News Article
Solar Companies Give Consumers Poor Advice, Says Which?
Companies are using dodgy sales tactics and giving poor advice
In an undercover investigation, the consumer champion found that three quarters of companies* overestimated how much energy the solar PV panels would produce and most of them underestimated how long it would take for the system to pay for itself. One company overestimated the profit by £4,275 over 25 years and underestimated the payback time by three years, compared to our expert's calculations.
Which? found that the Government's rules to work out energy output don't take into account key factors like where people live.
Seven out of the 12 salespeople visiting the Which? undercover house even recommended installing solar PV panels on a shaded part of the roof and eight companies didn't question customers about how much energy they used.
Some customers are also getting the hard sell. Although the REAL consumer code bans pressure selling which includes offering large discounts for a quick sale, one firm, Green Sun, gave the customer 24 hours to make a decision, and Skyline offered a ‘first come first served' discount in exchange for monitoring data, which is banned in the REAL code.
Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, says, “It seems extraordinary that the Government's rules require companies to ignore whether you live in Cornwall or Scotland when working out how long it'll take to pay for the solar panels. It's obvious that the more sun you get, the faster the payback. The Government has to put this right.
“It really isn't difficult - companies just need to make sure they send people who are qualified to ask the right questions, do the right checks and give customers better advice.”
Which? is talking to the Government and the industry's trade bodies about our findings to improve the service consumers get from solar companies.
