To all MCS PV Installers

[Markc]

Yesterday the boy bought the paper. A classy one as well.......The Star, Better third page in my opinion but I'm off track!

Few pages in double page spread "Advertisement"

FREE PV INSTALLATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the....***!! is this? How dare they start advertising free PV only four months into the industry really starting!

The thing is on their advert the householder stands to loose over £14K over 25years!

Surely this can't be sustained by the installers? How are they funding it? and what about misleading selling? Do the home owners really know what their missing out on?

Your thoughts are welcomed

 

[UNG]

It's a typical you have got to read the small print advert

As the company pays for it and installs it then they take all the money from any grants and the FITS money

The home owner gets a PV system at no cost

How sustainable it is remains to be seen or do they corner the market to themselves. If they have enough installs to do I would assume they will be buying in kit in bulk at lower cost therefore will see a return on capital outlay quicker

Not looked at all the aspects of the PV industry funding but it may become a growing trend that drives the small companies out

 

[edexlab]

I can see why they want to do this ,but do you really thinkits a realistic target (100,000 in 2 years?) using subcontractors ? they'll need a few teams !

also criteria is strict, Eaga only do due south orientation maybe 15-20 degrees either side
with the limited numbers of installers ,there may be opportunities to sub to these firms
but i'm sure they will train in house! ,personally i hope these big firms over stretch themselves.
lots of people will still want the tarriff themselves and will probably be ignored by the fatcats ,so perhaps there's still room for the little guys!​

 

[poheZ]

Only people you cant afford these systems will go for it because they will not get the cream.

This sort of scheme is now common place and will only help drive down the cost of pv parts, people dont realise that pv panels wont give you any where near enough power to run you home and most are at work during the day! So these schemes wont benefit the householder

 

[tumult]

Hi.

I'm not an MCS approved installer but would like some idea of your cost of install.
I intend to supply the required parts, but as you know I need a certificated installer to do the connection.

North Hampshire.

Please PM me if you are interested.

H.

 

[sparksflying]

Yesterday the boy bought the paper. A classy one as well.......The Star, Better third page in my opinion but I'm off track!

Few pages in double page spread "Advertisement"

FREE PV INSTALLATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the....***!! is this? How dare they start advertising free PV only four months into the industry really starting!

The thing is on their advert the householder stands to loose over £14K over 25years!

Surely this can't be sustained by the installers? How are they funding it? and what about misleading selling? Do the home owners really know what their missing out on?

Your thoughts are welcomed

I read about this the other week, basically the customer saves "£120.00 per year on the bills and the company keeps the £800.00 per year Government Grant. There is a lot more info on this at the link provided but it is not as straight forward as it sounds. see Free solar panels worth £12,000: Save £120/year on your electricity...

 

[Loyd]

Good guidance on these schemes here

Consumer guidance on free solar PV offers / Solar electricity / Generate your own energy / UK Home - Energy Saving Trust

from the Energy Savings Trust. Sadly this guide is buried away in the site and you have to be looking for it. Make sure that anyone considering these schemes reads this and asks the questions first.

Loyd

 

[Markc]

I kn ow the information is out there regarding qualification etc but the would be customer doesn't. All they see of FREE! I'm currently putting a article together for our web site to show what free is costing. Got to do my bit!

 

[Markc]

Hi.

I'm not an MCS approved installer but would like some idea of your cost of install.
I intend to supply the required parts, but as you know I need a certificated installer to do the connection.

North Hampshire.

Please PM me if you are interested.

H.

Hi

You need to be very careful doing this. It is more than just supplying a product and getting someone to sign it off or even install it for you. The MCS scheme is set up to prevent what you are trying to do and I assume that is saving the installers cost of materials. It takes a lot of time and financial commitment to achieve MCS.

With all due respect unless you follow the procedure it is unlikely it will obtain any FITs payments and so will not be of any financial benefit.

 

[shes-electric]

Yesterday the boy bought the paper. A classy one as well.......The Star, Better third page in my opinion but I'm off track!

