Solar Panels

[Tillyella]

I seem to be bombarded with phone calls urging me to have solar panels fitted. While I am interested in saving money and going Green the method of paying for them I find slightly worrying. It seems that the cost of the panels is paid back by the energy you generate. Has anyone had these installed and is it as straightforward as the salesman says. Your comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

[bhg481]

I think you've misunderstood the salesman.
As far as I'm aware there's two ways of getting them:
1) You pay for the installation - you save money by generating some of your own electricity and, on days when you generate more than you use, you "sell" it to your power supplier and get paid for it.
2) They are installed and you pay nothing - you save money on the days you generate your own power but any excess is old to your power company but the installer gets the money.
I suspect the salesman told you the panels would pay for themselves, which is true either way but may take tens of years.

[paul1763]

there seems to be 2 types of schemes that i'm getting calls about, theres one that the panels are totally free and you sign a 25 year lease for your roof space and another that seems to be goverment funded which are also free but you need an income of £15,000 so i cant see how they are free.the scheme you have been told about is totally free but the company gets the feed in tariff for the duration of the lease and you get the free electricity,after the 25 years the panels are yours,you get the electric and any payment.

[Old_Geezer]

Last year I had installed solar panels all over the roof. Yesterday, I got a call from the contractor who installed them. He was complaining that the solar panels had been installed a whole year ago, and I hadn't paid for them yet.

Now just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid. So I told him just exactly what his fast-talking sales guy had told ME last year: namely, that in just ONE YEAR these solar panels would pay for themselves ! Helllooooo'! ! (I told him). 'It's been a year' !

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally just hung up. He hasn't called back, probably too embarrassed about forgetting the guarantee they made me. Bet he won't underestimate my intelligence again.

[gingejbee]

Lots of useful info. from Which?

http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/how-to-buy-solar-panels/