Discuss the free solar panel company: A Shade Greener

Kevtamuk

We had our panels fitted in October last year. From initial enquiry to fitting we had no issues - the guy who came and talked to us explained everything and my daughter who works for a renewable energy company asked relevant questions as well. The scaffolding was erected on time and installation was completed efficiently. The only issue was a slight problem with the mortar at the side of the roof when they took the scaffolding down. However after a phone call to customer services - they came and rectified the problem straight away.

We have noticed a drop in our electricity bills and are really happy.

I realise we could have paid for panels ourselves and benefitted from the FIT but we chose not to fork out the money and are happy just benefitting from the free electricity during the day. I now stagger the washing machine and dishwasher to come on when the sun is predicted to be out (thanks BBC weather forecast) and I have also found I am more conscious of wasting energy - so I guess that is an unexpected bonus as I am probably saving more electricity now through switching off lights etc. Also I purchased a slow cooker which I have found a godsend during these cold winter months - coming home to a warm kitchen and a pre-cooked stew that means I don't have to put the oven on.

Is it right for everyone? - possibly not - if you can afford to or are willing to give up some capital to buy your own then I guess you'd go down that route. If like us we want to spend our money on other things this was an ideal solution.

As for the mortgage company and re-selling issues, fortunately we no longer have a mortgage so that wasn't an issue and we are quite happy to stay in the house long term so didn't worry about the re-sale issue. Personally I'd be very happy to buy a hosue with solar panels fitted but I know there are people out there who are wary or just don't like how they look.

Anyway just my opinion but the upshot is I would definitely recommend ASG for anyone looking for free solar panels and ultimately cheaper electricity bills.:T

bondy_lad

just had panels installed by asg,so far so good,i am a little confused re its working,,,during the day,soon as its daylight can we switch on washing machine or dishwasher soon as its light,or do we have to wait untill its generated some free electricity ?? or does it work by how much you have generated during daylight minus what you have used??? sorry cannot seem to word this right hopefully someone knows what i mean,,thanks.

zeupater

bondy_lad wrote: »

just had panels installed by asg,so far so good,i am a little confused re its working,,,during the day,soon as its daylight can we switch on washing machine or dishwasher soon as its light,or do we have to wait untill its generated some free electricity ?? or does it work by how much you have generated during daylight minus what you have used??? sorry cannot seem to word this right hopefully someone knows what i mean,,thanks.

Hi

The brighter it is outside the more power the system will be generating, so the more power you'll be able to draw without importing (/paying) ... for something with a high load like a washing machine it would be best to wait until around midday on a bright day .... the system doesn't store energy at all, you'll be using what you're generating at that moment in time, if you don't use all of the power generated then one of your close neighbours will ...

HTH
Z

foster777

Glevum_Owl wrote: »

Foster777, any idea which part of the CML ASG fails on, please? We cleared everything through our existing lender (Nationwide) and gained assurances from ASG before installation but I'd like to check our contract just in case!

Hi,

The letter I had back from my solicitor stated the solar panel lease did not have a breakout clause and this is why it was rejected by the Halifax. The bank will not lend on the house without the lease being changed. I'm about to pull out of the purchase now because of the solar panel lease, pretty gutted really loved the house

Ashadegreener_representative

foster777 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the process of buying a house with solar panels installed by A Shade Greener in 2012 and my mortgage lender ( major high street bank ) has rejected to lend on the house due to the lease not meeting CML conditions.

The sellers solicitor now has to have the lease changed to meet the CML guidelines before the property is mortgageable, This has been a nightmare as the property is empty and were not in a chain and was supposed to be a quick sale ( now 3 months on ).

The sellers are elderly and i think they have not understood to what they have signed up to and have just thought of getting free energy and cheaper bills.

Im now seriously considering pulling out of the sale as there maybe serious problems in the future for remortgaging or selling the property.:mad:

Has anybody else had a similar problem ?

Hi,

There should be no issue at all with obtaining a mortgage due to the lease, it has been designed to cater for the needs of the mortgage providers and contains within it assurances specific to them.