Few pages in double page spread "Advertisement"

FREE PV INSTALLATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the....***!! is this? How dare they start advertising free PV only four months into the industry really starting!

The thing is on their advert the householder stands to loose over £14K over 25years!

Surely this can't be sustained by the installers? How are they funding it? and what about misleading selling? Do the home owners really know what their missing out on?

Your thoughts are welcomed

Hello All,

I am a qualified electrician who has recently been headhunted by one of these companies and wanted to make a few points.

Firstly no one is trying to rip the customer off this is a service to allow clients who cannot afford the initial outlay to benefit from solar installation. Yes it is true that most people are out during the day but what about the elderly or disabled who could benefit from this scheme using their electrical appliances during the day.

Second- These companies that offer free installation use mcs accredited local companies to install and pay their fees directly. Meaning that no-one loses out from new training and expensive outlay this is not about pushing the smaller companies out but enabling them to grow by helping clients unable to afford modern technology and paying for their installation.

Third- Yes the clients DO LOSE the F.I.T. but the installation has to be paid for and is also maintained and guaranteed for 25 years including any damage to the roof.

Fourth - No one knows what is going to happen to F.I.T there has been a lot of political see sawing on the subject and most people agree that the current buy back tariff cannot be maintained and will be reduced so that 14k figure is unrealistic.

See the following links:
Huhne takes action on solar farm threat: first review of Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) - Department of Energy and Climate Change

Fifth - All homes sold or rented now need an energy efficiency certificate so a lower rating may prove lucrative when renting or selling your home in future.

Obviously it would be far more beneficial for clients to be able to afford PV installation but for many this is not possible and this as an alternative option. I hope this clarifies everything and feel free to ask me any other questions about this scheme.

Lindsey

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Most of the 'Rent-a roof' companies like this are backed by forgein investment, and therefore helping syphon the UK grants out of the country. Countries such as India and a few of the Arab nations are investing heavily into companies mainly in the south east because of the high rate of return on their cash. These short minded people are basically being greedy and not looking after the longer term intrest of the industry. This is not what the FIT was for, and as usual the Government did not produce a tight enough set of rules thus allowing more loopholes than a swiss cheese for investers to sit back and milk the system.

 

[shes-electric]

Most of the 'Rent-a roof' companies like this are backed by forgein investment, and therefore helping syphon the UK grants out of the country. Countries such as India and a few of the Arab nations are investing heavily into companies mainly in the south east because of the high rate of return on their cash. These short minded people are basically being greedy and not looking after the longer term intrest of the industry. This is not what the FIT was for, and as usual the Government did not produce a tight enough set of rules thus allowing more loopholes than a swiss cheese for investers to sit back and milk the system.

Actually Graeme The company that approached me had investors from the Uk and 1 from Amsterdam I also find it interesting that Germany other European countries were quite quick to take up solar for the long term investment and energy effciency qualities. We here in the Uk were not at all interested untill we could benefit financially. Also in Africa and asia individuals have long been using the sun to produce electricity on a low budget scale. However I think that for the very reason your stating as I am aware these companies exist the goverment will lower the FIt tariffs but the solar panels will still be on the rent a roofs.

 

[Worcester]

The goverment only needs to ammend it's definitions as it just did with the banding to kill rent-a-roof by either combining the total or requiring the fit be paid to the building 'owner' (subject to mortgage) The latter approach would kill the rent-a-roof, but still allow property owners (incl HA's) to invest in multiple properties. Similar to the way the Green Loan scheme will be tied to the property.

I know of one company about the enter the market with DFS style financing, - that may be the independant installers biggest threat.

 

[MorganPVI]

Agree with MEP, plenty of our customers first got interested via renta roof, the sensible ones quickly work out its far better to invest in a system and reap the financial rewards, rather than providing an income to a random invester.

 

[daytona600]

roof leasing - huge profits and no cost to the house holder
several companies do this in the uk for over a year now in the uk
still better to fit your own , but man in the street loves " free "