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

KevinG

slammeddeluxe wrote: »

Does anyone know if I leave and they owe me money - do they have to pay this ??

Of course they have to pay. How long it will take you to get the money out of them is another matter.

jimmyboy420

If anyone can recommend how to leave SSE for FIT, I would appreciate it.

Also, any recommendation on who to go with instead...?

Cheers,

James

kevin6666

jimmyboy420 wrote: »

If anyone can recommend how to leave SSE for FIT, I would appreciate it.

Also, any recommendation on who to go with instead...?

Cheers,

James

To join another of the big 6 for FIT you'd need to join them as your supplier as well unless you're currently with one of the smaller suppliers.


If you do need to change supplier do that first then give their FIT Team a bell who should drive the process.


My advice would be just to sit it out with SSE as changing FIT provider can be...time consuming. Presumably they'll get their systems together sooner or later.

zeupater

Hi

I'd be tempted to give them a bell and ask them to confirm, in writing, what the delay is and what their recovery action plan and timescales are. As it stands they are almost certainly in breach of a number of Ofgem requirements on a mandatory FiT licensee, which would obviously include fair processing & payment. I would suppose that, given the right incentive, Ofgem would come to realise that they actually have existing powers to ensure that SSE review the urgency attributed to the required corrective actions - for example ( https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/85460/fitsupplierguidanceversion6.0final1.pdf ) ......

A3.8. When providing information to a FIT Generator (whether in writing, by electronic display or orally) in relation to the FIT Scheme, the Mandatory FIT Licensee shall take all reasonable steps to ensure it:

Is complete and accurate

Is capable of being easily understood by the FIT Generator

Does not mislead the FIT Generator, and

Is otherwise fair, transparent, appropriate and delivered in a professional manner both in terms of content and in terms of how it is presented (with more important information being given appropriate prominence).

.... obviously, you would need to consider whether you believe that what you have been told to date meets the above criteria ...

HTH
Z

gerry227

I know it's not quite the theme of this forum, but can anyone give me an idea of what happens to your electricity bill when you generate more than you use? In other words how do the power companies react when for half of the year your meter is running backwards? We live in a small two bedroomed house and between March and September last year our meter showed that we had in effect used no electricity! I must admit we did massage our figures a bit for the sake of the readings and in the winter months things restored themselves. When we had our solar panels installed, someone told us that if the meter was running backwards the power company would want to install a smart meter. Is there any truth in this? Any advice welcome!

jimmyboy420

Yes there is truth to that. Your meter should not be running backwards. You should definitely contact them.

Modern meters do not go backwards when electricity is being exported.

How do you mean you "massaged the figures for the sake of the readings"?

jimmyboy420

SSE sent an email asking us to submit readings on their old system, as it was taking a while to get their new system sorted out...

!!!! up/brewery rings a bell!

orrery

gerry227 wrote: »

In other words how do the power companies react when for half of the year your meter is running backwards?

When alarm bells do eventually ring, they are likely to 'estimate' your real usage and bill you for that - the longer you allow this to go on for the bigger the bill you are likely to get.

KevinG

gerry227 wrote: »

When we had our solar panels installed, someone told us that if the meter was running backwards the power company would want to install a smart meter. Is there any truth in this? Any advice welcome!

Did your FiT application form not have a box to tick to say your meter ran backwards? Mine did (both of them), not that they took any notice of it. It has nothing to do with smart meters.

bookkeeper2

Well, I emailed FIT application to SSE on 4 Sept 2014 and received confirmation on 10 Sept 2014. On 24 Jan 2015 I received a 'missing information' letter. There was no missing info as I had put my address as per the correct postal address with Royal Mail but because SSE have the address with the additional line Ground Floor Left it was rejected because I omitted it. Could understand if it was a flat but it is a cottage! I returned the form on 24 Jan 2015 with a letter! On 13 Feb I phoned Cardiff office and was told they have a backlog - however was advices they would process my application 'as a priority'. Still nothing! I phoned again on 24 Feb and was told the contract would be with me shortly. This is now 3 March and still nothing. This is 6 months and I haven't even received the contract to sign so goodness knows when I will get any money from them. Can somebody please tell me who I can contact to push this along as I was told I would receive the contract within 12 weeks of them receiving the application?