If your solicitor has informed you that the Halifax have rejected your application due to our lease s/he needs to revisit them and get the correct information as we obtain consents back from the Halifax daily.

Also, our lease is fully compliment with the guidelines established by the CML.

It is very important that this issue is resolved so please can you contact us on 0845 301 2342 or email us on csd@ashadegreener.co.uk urgently.

Please also request that the current home owners contact us, we do not want them to be left high and dry by what seems to be a misunderstanding.

Martyn1981

Ashadegreener_representative wrote: »

Hi,

Also, our lease is fully compliment with the guidelines established by the CML.

Dear ASG rep. Apologies for the pedantry, and a potentially petty practical point (no, I'm not taking the pee(s) ) - but I assume you mean compliant, and that does have a slightly different and more significant meaning than compliment.

Mart.

foster777

Ashadegreener_representative wrote: »

Hi,

There should be no issue at all with obtaining a mortgage due to the lease, it has been designed to cater for the needs of the mortgage providers and contains within it assurances specific to them.

If your solicitor has informed you that the Halifax have rejected your application due to our lease s/he needs to revisit them and get the correct information as we obtain consents back from the Halifax daily.

Also, our lease is fully compliment with the guidelines established by the CML.

It is very important that this issue is resolved so please can you contact us on 0845 301 2342 or email us on [EMAIL="csd@ashadegreener.co.uk"]csd@ashadegreener.co.uk[/EMAIL] urgently.

Please also request that the current home owners contact us, we do not want them to be left high and dry by what seems to be a misunderstanding.

After this reply i did contact ASG and they told me that the lease was being amended and were waiting for power of attorney documents to be forwarded to complete the change of the deed, Now 4 weeks on and still not completed, Ive spent 6 months now trying to buy this house (no chain either side) and still stuck on the same level i was back in janruary. My solicitors have received nothing back from the sellers solicitors (Lowick Mckay) in accordance to the solar panel lease of variation after chasing and chasing.

Good news though seen another house today i like with no 25 year solar panel lease and no chain :j

T4i

Hi all.

We have had a recent site survey done on our new build domestic property. To ensure we are covered completely we have contacted our mortgage provider and they have told us they issue approvals on a 'case by case basis'.

Our mortgage provider has requested us to provide them with details about what A Shade Greener are planning on doing as it could affect the security of our/their house.

We have instructed our mortgage provider that ASG will provide us with a mortgage guarantee letter. This fell on death ears unfortunately.

Has anyone else had this? Seems like a massive grey area between government backed schemes and mortgage providers.

Our mortgage provider even went as far as saying they 'might' not be able to give us the best future rates because of solar panels.

Seems silly that there are people/companies out there trying to provide a solution to a real problem and we are both penalised by the money grabbing industry.

Any advice?

zeupater

T4i wrote: »

.... Seems like a massive grey area between government backed schemes and mortgage providers ....

Hi

The issue is that it's the FiT scheme which is government backed, as such ASG are simply operating their business within the terms of the scheme to make a profit. The mortgage providers are also businesses and obviously have concerns that the terms & conditions set by a number of RaR scheme operators could have a negative impact on the property value which they are lending money against.

Think of it this way ... If you are borrowing 90% of the property value and default on the mortgage repayments then the lender would be able to repossess, sell and still cover all costs .... however, if there's a charge (/contract) against the property which could in someway prevent the lender from taking full possession or could lower the saleable value then they would need to take a close look at the contract and maybe take steps to protect their investment ....

HTH
Z

Cardew

T4i wrote: »

Seems silly that there are people/companies out there trying to provide a solution to a real problem and we are both penalised by the money grabbing industry.

Any advice?

Who do you consider the money grabbing industry, companies like ASG pocketing many millions of subsidies - that is paid for by all other electricity customers; or the mortgage lenders.


As said above some people consider that 'Rent a Roof'(RaR) solar panels have a detrimental effect on a property value and you cannot blame mortgage companies from protecting their investment.


If you read the many posts in the Green and Ethical section you will see that your likely savings from RaR panels are in the region of £100 to £150 pa.


With the price of panels having dropped,(under £5k for the largest system) have you not considered buying a PV system yourself and pocketing all the subsidies?