Free solar panel feedback discussion: HomeSun

HomeSun_company_representative

Kernewek wrote: »

Good Evening

I seem to have a new slant on the problems with HomeSun.

In December 2010 I registered with them for the installation of Free Panelson my Roof, which faces, nearly South.

The surveyor did his job and eventually I was sent a contract the said as myroof did not face in the 'perfect direction I would have to pay £500 and £5 permonth if I wished to have a system installed. In early 2011 I told then that I wasnot interested in their system if I had to pay.

I them completely forgot they existed until I returned home to day to findmy next door neighbour, whose roof is at right angles to mine and my neighbouracross the road whose roof is aligned exactly as mine is, were having panelsinstalled.

I spoke to the nice Irish contractors who said it was a Government job and Ineeded to register. I then spoke to my next door neighbour who said that it wasbeing done by HomeSun.

I asked when she asked for it to be done and she said earlier in 2011 about9 or 10 months ago. I asked if it was totaklly FREE and explained why I had notgot panels on my roof in late 2010/early 2011.

She sauid she was paying no up front £500 nor a £5 per month charge. I saidI wasw amazed as her alignment was way out and mine was quite close to Southfacing.

She confirmed it was a FREE installation and that she had been approached bysomeone, presumably, HomeSun to ask if she wanted it installed.

I was gobsmacked to say the least as HomeSun had not contacted me.

I visited their site to register and received an email saying that therewere no FREE installations now.

I emailed back to say that I was not interested in a PAID system. I thenchecked with my neighbour again and emailed HomeSun a second time to ask forsomeone to contact me. Both emails were quickly replied to and I got a returnphone call.

I was told most emphatically that I could not have a FREE installation asthe 3 March deadline had passed. I said that I had previously registered aninterest. I was told that as I had refused their contract no-one had contactedme.

Quite rightly they refused to discuss my neighbour’s contract with me butthat didn't matter as my neighbour was most happy to show me the contract.There was no £500 and no £5 per month.

A 30 second check of the internet found this forum and ‘sadly’ I have nowread all the posts.

I got back into my house to find a missed call from HomeSun and would I ringthem on their 0844 number. The office was closed so I emailed them to contactme about the matter.

My question now, having read the forum is,;

If they do offer me a FREE installation is it worth it or should I justforget them totally?

I have emailed Krish PATEL and I suspect it is that person that wants tospeak to me. Maybe he/she will read this post before we speak – Tomorrow????

Any thoughts most welcome.

Kernewek

Hello Kernewek,

We are in receipt of your email and have looked in to the matter. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to fit a free solar system on your roof.

I’m sorry that you feel being misled however HomeSun's aim is to bring free and low cost solar to as many homes as possible - all funded by the Feed in Tariffs. Not all roofs/houses are equally viable for solar - some don't face exactly the right direction, some are smaller than others, some are in sunnier parts of the country than others and some are more difficult to install solar on than others (e.g. Those with slate roofs or those requiring more complex scaffolding). When deciding whether to install or not on a particular roof, HomeSun needs to consider the expected power generation of that system over its life against the costs to install - which depends on all these factors. By charging some customers a small upfront amount and/or a contribution towards the maintenance of the system, we are able to bring lower electricity bills to households / roofs which would not be viable as entirely free systems.

To go in to a bit more detail, for all customers and installations, HomeSun’s costs are a mix ofone-off (e.g. survey, the PV system, installation) and on-going costs (e.g.maintenance, insurance and running the business). We balance these off against the Feed-in Tariff we receive which depends on the size of the system and how much electricity is forecast (which in turn is dependent on property location, orientation, roof pitch, shading etc). Where we can’t make the figures balance for Free Solar, we either have to reject the roof completely or ask the customer for a contribution. This could be an upfront sum and/or a monthly fee, and the approach means that we can install on a greater proportion of thecustomer who apply.

We sorry that we can't help you with free solar on this occasion. We are, however, looking at new products and services all time - for solar and other renewable energies. There is bound to be a point where we have something that would be more appropriate for you than this particular solar package.

Best wishes,

Tanya on behalf of Krish Patel

Kernewek_2

Thank you. I also received this as an email.

I then received another email as shown below.


Further to my email below, Iwould like to confirm that we have today posted out to you via recordeddelivery, £500 cheque (refund for SolarShare™), voided Lease and a formalletter of termination as required by the contract.

