Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Free solar panels & free electricty
In a recent post I questioned whether an email I received about free solar panels and associated free electricity was a scam.
This morning the COO of the company came online and informed us that all is kosher. So do take a look and see if this set-up works for you.
Tags for Forum Posts: solar, solar panels, solar power
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Omotn on
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I've never heard of this company, but in general a disadvantage might be that you must agree to have the panels on your roof for some time (maybe 25 years) which might not be the perfect arrangement if you want to move.
On the Freetricity website it says " Freetricity claim the FIT payments from OFGEM.". In order to cover their costs they would want a very long lease.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Bleazard on
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Freetricity do need to 'rent your roof' for a 25 year period. And the lease would stay with the property, if you did decide to move home. There are options for buying out the lease. However, research has suggested that homes with renewable energy (such as Solar PV) are valued at about 8% more than those without. Free electricity would certainly be a 'key selling point', and make your home more attractive than others on the market.
(Posted by COO of Freetricity)
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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On the way home the other day I noticed that St Paul's vicarage, (or was it the flats next door) seem to be having one of these fitted).
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Hugh, it's Dixon Court flats next door - site of the Old St Paul's. A pity they're not covering the whole roof as the 16 panels contrast rather sharply with the rest of the dingy tiled roof, but of course I'd never criticise an instance of visual pollution perpetrated in a good cause, would I? With their westerly orientation they're also highly visible along a good stretch of Wightman Road and to the front rooms opposite. I suppose it depends on how highly reflective they may be on a bright summer's afternoon.
About seven years ago I set about exploring the pros and cons of solar panels for water heating and/or photo-voltaic panels for electricity. My back & side extension flat roof allows loads of space for an array of south & south-west facing panels on a sloping framework. Unfortunately at the time Haringey had nothing whatever in place in the way of advice or support and the two contractors I had quotes from seemed to be about to lay far too heavy a frame on my flat roof. The surveyor raised the possibility of neighbours' objections to being dazzled from afar by my panels - my nearest neighbours likely to notice being the residents of Chettle Court across the tracks. Seven years later I'm still pondering what I might have done for the environment, though at a cost.
Freetricity seems to have an interesting approach to the problem - but they too apparently require pitched rather than flat roofs.
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Hi
The 16 panels 'limit' might be because you cannot have a system over 4kWp and still claim the Governments Feed-in-Tariff payments. 'Reflections' shouldn't be a problem - installations are now allowed near airports, because technology has moved on to reduce glare. (I'm concerned that they are being put on Westerly roofs - the output and efficiency won't be so good).
One of the positives of the Freetricity scheme (I'm one of the directors, by the way), is that it is TOTALLY in our interest to make sure our systems are as efficient as possible, as that's the way we get our money back. Companies who charge households for installations can just take the money and walk away. We are in it for 25 years, and obviously want that long-term relationship to be beneficial to all parties.
Flat roofs are a problem for us - the extra cost of installation makes it un-viable for us. If you pay for your own, you might be OK - it's just that we have investors and bank loans to pay back too.
We are able to offer installations on commercial buildings (plus schools, churches, etc), and because they are often larger, we can fit on flat roofs.
Check out www.freetricity.net for more details, and to apply.
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Permalink Reply by Germana on
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OAE the situation has changed a lot in 7 years so you may want to look into this again.
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On the Freetricity issue - with all due respect to Martin (I know nothing about his company) and as I said in the parallel discussion on energy efficiency improvements, it's always worth getting several quotes. There are plenty of companies installing solar PV at the moment and it's probably worth rushing to do so before this government changes the feed in tariffs in any way and makes them less favourable (for the moment the threat is only for the larger installations, but you never know).
On the issue of free versus solar panels that you own yourself - a deal where the company owns your panels may make some sense if you can't afford the upfront cost of installation (around 10K or just above I think) but if you can afford to own them then it's probably preferable to go for that option, as you will get a better deal. Here's a useful article from the Guardian.
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Germana
Thank you for your comments. You are right, there are lots of comapnies out there, and the Feed in Tariff is likely to be reviewed again soon (March 2012). So, I would also recommend that people do their research first. It is possible that those who can invest in a Solar PV System, (your £10k is about right - possibly a little low) and are happy to wait for 10-12 years before the return on that investment becomes 'profit', then it is a scheme worth investing in. However, if you don't have the money to invest, or need a quicker return, the a Freetricity scheme (or similar) is worth investigating. I'm very happy to answer individual questions, or we have FAQs at www.freetricity.net
Please, please remember that some (paid for) installers won't really care too much about the effectiveness of the system - all they will worry about is the profit on the installation job. I have seen too many homes with panels on, which I cannot see how they will pay for themselves in 25 years, let alone 10-12. As previously posted, it is in our interest to only install on homes where both parties will see a benefit.
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it would be good to know if these are suitable for the typical 3 bed terrace houses in Harringay. Even if the roof is southh facing, nearby chimney stacks etc can cast a shadow making these less effective. and i believe you need a number of panels which can be an issue if roof space is limited. I am very interested and think there shoud be a range of schemes available based on usage and costs, so most peope can have some kind of system. a big 'problem' with these kind of systems is if you generate your own where are profits for the big utilities?
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Hi
A general rule of thumb is that you have to have a roof ridge (ie the width of your roof) of at least 4.5m (just under 5 yds). Shading can be a problem, particularly for smaller systems. Even if only part of the system is shaded, it effects the performance of the WHOLE system :-(
More information and details of how to apply for free solar panels are available at www.freetricity.net
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Sorry to say I don't think this scheme does work for a typical Harringay house - we filled in the online form, which includes drawing round your roof on google earth! and got a reply the next day saying it wasn't suitable. It was a fairly generic email with a standard list of reasons, but can only imagine we failed because we don't have enough space facing south, sw or se for the panels. We are in a south facing ladder house with one of the little turret things at the front. Shame!
Would love to know if anyone gets any further with this.
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