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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/08/uk-solar-firms-going-bust-what-consumers-need-to-know
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| UK solar firms going bust - what consumers need to know | UK solar firms going bust - what consumers need to know |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Two solar panel-installing businesses have gone bust this week - where does this leave anyone who has had a system installed? | Two solar panel-installing businesses have gone bust this week - where does this leave anyone who has had a system installed? |
| What’s happened? | What’s happened? |
| Two domestic solar panel firms have called in the administrators this week - Leicester-based Mark Group and the Croydon firm Climate Energy. It’s very bad news for customers - particularly anyone who has paid a deposit and was waiting for an installation to be completed. This will no longer happen. | Two domestic solar panel firms have called in the administrators this week - Leicester-based Mark Group and the Croydon firm Climate Energy. It’s very bad news for customers - particularly anyone who has paid a deposit and was waiting for an installation to be completed. This will no longer happen. |
| I’m in that boat - have I lost my money? | I’m in that boat - have I lost my money? |
| Almost certainly - although you should be refunded if you paid any deposit, or for the work to be carried out by credit card. The administrators of both firms have said that all appointments have been cancelled for surveys and installations. They will be writing to affected customers shortly. | Almost certainly - although you should be refunded if you paid any deposit, or for the work to be carried out by credit card. The administrators of both firms have said that all appointments have been cancelled for surveys and installations. They will be writing to affected customers shortly. |
| It you paid any deposit by bank card - contact your card provider and explain what has happened, and you should be refunded. If you paid by cheque, bank transfer or in cash, you have most likely lost your money. | |
| Related: Second solar firm in two days goes bust, blaming Tory policy | |
| I have one of their systems installed - will I still get my feed-in tariff payments from the government? | I have one of their systems installed - will I still get my feed-in tariff payments from the government? |
| Yes. Assuming the system is up and running and registered, your feed-in tariff (Fit) payments will still be paid for the agreed term - 20 or 25 years depending on when it was installed. Fits are actually paid by the home’s electricity supplier, and are unaffected by this week’s news. | Yes. Assuming the system is up and running and registered, your feed-in tariff (Fit) payments will still be paid for the agreed term - 20 or 25 years depending on when it was installed. Fits are actually paid by the home’s electricity supplier, and are unaffected by this week’s news. |
| I have a system on my roof, but it is not connected - what should I do? | I have a system on my roof, but it is not connected - what should I do? |
| Your best bet is to get it connected. Any Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)-accredited installer can finish the work and register your system. The MCS wesbite has a find a local installer search facility. The YouGen website is a good source of tried and trusted installers. You will have to pay the new contractor - assuming you have the money. Neither firm that has gone bust will be in a position to finish the work. | Your best bet is to get it connected. Any Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)-accredited installer can finish the work and register your system. The MCS wesbite has a find a local installer search facility. The YouGen website is a good source of tried and trusted installers. You will have to pay the new contractor - assuming you have the money. Neither firm that has gone bust will be in a position to finish the work. |
| I have a system installed by one of these firms - what will happen if my existing system has a problem? | I have a system installed by one of these firms - what will happen if my existing system has a problem? |
| Again this is going to be tricky, but not impossible. Solar panels came with long warranties and if you have a problem, the manufacturer should be your first port of call - if you can find them. On the plus side, solar panels were built to last 20 years or more, and are the component that is least likely to fail. | Again this is going to be tricky, but not impossible. Solar panels came with long warranties and if you have a problem, the manufacturer should be your first port of call - if you can find them. On the plus side, solar panels were built to last 20 years or more, and are the component that is least likely to fail. |
| Inverters are often the most expensive single part of a solar energy system, and the most likely to fail. Again contact the manufacturer. If that yields nothing, you will be on your own. | Inverters are often the most expensive single part of a solar energy system, and the most likely to fail. Again contact the manufacturer. If that yields nothing, you will be on your own. |
| Solar PV systems are not that dissimilar and it should be possible to find someone to work on your system. Again use the MCS site or the YouGen website to find someone who knows what they are doing. | Solar PV systems are not that dissimilar and it should be possible to find someone to work on your system. Again use the MCS site or the YouGen website to find someone who knows what they are doing. |
| I was about to install a system. Where does this leave me? | I was about to install a system. Where does this leave me? |
| Very nervous. If an installer asks you for a deposit, only pay by credit card as this gives you consumer rights if he/she later goes bust. Don’t hand over cash. The Fit payment is available at current rates until the end of the year but thereafter will be cut by 87%. It is sadly highly likely that more PV firms will collapse in the coming months. You have been warned. | Very nervous. If an installer asks you for a deposit, only pay by credit card as this gives you consumer rights if he/she later goes bust. Don’t hand over cash. The Fit payment is available at current rates until the end of the year but thereafter will be cut by 87%. It is sadly highly likely that more PV firms will collapse in the coming months. You have been warned. |