Best wishes,

Poppy Newton
HomeSun Customer Services
0844 824 0000

I tried to ring Poppy NEWTON on the number at the bottom of the email, but was told she doesn't take calls only emails.

I have emailed her as I think this is IMPORTANT.

Thank you for the cheque you have sent for £500 and the vioded lease.

Please can you find my original lease that I signed as I don't remember signing one!!

Nor do I remember paying £500 to you. If I did then I must thank you for the refund. If I didn't is the £500 sent by way of an recompense for not being able to connect me??

Before I cash the cheque, please confirm that you are happy for me to do so. I assume that it will arrive tomorrow, the 20th.

Regards

HomeSun_company_representative

Kernewek wrote: »

Thank you. I also received this as an email.

I then received another email as shown below.


Further to my email below, Iwould like to confirm that we have today posted out to you via recordeddelivery, £500 cheque (refund for SolarShare™), voided Lease and a formalletter of termination as required by the contract.

Best wishes,

Poppy Newton
HomeSun Customer Services
0844 824 0000



I tried to ring Poppy NEWTON on the number at the bottom of the email, but was told she doesn't take calls only emails.

I have emailed her as I think this is IMPORTANT.

Thank you for the cheque you have sent for £500 and the vioded lease.

Please can you find my original lease that I signed as I don't remember signing one!!

Nor do I remember paying £500 to you. If I did then I must thank you for the refund. If I didn't is the £500 sent by way of an recompense for not being able to connect me??

Before I cash the cheque, please confirm that you are happy for me to do so. I assume that it will arrive tomorrow, the 20th.

Regards

Hi Kernewek,

I have looked in to this and confirm that the email Poppy has sent you was intended for a different recipient.

I can confirm that you have not signed a contract with HomeSun Ltd nor have you paid any monies.

The letter and cheque has been sent to the correct recipient.

I would like to apologies for this admin error and would advise that you discard the second email sent of which the contents are above in your post.

Regards,

Tanya

bearcub

I have read Kernewek's posts with great interest and, of course, as with some other cases on this thread, the explanation of why solar panels can't be fitted is total nonsense. It seems to me that HomeSun often make up the reasons for not fitting panels, as they go along.

We live in a cul-de-sac of pretty much identical bungalows, all built in the same year in the 70s. Four have had panels fitted by this company in the last 2 years. Of these four, three (including my mother's) have their panels facing SE, and one facing south. There is absolutely NO difference in direction apart from that one, and all roof surfaces are identical in area, angle of inclination and condition.

This week, I was talking to a couple who live opposite, who had contacted Homesun and asked about having solar panels fitted. Without a surveyor coming to see the house, they were eventually told that their house wasn't suitable. How is that possible? Their bungalow is identical in every way to the three fitted with SE facing panels, and there are no trees or any other obstruction anywhere near, unlike my mother's house, which has a row of mature oaks behind it. As far as access is concerned, their garden is flat, unlike the house next-door-but-one to us (sloping garden, with difficult access for scaffolding), which was the most recent one to be fitted with panels. And, yet, for some completely obscure reason, the house belonging to this couple isn't suitable, and what's more, Homesun can tell this without even coming to see the house! I suppose Homesun has to be recognised for doing something well! :rotfl:

zeupater

bearcub wrote: »

I have read Kernewek's posts with great interest and, of course, as with some other cases on this thread, the explanation of why solar panels can't be fitted is total nonsense. It seems to me that HomeSun often make up the reasons for not fitting panels, as they go along .......

Hi

To me it simply looks like they have tightened up the selection criteria in order to maximise returns from the reduced FiT payments. It seems that RaR providers started off by only installing south facing arrays but as equipment prices fell and the FiT reduction loomed they accepted properties with less well suited aspects .... all that has happened now is a return to being selective on the properties on which they choose to invest their capital outlay .....

