Solar energy - Feed-in Tariff payment delays - your experiences?

battelaxe

Thanks for making that clear Martyn, I will battle on then. Today I will contact OFGEM and see if they are aware that they have opened the floodgates by acknowledging that the mail can sometimes be late.

KevinG

battelaxe wrote: »

I have just found out that my application sent by Special Delivery was a day late because of fog at Exeter airport.

How does this square with:

battelaxe wrote: »

Wooo Hoooo! Just spoke to my installation company and they have a recorded delivery receipt for the 1st March. YAY!

?
What did you mean by "recorded delivery receipt" - just that it had been sent, not received?

John_Pierpoint

battelaxe wrote: »

Thanks for making that clear Martyn, I will battle on then. Today I will contact OFGEM and see if they are aware that they have opened the floodgates by acknowledging that the mail can sometimes be late.

Do you have a recorded delivery signed timed and dated Saturday 03 March ?
[Because an act of God (fog) caused a 24 hour delay via Exeter? ]

John_Pierpoint

Hi Martyn1981,

I am confused: In the first two years of the FiT one could put panels on a corrugated iron shack.

It is possible that adding the extension PV panels would at last get the shack up to a "D" rating. The property cannot be given an Energy Performance Certificate until the extension panels have been fitted.
It might not be physically possible to evaluate the shack on the same day that the panels are switched on.
:eek:

Martyn1981

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Hi Martyn1981,

I am confused: In the first two years of the FiT one could put panels on a corrugated iron shack.

It is possible that adding the extension PV panels would at last get the shack up to a "D" rating. The property cannot be given an Energy Performance Certificate until the extension panels have been fitted.
It might not be physically possible to evaluate the shack on the same day that the panels are switched on.
:eek:

Hiya John. Bear with me as my broadband is dropping out faster than I can type.

See my earlier post top of this page regarding the definition(s) of eligibility date. In order to avoid getting the lowest tariff you have to have an EPC D or better on or before the eligibility date.

For a new system the eligibility date will be the date you apply for FITs, but for an extension it's classed as the commissioning date of the extension since (and this is the bit I don't agree with) the FITs application date is the original application date not the new (extension) application date, despite the statutory instrument stating that 'an extension must be treated as a separate eligible installation.'

Regarding a new install, you would still install the PV, then get an EPC, then if the EPC wasn't good enough, do the necessary works, before getting a new(er) EPC. Only after getting a D or better would you apply for FITs.

For an extension, you need to get an EPC D or better on or before the commissioning. In fact, you'd really want to achieve one, before committing to pay for the install in case you can't ever reach a D.

Hope this makes sense, but appreciate I'm throwing loads of stuff at you. It's been a fast learning curve this week.

So for your 'shack' example, I really don't see how it can be done. You could install the PV extension, but not commission it (have it tested and signed off), but then the installer can't issue a MCS certificate, so the EPC advisor can't include it, to get the EPC rating you need. Catch 22.

I suppose if you are that close to a D, the EPC advisor should be able to work out if it'll reach the D, then you'd commission it and do the EPC on the same day, and crucially print of the EPC certificate as well that day.

To make things even worse for me, the EPC was done the day before, floor plans, photos, inspection etc, but it was late, and they did the paperwork the next day. the lucky thing is that the commissioning of my install was delayed for one day, and I'm now (just) the proud owner of a replacement MCS certificate where the commissioning date matches the EPC date.

Yes...... it really is that stupid!

Edit: Note, anyone extending a system installed after the 1/4/12 will already have a valid EPC. Also if you've had one done in the last 10 years due to moving, curious, etc, then again you'd be safe, as long as it's a D (or better). But if you've never had one done, and are extending a pre April/12 install - then that's when things might get tricky.

Mart.

battelaxe

KevinG wrote: »

How does this square with:
?
What did you mean by "recorded delivery receipt" - just that it had been sent, not received?

Yes, I had the receipt that showed it was posted before the last collection on 1st March on guaranteed special delivery. I made the erroneous assumption, before checking the tracking that the Royal Mail was as good as it's word. In five years of running an online mail order business, I never had a Special Delivery go astray. When I checked the tracking, it turned out that it hadn't been signed for until 3rd March.

battelaxe

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Do you have a recorded delivery signed timed and dated Saturday 03 March ?
[Because an act of God (fog) caused a 24 hour delay via Exeter? ]

Yes, you are absolutely right. However another poor mug has told me that they have discovered the following

It is evident to me from the reply which I received from The Escalated Customer Resolution Team, dated 15th May 2012, that my FIT application did arrive at Exeter Airport in time for a guaranteed arrival of 1.00pm March 2nd 2012 as it reached the Exeter Mail Centre late on the morning on 2nd March 2012. The delay then took place not due to flight delays and weather as described in the reply letter but due to the fact that there was not a second despatch to the Exeter Delivery Office as the first despatch had been missed.

So the Royal Mail are telling porkies. One of my co-mugs is still pursuing Royal Mail, and has a fully loaded solicitor. I wish him luck for all of us, but I am still pursuing the option that OFGEM have introduced the concept of the acceptability of late applications. Let's hope that one of us wins before my blood pressure gives me a heart attack or stroke.

sly_dog_jonah

With the benefit of hindsight I think one of the lessons learned here is to pick a FiT supplier that accepts applications via email (scanned documents) so that you can call up to confirm receipt of the documents, particularly if a deadline for a given tariff rate is looming.

When my application was 'missing in action' EDF advised that I could email the scanned documents (I'd kept copies) to feedintariffs@edfenergy.com (although that was in October 2011 so I'd check with EDF whether that is still the case).

Note that email is just a backup to the postal application, I think the FiT supplier can insist on wanting to see the original documents.

jackieblack

It would seem E-On have finally got their act together after the debacle of the last few months

I phoned them on Monday morning to check that I was on 'the new system' and gave them my quarterly meter reading.
Money arrived in account this morning - just 4 days! :T
Can't grumble at that!

John_Pierpoint

I have sent off my second quarterly generation reading, as instructed by B.Gas.

This time they are asking for about 4 items that define my installation - presumably there has been fun-and-games with accounts that "own" multiple installations.

I was rushing to complete the email process, when one of those "We have loaded an urgent security update onto your system" messages from Microsoft popped up; shortly afterwards the PC closed itself down and restarted.

I've managed to send the reading twice.

Watch this space.