Supply & Demand

[DomB]

Just wondering how people are finding the supply / demand for PV at the moment.

We're just being ground down by a potential customer who's managed to set two or three installers against each other by going back to each in turn saying 'such-and-such-a-company are doing it cheaper'. He even said yes to us last week but then went to tell the bad news to the other bidders and one of them cut his price there and then by 10%. Now the war has started all over

Is this an indication that there's more suppliers than customers - how are you guys who've been in the trade a while finding it?

Think I might start a website similar to CheckATrade but call it CheckACustomer.com

 

[SolarCity]

We had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago. We suggested to the customer that they should be very concerned if a contractor was suddenly going to cut his costs by such a margin - where has he identified savings that he previously hadn't?

We are also finding that customers have already had half a dozen visits by the time we come around. Last Friday, we followed up a quote that we submitted to a customer in mid January. He told us that he had received 8 quotes and was getting another two!!!! I fear that the market is getting swamped too quickly :-(

 

[sparky3366]

I have it on good authority that the government is starting a new initiative similar to the warm front scheme within the next 2 years...about £2 billion worth

 

[dansk]

Same at my end, there are more installers than customers - the big one for me is the killer question "so how many installations have you done" "are you a new company"

Its hard to lie, and the truth is my company is 7 years old, so im not new in business, but i am to PV - then its all downhill from there......

Its a double edged sword, we need the installs to build the portfolio, but when were up against more established boys its a difficult one to pull off.

 

[SolarCity]

Same at my end, there are more installers than customers - the big one for me is the killer question "so how many installations have you done" "are you a new company"

Its hard to lie, and the truth is my company is 7 years old, so im not new in business, but i am to PV - then its all downhill from there......

Its a double edged sword, we need the installs to build the portfolio, but when were up against more established boys its a difficult one to pull off.

Argh! We hate that. We have been NICEIC for 27 years and we are always asked that question. We never lie - we say that we've been going a matter of months. We try to go the extra mile to win customers over and honestly believe we're getting there.

 

[Markc]

Argh! We hate that. We have been NICEIC for 27 years and we are always asked that question. We never lie - we say that we've been going a matter of months. We try to go the extra mile to win customers over and honestly believe we're getting there.

Try telling them in kW's and see them pull a face. No I know it's difficult to win a client over when everyman and his dog has come into PV. My beef is with the big boys who just don't give a flying.......well you know where I'm going there! Honesty is the best policy and just keep plugging away. You have some very valuable assets which the big boys just can't match or beat.

 

[Markc]

I have it on good authority that the government is starting a new initiative similar to the warm front scheme within the next 2 years...about £2 billion worth

I have heard something similar. Along the lines of green loans.