Discuss the free solar panel company: EvoEnergy

laramax

Hi

Just thought you might be interested to know I used this company about a year ago to install panels on my roof and I was very impressed with them. It is now almost a year since they installed a 2.2 kW system on my South facing roof. It has generated more electricity than they predicted - they said 1800 kW, it has achieved just over 2,000 kW and I have also had a rebate from my electricity company of £150.

It works out as a return on my investment of about 9% which is tax free. I consider that to be pretty good as it miles better than I could get in a bank or building society, the FIT payments increase by RPI each year and the income is guaranteed for 25 years.

I didn't use the fitted free option but paid for them myself.

I am very pleased I had them installed and I would recommend Evoenergy, I chose them 'blind' having researched a number of companies but they did exactly what they said they would do, worked very efficiently with little mess and were very punctual. I did a full review of my system on Ciao if anyone cares to read it.

pontiff

I'm posting because I have had my 2.96kWp system installed by EvoEnergy for exactly one year. :beer:
Here are the stats.

2.96kWp 16 x Sanyo panels in West Yorkshire.

Generated a total of 2765kWh (well above EvoEnergy's estimate).
This earned around £1209 . This is approximate because I'm still trying to figure out when EDF switched from 41 to 43p per unit, but it will be pretty close.
I've saved about 22% off my leccy bill.
My payback time for the initial investment will be around 10.5 years.

The company was extremely professional from start to finish, ABSOLUTELY NO HARD SELL so I warmed to them immediately ( there are a LOT of cowboys out there). Very neat install ( 1 day) and all queries answered promptly by the company. My only regret is not getting a bigger system.

I'm happy to answer any questions if you pm me and I can provide you with links to my install and monthly generation figures. ( and if you let me send you their email they will give me £100 if you get a system! Well, I had to try :j).

One thing I would say, if you can afford to buy them outright then do so, but make sure you are up and running before April 2012 when the FIT tariff will drop for new installations. Leasing out your roof will save you around 20-25% off your bill but thats it. ( better than nothing though!)

Hope this helps.

Cardew

pontiff wrote: »

. Leasing out your roof will save you around 20-25% off your bill but thats it. ( better than nothing though!)

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your figures. However as discussed earlier in their case studies they use a figure of 50% and an unrealistic electricity price to inflate potential savings.

With respect, whilst you have saved 22% off your electricity bill, that applies to your consumption levels and pattern of use(in house all day or at work etc) and needs quantifying.

People have electricity consumption in their house ranging from say 2,000kWh to 20,000kWh pa for an all electric house. so to use a figure of 20% to 25% of those totals is meaningless.

For a 'rent a roof' customer, the important factor is monetary savings. The EST say typically £70 a year.

Just one further point on your payback of 10.5 years. It is pertinent to point out that to arrive at that figure you have to make predictions over the next 10.5 years of inflation rate, fuel inflation rate, interest rates and(presumably) make no allowance for any repairs/replacements?

I am not disputing your figure of 10.5 years but just pointing out that it is a prediction, not a given.

pontiff

Cardew,
I was under the impression the thread was to discuss our individual experiences of an EvoEnergy install, rather than debate every single figure claimed by the company (who's estimation for my annual generation was on the low side incidently).
They provided me with a personalised generation prediction which took into account where I live, orientation and angle of panels etc etc before I signed anything. But if you want more detail then here goes...

My normal annual usage for the last 4 years is around 3500kWh per annum. 4 bedroomed detached house. This is lower than the average for this type of property ( 2 adults + 2 children).
This year I used 2730kWh of electricity, around a 22% reduction in my normal usage.
If I was more careful about using the dishwasher , washing machine and dryer during sunny periods rather than the evening I could drastically increase this %, and I intend to do so!

A figure of 20-25% off your bill is an entirely reasonable, and possibly cautious figure for the average homeowner, with an average size house and average electricity usage. I would have hoped it was obvious I was talking about the average household as opposed to the relatively rare all electric house. Most households going for the "free" option do so because they can't afford to buy the panels, which puts them squarely in the average bracket.

