Reply to: "Free" Solar Panels

[SimonMac]

And I have solar panels

(Kinda)

[d000hg]

Being installed on the 10th Feb

Do report back.

[SimonMac]

Being installed on the 10th Feb

[Mykel]

Hi,

I work for A Shade Greener and have just come across this thread. I am not here to advertise ASG, I am only here to clarify a few things for everyone.

Personally I would not let a 3rd party place equipment on my roof that they own.

It just doesn't feel right to me.

I'd own them happily enough.

How do you know that they haven't got a little sneaky clause in the contract which allows them to place other things onto the roof, such as a 4G mast?!

We don't have any such clause. The lease is available upon request if you contact our office. We encourage our customers to seek independent legal advise if they are unsure on the clauses of the lease as this will allay all fears anyone may have and confirm that there is nothing hidden within.

Lifespan is alleged to be 25 years.

I wonder if that includes cleaning the birdtulipe off every now & again.

The life of the panels is considerably longer than 25 years, this is just the length of our interest in the panels. After 25 years the homeowner can elect to keep the panels or we will remove them. The system is self-cleaning, any muck or grime will come right off with a bit of rain.

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.

We are only paid an assumed amount on what is exported. If our customers used all or none of the free electricity we would not get paid any different.

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.

We are not de facto or de jure owners of the roof, the homeowner is. The phrase 'rent-a-roof' is common for companies that offer free solar panels but this is a misnomer, our lease is for the airspace above the property and not the roof itself. I am uncertain if this is the same for other companies.

Very sneaky.


Do these things come with any buy-out clause?

We do not have a buyout clause.

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!

Last year there were some reports of people struggling to get mortgages on properties with 'rent-a-roof' panels though this was largely sensationalised by the media. Those that did experience a genuine problem will have done so due to the terms of the lease that the company used. We have worked hard to ensure our lease causes no issues when homeowners come to sell their property. Our lease adheres to the guidelines established by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and our in-house solicitor was consulted by the CML when they were drawing up the guidelines.

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.

Our lease allows customers to have the entire system removed from the roof twice in 25 years completely free of charge. No homeowner should need to have their roof repaired more than twice during this period, especially as the panels offer a degree of protection to the roof underneath.

[tomtomagain]

It's called "reading"

I've read and written many a contract. That doesn't mean I can understand all the fine print. Plus a lot of it is still "open to interpretation". You mis-read it as X and I wrote it as Y.

But my main point is : I wouldn't trust any 3rd party to own something on the roof above my head.

I'm sure it is fine .... but I personally wouldn't do it.

[Old Hack]

It seemed to be written into the contract that over the 25 years they would "at least twice" come and take them off and re-fit, for free... their example was if you did a loft conversion.

But you're happy with them placing equipment under your property which is much harder to access... you do realise the mains water, sewage, gas and electricity lines don't belong to you? And quite often, other peoples' pass under your property too; this is perfectly normal.

As for OH, go back to your imaginary farm.

Still ignoring me jesuit boy

Move into the Farm at the end of August thanks. Thanks for the concern

You know no bounds of irony you know - Imaginary. Very drole, very, very drole.

[d000hg]

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.

It seemed to be written into the contract that over the 25 years they would "at least twice" come and take them off and re-fit, for free... their example was if you did a loft conversion.

Personally I would not let a 3rd party place equipment on my roof that they own.

But you're happy with them placing equipment under your property which is much harder to access... you do realise the mains water, sewage, gas and electricity lines don't belong to you? And quite often, other peoples' pass under your property too; this is perfectly normal.

As for OH, go back to your imaginary farm.

[DimPrawn]

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....

WOHS

Buy the panels, get the free leccy, make an income on selling what you don't use, refuel your electric car for nowt.

[doodab]

It's called "reading"

Away with your witchcraft!

[TheFaQQer]

How do you know that they haven't got a little sneaky clause in the contract which allows them to place other things onto the roof, such as a 4G mast?!

It's called "reading"

[Old Hack]

also good if you have an electric car...free fuel

There's that too!

[Alias]

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....

also good if you have an electric car...free fuel

[tomtomagain]

Personally I would not let a 3rd party place equipment on my roof that they own.

It just doesn't feel right to me.

I'd own them happily enough.

How do you know that they haven't got a little sneaky clause in the contract which allows them to place other things onto the roof, such as a 4G mast?!

[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....

[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.