I have just been leafletted with a flyer promising the installation of 25m2 of solar panels on my roof for £500 against a normal price of £14,149.
It sounds to good to be true. Because I think it actually is.
With this deal, you don’t benefit from the feed in tariffs that could be as high as £1,100 per year, but you do get some amount of free electricity. The installers claim this will be about £175 per year – so a payback on your investment in under three years and then lower electricity bills for the next 22 after that.
You actually rent your roof out to the investor who takes all of the tariff and lets you keep the free electricity as your contribution.
Maybe it’s win, win and maybe I’m being cynical, but the Daily Mail ran an article last year about them being installed free. The £500 is obviously to pay commission to the ‘Surveyors‘ (or door to door sales people as they are really).
Anyone got any experience of this?
The other big concern is what happens at the end of the life of the solar panels?
Are they really that green? can something that has taken that much energy to manufacture and distribute ever be really green?. This little article says not, but maybe they can be in the future. Maybe our green superhero Simon Spuddey Dare can shed some light?
Thanks to Integr8x for the image
Johnny Lyle's new brand thinking 
Green super hero? I am honoured!
PV’s are becoming a real alternative for renewable energy, they are improving in efficiency and with the Government deals are worth considering – but in my view only if you get the full benefit.
Roof ‘renting’ is becoming a big business at the moment so there must be money in it for the operators – as long as the feed in tarrifs last..
I will blog further on it over the weekend when I have more time…….
Thanks Simon. I’ll look forward to it.
John, if you speak to Nottingham University they will tell you that YOU can get a return of 11% on your investment by a combination of Feed In and Savings on your bills. I am with you that ‘renting’ your roof has some issues – not least of which is how this works at the end of the lease, do you need your mortgagors consent, who repairs? etc etc. Seems to be more questions than answers! And yes, it does make your house as pretty as an airport!
I hadn’t even thought about the mortgage company needing to give permission. That could be the major pitfall that not even the assessors are addressing!
The good thing about them being on the roof is that you don’t have to look at them, your neighbours do. I may warn them of my thoughts!
John, any chance you could scan and upload the leaflet you received?Thanks
James. I don’t think I do as it was back in february that I wrote this, but i’ll have a look and upload if I can find it. Cheers. John