With regards to the payback time, of course it's a prediction, nothing is certain in this world. The 10.5 years figure is based upon FIT earnings (at 43p per unit, this is linked to RPI which I haven't taken account of, so payback time may be less)), savings on the bill and one replacement of the inverter. A perfectly reasonable prediction, and as I am investing the earnings from the FIT, perhaps even too cautious.

Swansea-Jack

Hi Guys,

My first post on here :j

I've just had my Free Solar Site survey carried out by Evo and the chap was very polite and efficient.

I still have my doubts... is anything in this life really FREE! There must be a catch somewhere?

Is there any one on here that has had the FREE Solar install, i'd like to hear how you got on

fairshot

Evoenergy were very good to deal with and WERE going to send a surveyor last week (20 Oct 2011) but 'phoned to say that they no longer do free solar installations as some mortgagors dislike their lease. They said they'd be back in 6 months -I asked if the real reason was the review of feed-in tariffs and they said that had already been 'taken into account'. A question of wait and see!

Alice_Klarr

EvoEnergy has just installed a beautiful solar PV array on my tricky roof. My project number was 21-00509.

And, why was I so 'very impressed' by this company's service? Well, because everyone that I encountered, throughout the two month project, was customer-focussed. This contrasted starkly with the technology and/or profit foci of the other three companies that bid for the work.

Specifically, I was very impressed because:

• EvoEnergy sent an experienced engineer to survey our property, not an inexperienced salesman.
• The subsequent quotation paperwork was timely, believable and professionally-produced.
• The company followed-up its quotation, by telephone and email, giving the strong impression that it really cared about my custom.
• The pre-installation service, again by telephone and email, was polite, respectful and highly tolerant of my ignorance about solar technologies, as well as my concerns about investing such a large sum of money.
• The scaffolding, panel fitting and electrical installation teams were managed very effectively, off- and on-site.
• The post-installation paperwork was in place within three days of the installation's completion, allowing me to make my FiT application in good time.

After the Government's 12 December 2011 deadline, when the FiT rates will decline, I suspect that many lesser suppliers of solar PV systems will go into liquidation. Given the SUPERB service that I have received throughout my project, I will be VERY surprised if EvoEnergy isn't still trading in 25 years' time.

I have no doubt now, and I had plenty of doubts to begin with, that I have invested my mum's inheritance with EvoEnergy wisely. Well done! :T

JWWP

I had a 4kW system installed by EvoEnergy in early August. From my original request for a quote to the finished installation I found them to be professional and efficient, no hard sell and I would have no qualms about recommending them to anyone.

Apart from this the price was right, I could have had a similar system a little cheaper but I felt that EvoEnergy would be around in the future should I have any problems.

I researched this company on the net prior to using them and no one had a bad word to say about them.

d139

has anyone done any due diligence on the financial state of Evo energy? what will happen to them after December?

i am being asked for 50% upfront deposit by Evoenergy for a PV system to meet the new Dec 12 deadline. I would hate for it to disappear into a black hole.....

EvoEnergy_company_representative

I’d like to respond to the comment above on behalf of EvoEnergy. In normal circumstances we ask our customers for a 25% deposit, which is the amount recommended by the Renewable Energy Assurance Limited (REAL) Assurance Scheme.

However, these are exceptional times for the industry and with the feed-in tariff being reduced for systems installed after 12 December, solar panels are in big demand right now. To meet that demand, we’re having to make increased payments to our suppliers to secure the delivery of extra panels – which in turn means we need to ask our customers for a larger deposit up front.

Again, this is in line with the guidelines published by the REAL, which states that if we require further payment it must ‘only be used for work under the contract, for example for purchasing goods’. It goes on to specify that the deposit must not exceed 60%. You can download the guidelines from our website, at http://www.evoenergy.co.uk/about-us/accreditation/. It’s under section 6.3: Deposits and further advance payments.

As the CEO of EvoEnergy I’d like to confirm that we have a strong balance sheet and healthy financial status. I’d also like to thank forumites for their fantastic feedback on this site – customer service is a huge priority for us and it’s always great to hear from happy customers.

Many thanks,
Kevin Hard