"Free" Solar Panels

[DimPrawn]

Aha. So with #2 they own the panels? Is that just the way it works, or does the government say only the owner of the panels can get paid for providing to the grid? I quite like the approach and it sounds a clever business idea, as you say clearly #1 would make you more money otherwise there would be no profit in #2 - in return for stumping up the cost they collect the profit you would be making.

Yes, with option two, it costs you nothing up front, but the supplier/installer owns the lot. In return for using your roof space any leccy generated that you use is free to you. What you don't use automatically gets sold to the grid and the grid pays the company directly. The feed-in tariff is quite generous (as it's classed as renewable/zero carbon energy) and so the company makes a good return on their investment.

[Old Hack]

There are 2 elements to a 'free' solar install - The Feed In Tarif (FiT) and the generated electricity.

In these 'free' deals, you get to keep the electricity generated, they get to keep the FiT.

That's about it really.

[vetran]

Aha. So with #2 they own the panels? Is that just the way it works, or does the government say only the owner of the panels can get paid for providing to the grid? I quite like the approach and it sounds a clever business idea, as you say clearly #1 would make you more money otherwise there would be no profit in #2 - in return for stumping up the cost they collect the profit you would be making.

AIUI in
1. You get the reduced Feed In Tarriff (FIT) plus a per unit cost of the estimated 50% of generated electricity going to the Grid(when it generates more than they think you use). Plus you get free Electricity. You also pay out ~ £5-10K, you have to insure them, if they break you get to pay for maintenance.

2. You get free Electricity, the company gets the rest and has the right to use your roof. They pay insurance & maintenance.


If you are crafty you can use the spare electricity as well (dump to electric hot water heater or a rack of batteries) because its not Metered.

[DimPrawn]

There are 2 elements to a 'free' solar install - The Feed In Tarif (FiT) and the generated electricity.

In these 'free' deals, you get to keep the electricity generated, they get to keep the FiT.

That's about it really.

In a nutshell yep.

The only other thing to bare in mind is that you are entering a long term agreement to rent your roof space. When you sell the property the buyers must agree to take over the contract. If they don't you can't sell your house as the roof is now "owned" by the solar company.

The contract for sale needs to include the handover of the agreement to the new owners.

[vetran]

In a nutshell yep.

The only other thing to bare in mind is that you are entering a long term agreement to rent your roof space. When you sell the property the buyers must agree to take over the contract. If they don't you can't sell your house as the roof is now "owned" by the solar company.

The contract for sale needs to include the handover of the agreement to the new owners.

They say no:

A Shade Greener - Myths: Free Solar Panels - The Truth

[Old Hack]

In a nutshell yep.

The only other thing to bare in mind is that you are entering a long term agreement to rent your roof space. When you sell the property the buyers must agree to take over the contract. If they don't you can't sell your house as the roof is now "owned" by the solar company.

The contract for sale needs to include the handover of the agreement to the new owners.

It’s a bit of horlicks really, like the green Deal. Messed up thinking that allows people to do it.

The renewable energy initiatives are better, as they will give grants for Green energy items, e.g. up to £2,000 for a Biomass boiler, up to £600 for solar heating.

This way, you can actually see benefits quicker.

We bought a multipurpose controller/boiler, which cost £8k, but with Fits, at the time, of around 40p, it made huge sense to buy one, get a grant, and within 7-8 years, it’s paid for itself, and has a lifetime of 30 years, 25 of them with FiT’s.

If you look, you can reduce bills to almost zero, if you’re savvy, with a pay back of 12-13 years, so you should have 17 years of ‘free’ energy.

[d000hg]

If you are crafty you can use the spare electricity as well (dump to electric hot water heater or a rack of batteries) because its not Metered.

Very sneaky.


Do these things come with any buy-out clause?

[DimPrawn]

They say no:

A Shade Greener - Myths: Free Solar Panels - The Truth

That's in response to the thousands who haven't got a mortgage friendly agreement and are now going "oh tulip!" when they are selling their house.

It's a recent thing as people are becoming more aware of what they signed into....

Always read the smallprint!

[GettingBy]

Re: 'renting your roof' scheme, as you are entering into a long term agreement, you also would have to take into account the condition of your roof and the fact that it will require repairs/replacement over time.

If your roof starts leaking, it's not the panel companies' fault. You need to sort it.
But who pays to take the panels off - presumably you - so you need to factor that cost in as well.

[Old Hack]

Just pay the 8k for the panels in the first place and make your own money out of the deal.

FFS, we're contractors, 8K is less than a months money....