Discuss the free solar panel company: A Shade Greener
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We had an ASG surveyor a couple of weeks ago - who confirmed (as I knew already) that the roof was suitable - and said the next move would be a visit from a rep to explain the process and answer questions on the 25 year agreement. So far so good (though I am looking at other options and firms too).
Last weekend they rang to confirm roof is ok, and to ask for dates for the installation!! Which was rather premature and presumptive of them. When I pointed this out they said a man would come for 'signing the agreement' later - but they'd like to set the install date asap.
I said no, I needed much more info - and they promised to ring during the week 'to answer my questions'. This seemed to be the only further info/customer care option they offered - and it won't be enough as what I want, at this stage, is a full copy of the proposed agreement up-front, followed by a face-to-face with the rep to discuss it and then a week or two to review it. Then and only then will I discuss install dates if I want to go ahead. I'll be telling them that when they ring (their weekend caller wasn't interested in what my queries actually were).
Their call was arranged for today - and they didn't ring.
So, what with that and the insistence on an install date before any agreement has even been discussed, I see no sign yet of the excellent customer service promised by the ASG rep who posts here.0 -
Do people have specs on the length and width of solar panels? (so I can know how many will fit my roof).0
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MSE_Andrea wrote: »Hi
Ashadegreener has asked us to post a response to some questions. MSE doesn't endorse anything a company says on the forum,
Loft conversions are NOT barred under our agreement. We have already had one customer who had a loft conversion with our system in place – we simply removed the entire system to allow for the conversion then re-installed it free of charge, as per the terms of our lease. There is no bar to conversion, renovation or extension. As regards shading, if a neighbour’s tree does eventually cause shading then it is ASG that is responsible for removing the system at no cost to the homeowner.
Even the EST admit that their figures are based on estimates, it is also based on a smaller system than the one we install. What we have is concrete feedback from many customers who have had our system for over 12 months now and all of the feedback contradicts those figures. From the feedback we are getting, the savings appear to be between 30%-60%. However, it is accepted that if customers who are out all day and who make no concerted effort to use the daytime electricity provided by the solar PV then the savings are, of course, likely to be minimal, and that wouldn’t surprise anyone.
ASG agrees with this, but the problem faced by many people is that there are no finance companies willing to lend in respect of solar pv and maybe the MSE journalists should be lobbying them to do so.
ASG are incorrect there are finance opportunities "My Planet" are a Solar PV installation specialist who do finance packages cheaper than most high street banks (i know i have looked!) and they were honest about the returns unlike some companies (local boys)....0 -
HiASG are incorrect there are finance opportunities "My Planet" are a Solar PV installation specialist who do finance packages cheaper than most high street banks (i know i have looked!) and they were honest about the returns unlike some companies (local boys)....
Welcome to the forum ....
To be fair, the post referenced was made well over 2 years ago so maybe it's just a case of a change in the availability of specialised credit facilities between then & now.
HTH
Z"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle
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We applied for free solar panels with ASG at the end of November. The survey was done on 4th October and the panels were up and running by 29th October.
Everything was very smooth with the only delay in the scaffolding being taken down after the install but to be fair they had a breakdown of the lorry on the day they were first due to take it down, so it was 12 days after the install before it came down.
The survey identified a tree shading the house to the south east which was in our neighbours garden. This was no surprise as this was a mountain ash that over recent years had gone crazy and was shading our garden quite a bit. Thankfully as it wasn't planted by our neighbours but had sprung up presumably from seed carried by birds our neighbours wanted rid of it anyway and had it chopped down.
The install was conditional on that so I was very fortunate our neighbours desire to get rid of the tree coincided with our application.
Once you are a customer you get a log on from ASG to their web site and you can monitor the output of your panels. So far we have generated 76kWh of electricity (and saving 32.68 kg of Co2) but as ASG make clear the daily amount varies quite a bit. The breakdown for the last week shows figures of (in KwH) 1, 10, 1, 8, 9, 1, and 11.
You can see from those figures when it was a dull day in Chester!
The highest amount generated so far on one day as been 12kWh.
I work at home two days a week and we are a family with lots of gadgets to charge so along with changing our habits such as putting the dishwasher on in the day I am hoping for a saving toward the higher end of the estimates.
Even when the system is generating a small amount of power it will all help as according to the energy monitor I had previously we were always drawing around 0.4kWh from the grid and even this mounts up.
Our house is a four bedroom detached house and the entire rear roof area is now covered in panels so quite a large system was installed.
I am with EON on a fixed rate tariff and they have some useful tools on their web site to allow you to compare your useage with the same month in previous years so I will be able to get a good idea of the savings we achieve going forward. We compare badly to typical EON customers electricity usage due in part to kids who seem impossible to educate about turning things off so I hope our weekend consumption from the grid drops off as well!0 -
I applied for panels from ASG way back in 2008. I got to the stage where the surveyor had been out to check siting for scaffolding, popped his head up into the loft etc. All was going to plan until I had to cancel the install as I was diagnosed as needing heart surgery. I needed the time to get over the surgery and wanted to concentrate on getting better.
About a year later I reapplied and, for some peculiar reason I now had "potential shading issues" and was therefore deemed unsuitable. I contacted customer services and informed them of my previous application progress and confirmed that there were no shading issues. They were very polite but never got back to me. I've applied a couple of times since and it's the same story.
This may just be the case with one part of the company but it does lead me to have concerns as to whether such lethargy will sneak into other parts of the company, which wouldn't be an ideal situation if, for instance, my roof developed an issue related to the installation of their panels.0 -
This may just be the case with one part of the company but it does lead me to have concerns as to whether such lethargy will sneak into other parts of the company, which wouldn't be an ideal situation if, for instance, my roof developed an issue related to the installation of their panels.
If that were to be the case, you hold the 'Aces'. Just unplug the inverter!0 -
Last weekend they rang to confirm roof is ok, and to ask for dates for the installation!! Which was rather premature and presumptive of them. When I pointed this out they said a man would come for 'signing the agreement' later - but they'd like to set the install date asap.
This is what happened with me as well but when the chap came out with the paperwork I was offered (without asking) the chance to set a later date for installation if I wanted more time to think about it. There was no pressure either way.
As with all companies this may depend on who you speak to. As I mentioned my house had shading when the surveyor visited but ASG's response was "OK if you deal with the shading" not immediate refusal as seems to have happened to others.
Once I informed them that the tree had gone everything went ahead. The chap who came with the agreement didn't even check if the tree had gone.0 -
My friend gave his details to ASG over a month ago.Heard nothing.They seem to have gone quiet on this thread aswell0
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Yup think this is another dead one0
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