HTH
Z

bearcub

I could readily accept that, zeupater, except all the local authority houses around here (and there's loads around our large village!) have had panels fitted, and the vast majority of them are SE facing. Funnily enough, the previous owners of my mum's house were told by Homesun that their house was ideal, just because it faced south. It doesn't. You only have to look at an aerial view to see that it's definitely SE, which is one of the reasons why we've never gone for it. And, of course, the fact that we have a massive great fir tree on the upper level of our garden, that casts shade over the roof for most of the day. Solar panel companies keep calling us, though. :rotfl:

zeupater

bearcub wrote: »

I could readily accept that, zeupater, except all the local authority houses around here (and there's loads around our large village!) have had panels fitted, and the vast majority of them are SE facing. Funnily enough, the previous owners of my mum's house were told by Homesun that their house was ideal, just because it faced south. It doesn't. You only have to look at an aerial view to see that it's definitely SE, which is one of the reasons why we've never gone for it. And, of course, the fact that we have a massive great fir tree on the upper level of our garden, that casts shade over the roof for most of the day. Solar panel companies keep calling us, though. :rotfl:

Hi

I take it that the LA owned properties have had systems supplied by the LA themselves and not a RaR scheme operator ? .... if so the LA will have a different selection criteria, if not, the LA should be classified as incompetant as they have missed out on a revenue stream ...

HTH
Z

Not_At_All_Happy

Had Solar Panels installed a while back but during this year we have had a major problem with pigeons nesting under the panels. Contacted Home Sun and redirected to their maintenance contractors. First contact was early July and someone did come out to photograph the panels. Contacted them subsequently only to be told Home Sun will not authorise work to clear pigeons and put up preventative mesh/spikes to deter them in the future. The pigeons are causing a massive issue to our quality of life - mess and noise and who knows what damage they may be doing to the roof itself. Home Sun only seem to be interested if the panels are affected, not us as the Landlord - very poor tennents in my opinion. After all, we would not have pigeons nesting on the roof if there were no Solar Panels to nest underneath. Home Sun, you should look after your customers - I certainly would not recommended you to anyone else.:mad:

DoctorBanzai

Hi,
I can't say that I'm suprised, my opinion of Homesun as a company is well documented on this forum so I won't bang on about it now.
I imagine that Homesun will say that they have rented the space above your roof and not the roof itself so will not accept responsibility for damage not caused by the panels themselves. If you check your contract I'm sure that I remember a section regarding any damage to the roof as a result of the panels. Read your contract carefully and see if you have any recourse that way.
Another possibility would be to address the health & safety aspect. Try contacting the H&S department of your local council and see if they can offer any advice, they may be able to deal with the problem with their own pest controllers.
I'm sorry that I can't be of any real help to you. I do sympathise with you and personally I am so glad that I didn't end up going with Homesun knowing how absolutely disgraceful their customer service is.
Good luck.

BigJen

Original installation of free panels was OK (eventually, after waiting for months to get them done). However their customer service department is wrongly named and should be called a Dis-service department.
In autumn last year we added some self funded panels from a different company to the rear of our property so we could claim back the FIT for ourselves and we installed an immersun device so that any spare electricity went towards heating our water.
In order to register these new panels for the FIT I had to contact Homesun to find out their MPAN number as they didn't send us any paperwork so I could establish if our new panels were a standalone or extension installation. I have problems using telephones due to MS so emailed the company (including Daniel Green their CEO) to ask what the MPAN number was and explaining the situation. I spent the best bit of a month sending almost daily emails before eventually a reluctant MPAN number was received. I continued with my registration through my energy provider (Co-operative energy) who I informed of Homesun's lack of help and communication (I did even make some efforts to phone despite palpitations and panic attacks but there was either no answer or the phone was engaged!).
Then, on New Years Eve 2013 Co-op contacted me to say that Ofgem had been investigating, and the MPAN Homesun had provided me with was actually for a property in ******* Way and not ******* Close where we live (Same house number but different town) and that the MPAN number for our new installation is actually the same as our new panels. This means we have to attempt to contact Homesun again now to find out who manages their FIT so we can register our panels as an extension to their installation. To be honest I am unsure if anyone works there or if so whether they can actually speak English! Incidentally their CEO - remember him? Daniel Green! Well - he responds with a Read receipt but offers no actual response or help. I have been trying to register our panels since early November and we have received no FIT at all. The panels were fitted for Homesun by Carillion (formerly EAGA) and through Twitter I am hopefully getting some help through them although they are no longer responsible for the maintenance of the panels. This dubious pleasure is now in the hands of Anesco who respond very quickly when no signal is received via the modem from the panels. We have had all manner of issues with inverters and modems on the Homesun installation but that is another story although eventually they were sorted out at no cost (except stress, and time waiting in) to us. This company wouldn't know Customer service if it bit them on the bum!:mad: