Solar panels

[AtW]

Efficiencies of around 65% instead of the 35-40% you can get from the current generation.

How long can they last in real life conditions (not in labs)?

This stuff is just too new to be sure.

[threaded]

I have a black wide hosepipe that winds back and forth across one of the barn roofs to warm the swimming pool. I have a little control system I built that detects when the water in the pipe is warmer than the pool and starts a pump up. Works really very well.

Don't think it cost me anywhere near 15k.

Which is nice.

[centurian]

thanks mf. Well the figure's in that ballpark, but I've persuaded her to cancal the cheque and send cancellation Recorded delivery to the company. Shysters.

You might not want to hear this, but....

The bank will allow you to stop the cheque, but I believe the law was changed recently so that if you write out a cheque and hand it over to someone, they can effectively treat it as cash being handed over to them... i.e you can't change your mind about the payment.

So if you stop a cheque, they can sue you for the money and it is an open-and-shut case in court for them - and this takes precedence over any other claim.

You then have to sue them to get the money back if you have a dispute

Given the amount of money, it might be worth a few pounds speaking to a lawyer, who can confirm my understanding.

[Ruprect]

You might not want to hear this, but....

The bank will allow you to stop the cheque, but I believe the law was changed recently so that if you write out a cheque and hand it over to someone, they can effectively treat it as cash being handed over to them... i.e you can't change your mind about the payment.

So if you stop a cheque, they can sue you for the money and it is an open-and-shut case in court for them - and this takes precedence over any other claim.

You then have to sue them to get the money back if you have a dispute

Given the amount of money, it might be worth a few pounds speaking to a lawyer, who can confirm my understanding.

thanks for the info, the deposit was for about 400 so even if she loses that she'll be better off than proceeding I think.

[centurian]

thanks for the info, the deposit was for about 400 so even if she loses that she'll be better off than proceeding I think.

Ah, that's not so bad then. They might not bother with legal action for that amount, whereas they probably would if it was for a much bigger chunk of the 15K

[al_cam]

It's not quite that simple - is it photovoltaic or thermal panels, what sizes have been specified, how complex is the install and where does your mother live - it all affects price.

Anyway, my personal opinion is that photovoltaic is a waste of money almost anywhere in the UK and that assuming your mother is alone, thermal would never make sense. On top of that, if she is elderly, she will likely never see a payback so has been fleeced.

I say fight the b*stards to prevent others suffering the same fate.
Also - name and shame.

Al.

[Stan.goodvibes]

Don't think it cost me anywhere near 15k.

Which is nice.

I was rummaging around the loft the other day and found the original copy of the Bible.

Which is nice.

I had solar panels which I sold a year or so ago. The price has dropped markedly in the last couple of years so if you buy from the US off the web you can get to down to around US$3000/kW. Basically the Chinese have created some huge factories and are churning them out now.

Of course you then need a controller and a grid-tie inverter, but you can get both those for about US$2K.

Check out http://www.affordable-solar.com/solar.panels.htm if you want to make a comparison with what you can buy direct and what the shuckster is trying to gouge your mum for...