New user of PV and FITs - help

SeaMonster

Hope you can help me get up to speed quickly, my only experience of PV panels is on my sailing boat.
I'm helping my mum out with her household affairs since her husband passed away.
There's a PV array on the roof, installed 2014 and paid for £6300 in full, I believe. They've been receiving a FIT from EDF, and I understand we just have to prove 'transfer of ownership' of the panels with the house in order for this to continue in my mums name and into her account.

The installation paperwork is from Zenith Staybrite Solar and there was an annual 'care free service plan' in place taking £90 by direct debit every year.
I was looking to renew this, but discovered they have gone into liquidation :
Link to 'The Gazette' deleted because I'm a new user :it is notice 2860929 if you're interested. Published on 5 September 2017.

So I assume all bets are off for any warranty issues (should have been 10 years)

I'm wondering what others do with regard to solar panel insurance and welcome any advice.
Are they normally covered under buildings insurance, are there specialist building insurance companies for properties with PV's. If so what do they generally cover?
Is it worth insuring the PV installation separately anyway? How likely are the components to fail?
Has anyone had any dealings with Zenith Staybrite since their liquidation?
Were they a big player in this market?
Thanks in advance

Martyn1981

Hiya and welcome. All the best for your mum at this difficult time.

If you contact the Green Team at EDF, they should be able to deal with this for you. I've found them to be extremely helpful whenever I've spoken to them.

Best to ring them on 0800 404 9087 and have a chat.


A maintenance contract will really have to be up to you. I was offered one but decided not to bother as there is very little to go wrong. However, the inverter will fail eventually and this may cost about £1k (hopefully less) to replace at some point.

Insurance should be free, and covered as part of the buildings cover, since it is usually treated as part of the roof now, but obviously they need to be told, and the same when you change providers. But again, any concerns, just ring the insurer and tell them. I think most PV'ers found it to be free, but some were charged a small fee for amending the policy ... £15?

Let us know how you get on, and if you have any other questions?

mmmmikey

Hi - I moved to a house with solar panels last year and can confirm that the transfer of ownership process with EDF was very straightforward and the requirementfor evidence wasn't onerous. EDF very helpful on the phone, I expect you'll be pleasantly surprised when you call them. As far as insurance etc. is concerned I asked the same questions and in the end just told the buildings insurer and they were included, no extra cost. I decided against maintenance as there isn't much to go wrong, but being the cautious type I'm just putting the first few FIT payments into a savings account so I've got cash t pay for repairs if needed. All in all, I've been surprised at how hassle free they have been. Good luck with it all