Cost of a 4kw solar system

[Worcester]

Solar panel installers are quite lucky in that to claim Feed In Tariffs a customer needs to have proof that they have paid in full for the PV system so they're usually very keen to pay asap.

Not quite the case, the person applying for the FiT has to show 'proof of ownership' - the original purchase contract is actually sufficient for that, whether they've paid in full for it or not.

@puddy - To be MCS certified and to deal with consumers, you have to be a member or RECC (nee REAL), one of the RECC conditions of membership is that you MUST issue deposit and workmanship insurance (this only came into force approx April 2012 before that it wasn't compulsory)

Their are lots of deposit and workmanship insurance (DAWI) schemes available for installers, - we use EcoSure after researching about half a dozen, we found that it fitted our and our clients needs best.

I thought the deposits were locked into a third party account until customer gives permission to release money ?????

They should be and most of the contracts I have seen do as well, they have a clause that specifically includes that permission (after the 7 day [working NOT calendar] cooling off period has elapsed.

 

[SolarCity]

Not quite the case, the person applying for the FiT has to show 'proof of ownership' - the original purchase contract is actually sufficient for that, whether they've paid in full for it or not.

That's not the experience we have had. Most FITs providers have asked us for a PAID IN FULL invoice to be issued.

And British Gas have just moved the goal posts again. They truly are an absolutely shocking outfit.

 

[Worcester]

Ownership checks
4.11. FIT Licensees are also responsible for establishing that a FIT applicant is the owner of the Eligible Installation. FIT Licensees are required to obtain documented evidence that shows the relationship between the owner and the Eligible Installation such as:

• a receipt or other documentation stating ownership, or the transfer of ownership from the previously stated owner (invoices may be accepted if the values are redacted to protect commercial interest)
• a copy of the sale and purchase agreement transferring ownership from one party to another as part of a property sale, or equivalent documentation.

As such we've also had customers use the "Contractors Signed commissioning Certificate", and this also has been accepted as proof of ownership

 

[The Solar King]

This thread just goes to show the value of this forum. Off to change our T&Cs in the morning.

Thanks to all the businesses who have contributed to this. Most of it should have been in the Sun Lounge.

 

[SRE]

No, small businesses like ourselves who understand the value of good workmanship and the importance of cashflow. I don't deal with anyone who does 30 day payment terms, I suppose I'm lucky that I have the choice

 

[Gavin A]

That's not the experience we have had. Most FITs providers have asked us for a PAID IN FULL invoice to be issued.

And British Gas have just moved the goal posts again. They truly are an absolutely shocking outfit.

that's our experience as well, and I'm entirely happy with that process, so I'm not sure why Worcester would want to challenge it.

As far as I'm concerned, the customer in no way owns the system until they've paid for it, a contract merely indicates that they've signed an agreement that would give them ownership of the system upon receipt of full payment, it is not / should not be an acceptable form of proof of ownership in itself.

 

[bugsyuk]

That has been my experience as well, all energy companies want to see a paid in full invoice. We offer to register the fee in tariff for our customers, as the forms can be an absolute minefield for some people. British Gas are quite picky as well, some of them that I have spoke to there want to see a paid in full company stamp on the invoice. The trouble is you can show or tell these energy companies the terms and conditions that they set out but they never abide by them.

 

[Worcester]

@GavinA, I'll take the discussion to the Sun Lounge as there are a number of implications....

 

[shanky887614]

Surely you could add to your terms and conditions that you own the panels till they are paid in full. To add fuel to the fire you could claim the generated rate if they don't pay in full as you havent signed over the install

 

[jason121]

I have always assumed that if customer was refusing to pay and I was in the right, that RECC or MCS would step in and refuse to pay the FITS until dispute was over.

 

[Worcester]

@Jason121 neither are interested in your contractual disputes. MCS and RECC are very clear on their areas of remit.

 

[Engineer54]

So what is a ballpark figure for a 4KW system to be supplied and installed these day's?? No-one seems in the slightest bit interested, in answering the OP's initial query, it's not as if it's an official quote you're giving out.

 

[Gavin A]

Surely you could add to your terms and conditions that you own the panels till they are paid in full. To add fuel to the fire you could claim the generated rate if they don't pay in full as you havent signed over the install

no need, unless your contract says something particularly stupid this is already the case legally - ownership of goods doesn't transfer until payment is received to the value of the contract.

 

[Gavin A]

So what is a ballpark figure for a 4KW system to be supplied and installed these day's?? No-one seems in the slightest bit interested, in answering the OP's initial query, it's not as if it's an official quote you're giving out.

£6-6.5k would be a reasonable ball park for a quality installation direct from the installer at the mid to low end of the pricing levels - we've got a guide to our prices on our website for straight forward installations.

There are some firms doing installs for £5k, but almost without exception there's no scaffolding involved or other fall protection, the team are getting paid peanuts, and nobody involved really has a clue what they're doing. I've interviewed a fair few who've been working for these companies in recent months, and none of them really know anything about the technology once you scratch the surface.

On a single roof with no shading you might get lucky, but chances are you'll end up with 2,5mm cable, so almost certainty of over voltage cut out issues, especially if others on the street get solar installed, cracked roof tiles fixed with mastic and hidden under the panels, connection to shared RCD on the household consumer unit (likely to cause nuisance tripping, and may cause the RCD to stick if it's a cheap inverter that feeds in DC current) etc.

pay peanuts, get etc

 

[Pascaleto]

I didn't understand what will happened if the customer didn't pay a long time after installation work? And the supplier want his money after 30 days,, and the work is not payed from the client.
On how many of those clients will resist a small company?
I think the risk is in both directions !!!