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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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    I have a generation meter, and I have to send in the readings every quarter.  The FIT I get is based on that reading. so if I don't submit one, I don't get paid.


    "Rent a roof" schemes may well be fitted with an AMR (Automatic Meter Reader), which is like an early smart meter.  So the customer doesn't need to do anything.  So long as the reading is ticking up, it must be working.


    These rent-a-roof schemes were often set up by fly-by-night companies, with the panels being sold on from company to company.  Finding out who actually owns the installation can be tricky.  It may be that the current owner is happy to collect the FIT payments on the installs still working, and abandons them as soon as the inverter fails.


    The early inverters were pretty poor.  My first one came with a 5½ year warranty.  I thought that was a rather strange length for a warranty at the time.   6 years layer, I found out why they used that figure.  The inverter was not designed to be repairable, and ended up being replaced.
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  • 0
    I have a generation meter, and I have to send in the readings every quarter.  The FIT I get is based on that reading. so if I don't submit one, I don't get paid.


    "Rent a roof" schemes may well be fitted with an AMR (Automatic Meter Reader), which is like an early smart meter.  So the customer doesn't need to do anything.  So long as the reading is ticking up, it must be working.


    These rent-a-roof schemes were often set up by fly-by-night companies, with the panels being sold on from company to company.  Finding out who actually owns the installation can be tricky.  It may be that the current owner is happy to collect the FIT payments on the installs still working, and abandons them as soon as the inverter fails.


    The early inverters were pretty poor.  My first one came with a 5½ year warranty.  I thought that was a rather strange length for a warranty at the time.   6 years layer, I found out why they used that figure.  The inverter was not designed to be repairable, and ended up being replaced.
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