Free solar panel discussion

furndire

In winter its surprising how far a tree's shadow reaches - as I found out with the poplar tree in a neighbours garden a few doors away. Luckily it was a poplar - so tall & thinnish, and the sun didn't hit it till late on, but it made a noticable difference when I looked at the standalone monitor. It wasn't for many weeks, but it was the shortest days on winter.

Doc_N

furndire wrote: »

In winter its surprising how far a tree's shadow reaches - as I found out with the poplar tree in a neighbours garden a few doors away. Luckily it was a poplar - so tall & thinnish, and the sun didn't hit it till late on, but it made a noticable difference when I looked at the standalone monitor. It wasn't for many weeks, but it was the shortest days on winter.

Keep an eye on it - I've a relative who had a neighbour's poplar fall on her house!

furndire

Luckily its not near enough to fall on our house, but there have been new houses built directly at the back of it. We were watching it sway in the wind the other day. It could just hit their own house though. The trees belong to the industrial bit at the back, origianally there were huge leylandii growing, and the company that owned them offered to cut them all down - we jumped at the chance, and so did the rest of the neighbours bar this one. And they refused, they are pretty old trees, so could be some problems in future with them.

Cardew

Doc_N wrote: »

Keep an eye on it - I've a relative who had a neighbour's poplar fall on her house!

I will second that!

I had a poplar in my garden that looked completely healthy. We had the council in to check some other trees(we are in a conservation area and they have preservation orders)

Anyway he checked the poplar as well(they drill right through the trunk) and advised it should be felled immediately. When we had this done, the centre of the trunk was rotten and this huge tree was held up by a a trunk that was like a pipe filled with mush.

It is worth getting the council in to check trees - it was a free service for me, but don't know if that applies everywhere.

furndire

I wonder if they tested the poplar before they built the houses right at the back of it??? It certainly seemed to move more than usual in the last bad winds we had.

SWH

Has anyone got any thoughts on the changes to the ISIS Solar contract details?

I signed up to the free solar offer back in August last year, after a few issues with someone elses mortgage roll no. being associated with me and long periods of no communication from ISIS, I called them last week to find out what the latest hold up was and they advised that one of the reasons for the delay is that the contract I'd signed is being changed.

I was told that due to mortgage companies and investors comments, all contracts were being changed (including people who've already had panels fitted). I've now read the new contract and am seriously thinking of backing out as it seems too much of a risk on potential sale of my house in the future, compared with the original contract I signed.

The original contract has a pure depreciation of cost for buying out of the contract, it also covers a removal of the panels at the cost of ISIS to allow essential work to be done on my roof if needed.

The new contract has depreciation, plus future 'lost' FIT's income added the to buy out and any need for removal of the panels is a the homeowners cost and they have to pay for lost FIT's while the panels are off so yet more cost vs potential saving of £100'odd per year.

To me, this is a deal breaker, I was happy to sign up to get lower electric bills and be able to buy out when the funds allowed. Original contract left some room for negotiation with future buyers if they were unhappy with the deal with the panels...I'm sure an agreement could be made to buy out the contract, so the panels were part of the house rather than just on there for someone elses benefit. It also allowed for removal if new tiles or something were needed, at no additional cost to me.

Unless I'm missing something, the new contract is a lot less appealing but I'd appreciate others views if you've seen the new contract/had to sign it as you've already had the panels fitted?

For now, I'm just going to start saving to put panels on when I have the money...probably on my next house in a decade or so!

Gizmosmum_2

Very interesting - how can they change existing contracts - I wouldn't have thought that was legal. I'd say this is a sign of things to come.....

SWH

That's what I thought, but as I haven't actually had the panels fitted yet I guess they can say sign new contract or we won't fit. Or can I insist they stick to the original contract....hmmmm a whole different slant on it now.

I would be interested to hear what existing participants have experienced? I was told by ISIS that all firms doing the 'free' offers are having to change their contracts because of the mortgage firms request for change to lease wording, but maybe its just them?

grahamc2003

SWH wrote: »

The original contract has a pure depreciation of cost for buying out of the contract, it also covers a removal of the panels at the cost of ISIS to allow essential work to be done on my roof if needed.

The new contract has depreciation, plus future 'lost' FIT's income added the to buy out and any need for removal of the panels is a the homeowners cost and they have to pay for lost FIT's while the panels are off so yet more cost vs potential saving of £100'odd per year.

!

The buyout terms have been confusing to me. Unless the solar companies protect their fit payments under all circumstances, I don't see how they have a business at all. This 'straight line depreciation' written into people's contracts made no sense to me whatsoever, from thecompany's point of view. Effectively giving away the fits for free to a buyer of the panels 10 years down the line (when the cost to buy will be low, and the fits much higher) is suicidal for the companys' business - they simply won't have a business. So it's no surprise to me that contracts are being changed for new signups. (I don't think they can nunilaterally change them for existing contracts though, perhaps a lawyer could comment?)

However, the change, where to buy out the contract requires pament of all the outstanding fits, makes buying out the contract a nonsense for a potential buyer (the home owner). There's no financial incentive to do so at all.

For those wishing to sell their property during the next 25 years (i.e. almost every one of them! statistically, whatever they say today) if a buyer doesn't want the (aging) panels, then the cost to buyout the contract will be pretty large, as the fit payments rise each year. That is quite a burden to take on just to gain less than £100 of 'free' electricity pa - the scale of the risk seems out of kilter to the tiny financial benefit imv.

(My dog decides to scratch himself a little enthusiastically, and a visit to the vet costs 2 years worth of 'free' electricity - I think the tiny financial benefit of this 'free' electricity really gets blown out of all proportion in peoples' minds sometimes - it's less than a tankful of petrol for many people).

suecoo66

Has anyone had any experience of using Ecovision?
So far I've tried ISIS and I refused to sign a contract before a survey etc and Homesun where they won't fit due to the close proximity of my property to the sea.
Ecovision are doing a survey on 19th April.
I'm surprised to read that companies are changing contracts after signing though, wouldn't have thought this was legal either?