Solar panels as a tenant

carnation86

My landlord has rung me and said she wants to put solar panels in using one of the free schemes. My electricity bill is already very low (under £15/month) and I'm worried this will actually end up costing me more, but I'm having trouble finding out exactly how things work as far as tariffs, inverters, etc.

Someone is coming on Friday to do a survey and she implied that I would have the final decision, but I would need to decide right then. Could anyone outline whether this would actually be a good step for me? It seems like a no-brainer that it would be, but having read about running an inverter 24/7 has got me a bit worried that I'll have to end up using (and paying for) more electric than I already do.

Thanks very much!

G_M

You do NOT have to decide right then- this is a marketing ploy.

Do not sign anything till you fully understand, and have considered, and satisfiedyourself.

If in doubt, either say "no", or "I will think about it and let you know".

Anyone who does not accept this is a cowboy.
(Ignore the "We have a special offer today because blah blah, so if you sign up now blah blah, but tomorrow the offer will be over because it is so popular blah blah"!)

The LL can only arrange works (eg installing solar panels) with your consent. You have a right to 'quiet enyoyment' of your home. So if you do not want workmen waking you up, banging around on the roof, coming inside etc, WRITE to your LL (yes, a letter to the address "for the serving of notices") and say so.... politely!).

As for whether it will benefit you. Well, ask probing questions of the salesman about how it works, what costs you'll have if any, and what benefits.

Then write to the LL and ask the same Qs!

carnation86

I strongly suspect my landlady is just seeing ££s here for themselves. They (it's a husband and wife) aren't very savvy and I'd be shocked if they actually knew anything about what they were actually doing with this. She's just told me that it would make my electric bill cheaper (no way would she ever reduce rent).

I've read on here that it can be a high-pressure sales situation so I'm a bit wary of asking the surveyor questions and getting honest answers. Would calling my current provider (nPower) be a likely source of accurate and honest information about whether it would save me money, or are they quite separate from the solar panel thing?

Writing my landlady to ask questions would just win me a visit by a confused landlady wanting to know the problem and then not understanding when I explained. They're definitely not up on what being a landlord entails but I'm only here for another year so I'm just putting up with them until I'm gone, but I know I can't rely on them for information about this.

G_M

Then:

* either just cancel the appointment and write a friendly polite letter to LL saying you are happy with your current electricity contract and do not want the disruption of installation.

* or let the salesman come but keep saying to yourself "I will not decide today - I will not sign anything. I will not decide today - I will not sign anything. I will not decide today - I will not sign anything. I will not decide today - I will not sign anything. I will not decide today - I will not sign anything."

When he finishes, thank him, ask for confirmationof all his figures (savings, costs, etc) in writing (either then or in thepost) and say :
" I can't decide today as I have todiscuss with my ... partner/brother/solicitor/mum/whoever - I will get back to you."

edit: I doubt nPower will either be able, or want, to help.

vectistim

Firstly, as the tenant you won't be signing the contract for the installation - after all you don't have the right to sub-let the roof for the next 25 years.

With the free schemes generally the only benefit is the reduced electricity usage. If you are in during the day (or can set everything, eg: washing machines, to run when sunny) then you will get the maximum benefit. With the free schemes the subsidy payments are generally kept by the installation company, so if the landlord is going for a free scheme they won't really get any benefit.

(As an aside the subsidy for PV systems is paid for by a charge on energy bills, not taxation.)

agrinnall

How is it possible for your electricity to only be £15 a month? That seems unfeasibly low. I would be concerned that there is an issue with the current billing and you will end up with a big bill to pay in one go at some point.

carnation86

It has been ~£15/month for the last 5 years in 2 different homes, so I can assure you that it's not some sort of error. I'm extremely careful about what I have on/leave on. The only thing that remains always-on is the fridge and boiler for hot water, which use practically no energy at all. Throughout the day, at most I'll use the toaster once, my laptop charger on and off, and the oven for 20 minutes. I have a washer and tumble dryer that I use 2-3 times per week.

jackieblack

vectistim wrote: »

Firstly, as the tenant you won't be signing the contract for the installation - after all you don't have the right to sub-let the roof for the next 25 years.

With the free schemes generally the only benefit is the reduced electricity usage. If you are in during the day (or can set everything, eg: washing machines, to run when sunny) then you will get the maximum benefit. With the free schemes the subsidy payments are generally kept by the installation company, so if the landlord is going for a free scheme they won't really get any benefit.

(As an aside the subsidy for PV systems is paid for by a charge on energy bills, not taxation.)

This is exactly what I was going to say

chanz4

So your landlady is using your status e.g single income or benefits to obtain solar . Also don't forget if you do have it your supplier has to have your meter changed

carnation86

Lone parent on income support, so I guess that's what she's using to qualify? I'm not sure exactly-- she didn't say very much, just asked if it was okay that she had them put in and said a surveyor was coming.

I had brand-new meters put in last year for gas and electric as the house was on pay-as-you-go meters when I moved in. Would they still need changing even if they're new? Would I have to pay out-of-pocket for it?

WestonDave

This doesn't make any sense.

There are solar schemes whereby the supplier puts the panels on the roof, takes the Feed in Tariff payments for the energy generated and the householder gets free electricity from the energy generated.

In this instance you will barely benefit on that level of electricity bill although to be fair they will cover the base load for the fridge etc for most of the day even in cloudy conditions. (Be careful - your comment about the boiler not using much electricity isn't right - any form of heater uses a lot of electricity per hour used - make sure your meter readings are up to date and accurate on bills or you may be in for a shock on the final bill).

There is no obvious gain for the landlady - she won't get any Feed in Tariff money as that will go to the free panel supplier, and she won't save any money on bills as she doesn't live in the house - although I suppose it might make it more rentable if future tenants think it has cheap bills. What she might find is a leased roof scheme (which this sounds like) could make it harder to sell the house as people are wary of the solar panel co having the right to have the panels on the roof for 25 years.

The inverter doesn't take any noticeable energy to run - most of them only run when the panels are live so it will come from the free energy. There isn't really any downside to you, but it sounds like the landlady is expecting to make money she is unlikely to.