Received a phone call selling me Solar Panels using a Government backed scheme.  They were very insistant on the phone so made an appt for them to visit.  He came yesterday and it all seems too good to be true, even though them amount you get paid is less now than it originally was.
We can have 16 panels on our roof which due to where we live will generate loads of energy so we should get quite a bit of cash back. 
Took quite a bit of persuading my husband to go ahead but I think we will. 
Do you have them and how do you find the schemes?  Do you regret having them?

I don't have them because I would be concerned about the fitters damaging my roof, so I will be interested to see replies from those who have them.

Once you do this your roof is no longer yours. Just ask how much they will charge you to remove and replace the panels if you get a leak in your roof that needs repairing. The will probably also charge you Downtime while you roof is not working. Be very careful !!
Aileen

We often have emails or calls telling us how much money we could make on installing solar panels. If we can be bothered, we tell them that we won't make much due to all the trees nearby, but they are most insistent. One chap came round and did all the calculations and finally had to agree that we would be unlikely to see a profit for another 13 years. Given our ages, we are unlikely still to be living here.
Despite having a south facing house, there is a steep hill topped with mature trees and what amounts to a conifer plantation on the south west side. As they are all on land that doesn't belong to us, nothing can be done.
Would be keen to have solar panels installed, but it's definitely not worth it.
Wouldn't be overly happy to not have control of my roof though, leaks would would worry me.
There are some new houses in the nearby town which have had special solar roof tiles put on instead of ordinary tiles. Don't know how efficient they are, but you wouldn't know they are not the normal roof tiles

Several of our neighbours have solar panels. We looked into it we didn't think that the return was worth it. We don't like the look of them and the concerns about having to remove them if work has to be done to the roof which happened to our elderly neighbours last year.

I'm not sure about not having control of your roof ?? There are some schemes where the panels aren't yours and you just get a percentage of the returns - do you mean this ?? Otherwise you are buying the panels so you can do what you want with them and the roof.

If you have the free system the roof is no longer yours as such - you have to repay the downtime when panels are not in use etc and if you move have to buy out the investor in your roof.  We're not doing that, would rather pay for it and not have the hassle should we move etc.

We are lucky, the back of our house mainly faces south with no trees etc to block the light - being in the South East we get the more daylight hours so looks very worthwhile for us.

I have solar panels, installed by a company that only does free installations. I get some electricity free and any surplus is fed into the grid and the company pocket the profit. My roof is mine, not the companys, They actually lease the space above your roof, not the roof itself. If my roof were to leak due to the panels it would be fixed at no charge to myself. I am free to sell my house at any time. the company will still maintain the panels at no cost to whoever owns the house. If my roof had a leak then I am allowed 2 free removals of the panels in order for repairs to be carried out, this would always be at no charge if the panels were the cause of the problem. I do not have to pay for any downtime of the panels and I do not have to buy out the investor ie company.

Biggest pitfall is if they are leased (especially if you ever sell your house) - second is how they deal with damage they cause aswell as what happens if you decide to do a repair or roof installation etc

Here is a good review by the Law Society of the pitfalls:-

http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/articles/the-pitfalls-of-solar-panels/

I have them but they aren't on the roof. They're in the garden.....12 panels in total.

I get the FIT payments and also the electricity they generate during daylight hours. If I use more than they generate per hour I have to pay for it so I make sure I only have one item at a time on, e.g. The washer, then the tumbler and then the cooker. I wouldn't put all three on at once, pay, and then generate electricity to send to the grid.

I don't think they're as good as you might expect and I would probably be a bit disappointed if I'd paid thousands for installation, the return is quite low in FIT payments and would take years to return your investment.

I do like to think I can wash and dry the washing for free though!

We have a static on the suffolk Coast. The site doesn't have electricity so we all have solar panals and a number of large batteries. There is an inverter to change the power from DC to AC so we can have lights, tv, the ability to charge things and so on. Can't use electric kettles or toasters, but have gas for that. Plenty of sunshine in the area to charge up the batteries, seems to work really well. Makes you very aware of how much power you use.
Don't go in the winter though.

Charlie Brown - so how much has your bill been reduced by and how much FIT payment do you get?
I've been told I can make quite a bit of money on my panels and have figures to back this up.  If they are proven wrong, the company will lose their contact with the Government so hoping they're right!!!
I am very fortunate in that if I invested the money elsewhere the interest would be peanuts so this will pay me more.

As unfortunately we have to rent, we don't have this option but my best advice to you bearing in mind all these 'Government funded schemes' doing the rounds at the moment, which means these companies are cashing in big time (same with insulation which we did get), my best advice is to make sure you read the small print!!   Especially re who has control over your roof - repairs etc.   When it looks too good to be true, it almost always is.  Some people seem to benefit from having these panels tho. so don't cut off your nose to spite your face.   It might be worthwhile.

FIT payments over 12 months have been approx £320.... I can't say how much has been saved on electricity because we only moved into the house 12 months ago.

The panels have been checked out to ensure everything is working correctly and there are no shadows on the panels, they are in full sun all day.

I had solar panels fitted in May 2013. I paid £5000 for them and in the first year they earned around £700 plus what I gained from free electricity. I don't know this amount as the company I buy electricity from (not the same as the one I get the FIT money from) took about eight months to replace my electricity meter that was not compatible and so was running backwards at times of strong sun. I did inform them several times. They had to estimate the amount but it was much less than the previous year. The company who fitted the panels actually replaced existing broken roof tiles before fitting them. I did give them the tiles as there were some spare from an extension being built some years before but they would have supplied them. So I am very pleased with them and would recommend them. Not sure that the starlings are too pleased though, they used to sit on the roof.

This PDF advice has a checklist on page 4 & 5 - of things you must ask and check all answers are covered in any agreement you sign - and the organisations legitimate companies must be a part of and the logos to look for on page 3.
http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/assets/1/files/2009/06/ConsumerFocus_Factsheet_Microgeneration1.pdf

There are good and bad companies, like builders, just make sure you are happy with them, understand all parts of the deal, trust them and don't sign anything unless you have read it through or got a lawyer to - some free legal advice centres may be able to help by reading through agreements with you.

Make sure you don't just ask about costs involved in the installation of panels and reimbersal for any damage to roof - make sure they confirm liability for ANY damage they cause during installation, AND removal, maintenance and repair and not just to the roof they are working on - if they damage another part of your home or the structural integrity of the entire house by poor performance by their employees you don't want them saying they will only cover damage on the roof and not the damage any other part of the house suffered etc.... AND read the get out clauses well -both on your side and theirs -  ie if you have to pay if you decide you want to end the agreement early or what happens if they go bankrupt or their organisations merges or is taken over by another....

> about eight months to replace my electricity meter that was not compatible and so was running backwards at times of strong sun. I did inform them several times.

Why did you inform them? if your meter is running backwards then it will save you money as you wont pay for the elevtricity. It means that you can have the benefit of all the electric you produce.

It went so far backwards it was reading less than the previous time they read it

The place we have an offer in to buy has solar panels fitted on one of the barn roofs ( you can see them in this picture)

[img]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/moosesmummy/DFA27140-2119-40D7-9AE8-B5CBCD031BD7.jpg[/img]

They paid £20k to get them fitted ( there are a lot) but it pays for and pays back the same of electricity used on the farm , so house , farm out buildings (three barns and a stable block ) plus all the stock electric fencing for nearly five acres so it is a good income generator so it will make our mortgage payments a lot easier to pay so well worth it !
It doesn't look to bad but I must admit I am not sure if I would want then on a house roof