free solar panels - con or not?
Discussion
a house a few streets away has just had solar panels fitted and it got me looking at these new deals that are springing up everywhere for free solar panels to be installed in return for the supplier getting the grid payments.
Has anyone had any experience of these deals and do they work? are there any pitfalls to look out for etc?
i.e. they all seem to be 25yr deals - so what happens if you move before the end of the 25yrs can they be transferred, would it put buyers off?
Has anyone had any experience of these deals and do they work? are there any pitfalls to look out for etc?
i.e. they all seem to be 25yr deals - so what happens if you move before the end of the 25yrs can they be transferred, would it put buyers off?
Is it a con - no, not in the way you mean, but I'm sure some deals are better than others, and buying the panels yourself is usually a better option - look at the terms of the deals being offered. Everyone else will pay through grossly inflated electricity bills. The UK contributes 2% global CO2 emissions. Last year India/China etc. caused a 5% increase alone. So from the green agenda, even if CO2 really is a problem, it is a futile gesture. Yes it is likely other potential owners of your house may not want to be encumbered, but how much of an issue this will be only time will tell as it hasn‘t been tested in the housing market yet.
Simpo Two said:
Massive thread on this a while back.
User wins, everybody else pays indirectly. No such thing as a free lunch - unless you run the installation company of course, in which case you can fill yer boots courtesy of Johnny Taxpayer and the politician mugs who set it up.
Yep. It's like the corporate version of being on benefits.User wins, everybody else pays indirectly. No such thing as a free lunch - unless you run the installation company of course, in which case you can fill yer boots courtesy of Johnny Taxpayer and the politician mugs who set it up.
cjs said:
You also need to ask yourself if you really want those ugly panels stuck on your roof, can't believe they do not need planning permission.
Run with it. If you get them and end up in a winter-of-discontent situation in the future with rolling blackouts if you own the panels you still have some energy you can use to keep small appliances alive, or water that isn't freezing cold.I could buy my own panels and stick them on the roof. But I won't do it because I know the whole thing is a silly sham - even if I do save 57p a year or make 13p from the grid etc. My politics and view of the big picture stops me from taking the bribe. For the same reason I don't sort my rubbish into 68 different categories each the size of a matchbox. It won't make any differnce and I'm not playing the silly eco-game. So there, bah!
Simpo Two said:
I could buy my own panels and stick them on the roof. But I won't do it because I know the whole thing is a silly sham - even if I do save 57p a year or make 13p from the grid etc. My politics and view of the big picture stops me from taking the bribe. For the same reason I don't sort my rubbish into 68 different categories each the size of a matchbox. It won't make any differnce and I'm not playing the silly eco-game. So there, bah!
Agree with you on the solar and CO2 side but not recycling. Don't do it for eco reasons, I do it because we, as a nation, don't have anywhere to put all the crap.stemll said:
Simpo Two said:
I could buy my own panels and stick them on the roof. But I won't do it because I know the whole thing is a silly sham - even if I do save 57p a year or make 13p from the grid etc. My politics and view of the big picture stops me from taking the bribe. For the same reason I don't sort my rubbish into 68 different categories each the size of a matchbox. It won't make any differnce and I'm not playing the silly eco-game. So there, bah!
Agree with you on the solar and CO2 side but not recycling. Don't do it for eco reasons, I do it because we, as a nation, don't have anywhere to put all the crap.stemll said:
Agree with you on the solar and CO2 side but not recycling. Don't do it for eco reasons, I do it because we, as a nation, don't have anywhere to put all the crap.
I once saw five recycling trucks lined up in an industrial estate in milton keynes. They were all waiting in turn to unload their recycling, straight into the back of a normal rubbish truck that was sitting there. I assume this operation moves around so people don't catch on, or perhaps it was a one off, but it certainly put me off..
sadako said:
Run with it. If you get them and end up in a winter-of-discontent situation in the future with rolling blackouts if you own the panels you still have some energy you can use to keep small appliances alive, or water that isn't freezing cold.
Just remind me when we had the last one?Bit of a dilemma. I read somewhere that you can get solar panels for about 10K & will make around £1400 a year selling back to the grid. I have an interest only mortgage at a negligable rate, the bank will give me 10K, paying interest only for about £7.50 a month ! (at current interest rate). So could gamble & make something out of it...
black pipebandit said:
This solar panel thing is the new double glazing.. Ever wide boy is selling it now..
^^This.One evening last week, a knock at the door. Two jokers with clipboards.
HIM: Hello, we'd like to install solar panels on your roof for free. Yes, no cost to you, we just get the payment off the National Grid. Theres some free electricity in it for you as well.
ME: Well, it almost sounds too good to be true, except this house is nigh on 270 years old and is Grade 2 listed, meaning you need planning permission for any change to the exterior.
HIM: Oh, right. Well, you could apply for planning permission.
ME: And you'd pay for any cost I incurred for this, seeing as I'm doing it on your behalf?
HIM: Er......er...I don't think so.
To which we agreed it probably wasn't a good idea for us.
cjs said:
Just remind me when we had the last one?
True but the nuclear power stations will close before long and be replaced by paperclips stuck in potatos...ColinM50 said:
Where please? Interested in giving this free lekky a go.
About two months ago IIRC; sorry but I'm not going to do the search for you 
Shuvi Tupya said:
stemll said:
Agree with you on the solar and CO2 side but not recycling. Don't do it for eco reasons, I do it because we, as a nation, don't have anywhere to put all the crap.
I once saw five recycling trucks lined up in an industrial estate in milton keynes. They were all waiting in turn to unload their recycling, straight into the back of a normal rubbish truck that was sitting there. I assume this operation moves around so people don't catch on, or perhaps it was a one off, but it certainly put me off..
Mr GrimNasty said:
stemll said:
Simpo Two said:
I could buy my own panels and stick them on the roof. But I won't do it because I know the whole thing is a silly sham - even if I do save 57p a year or make 13p from the grid etc. My politics and view of the big picture stops me from taking the bribe. For the same reason I don't sort my rubbish into 68 different categories each the size of a matchbox. It won't make any differnce and I'm not playing the silly eco-game. So there, bah!
Agree with you on the solar and CO2 side but not recycling. Don't do it for eco reasons, I do it because we, as a nation, don't have anywhere to put all the crap.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff