm, C&G training is now recommending 500mm. A lot depends on how windy it is where you live. Better to have a smaller system that stays on your roof than a larger system that flies with the wind. Why not compromise and go for something like a Sanyo Hybrid that's smaller and more efficient but uses the space that a mono or poly would for a 3kwp?