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Rent-a-roof PV installations.

Sparkingchip
A few days before Christmas I went to do some work at a house, I was under the stairs at the consumer unit and the customer was stood back in the hallway several metres away by the open front door, in the manner that things are now done.


I said “ I see you have solar panels”.


The customer replied “Yes, but the ###### things don’t work and the firm that owns them won’t repair them”.


I said “I presume they are on a Rent-a-roof scheme”.


“You’ve got it” replied the customer.


I was then working in the loft where the inverter is, but could not see an obvious quick fix, so just did what I was supposed to be doing up there and left the PV system well alone.


I wonder how many Rent-a-roof PV installations are not actually working anymore?


Andy Betteridge.

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  • 0

    It could be that the company has calculated that the additional investment would not be adequately recouped in the remaining FIT term.



    I had my PV installed near the beginning of the scheme. At that time the economics were not so obvious. The costs were more than double that of today, and it was not simple to estimate the amount that would be generated, there was little history of domestic installations to go on.



    The installations are rated at a peak output, but there was limited information on what the practical generated output would be; you could either rely on the salesman(!), or calculate it from the efficiency of the panels and sunshine data for your location. In practice my 3.8 kWp does not generate more than 2.6 kW on a good summers day, and rarely at that. Most of the time it is much less. At that time I estimated that the FIT would pay back the capital outlay in just over 10 years, in practice it was 8 years 9 months. The installation is now just over 10 years installed.



    Only in the last 6 months have I been able to monitor the energy exported to the grid. I had always thought it was more than the 50% they pay for, in practice if the last 6 months is typical 50% is surprisingly accurate.

    The energy company email me every 3 months asking for a generator meter reading.



    David


    Edited to tidy layout


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  • 0

    It could be that the company has calculated that the additional investment would not be adequately recouped in the remaining FIT term.



    I had my PV installed near the beginning of the scheme. At that time the economics were not so obvious. The costs were more than double that of today, and it was not simple to estimate the amount that would be generated, there was little history of domestic installations to go on.



    The installations are rated at a peak output, but there was limited information on what the practical generated output would be; you could either rely on the salesman(!), or calculate it from the efficiency of the panels and sunshine data for your location. In practice my 3.8 kWp does not generate more than 2.6 kW on a good summers day, and rarely at that. Most of the time it is much less. At that time I estimated that the FIT would pay back the capital outlay in just over 10 years, in practice it was 8 years 9 months. The installation is now just over 10 years installed.



    Only in the last 6 months have I been able to monitor the energy exported to the grid. I had always thought it was more than the 50% they pay for, in practice if the last 6 months is typical 50% is surprisingly accurate.

    The energy company email me every 3 months asking for a generator meter reading.



    David


    Edited to tidy layout


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