Discuss the free solar panel company: A Shade Greener

A question about : Discuss the free solar panel company: A Shade Greener

This thread is specifically to discuss feedback for
A Shade Greener (Link)

If you've had solar panels installed by this company, we'd love to know how it went, so we can improve the guide. Things we'd like to know:

Whereabouts are you?
How smooth was the panel-fitting process?
How much did you save on your electricity bill?
How long did you have to wait for the panels?
What are your tips to ensure you get the most out of the free panels?
Were there any technical glitches?
What should other MoneySavers watch out for when signing up?

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Best answers:

• i got mine done with ashadadegreener last may.
  from the very first enquiry it was a very good experience, with great comunication. the installation went realy well and the guys were a credit to the company, polite, happy, friendly, and above all a real laugh. my sister was so impressed with how it went , that she now is having it done too.
  we are saving approx 50% on our elecy bill too ( so must be a good thing ) to make the most of the panels we do all our washing, drying, etc etc in the daylight hours. we have an electric cooker so we now have our main meal before it gets dark, so we dont use the elecy after that,,, apart from the tv. my hobby is woodwork so i use a lt of power tools too. and that saves us a fortune too by doing it during the day.
  would i recommend ashadegeener,, DAMN RIGHT I WOULD. and have done too. 10/10 colin gregg, barnsley, south yorks.
• Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
  Ease of fitting: Very easy. Came to install the scaffold a few days before the installation (no waiting in for them), took a few hours in install the panels (someone had to be present as the inverter is installed in the roof space) and scaffold taken away about a week later. They even repaired a couple of damaged roof tiles while they were there with a bit of flashing.
  Electricity bill: Installed 5th June 2010 so I've almost a full year of readings. System generated approx 3000KWs. I will have used approx 1230kw. Average usage prior to panel installation was 2260kw, therefore savings of around 46%.
  Length of time to wait: A couple months.
  Tips:
  1. Get two energy monitors: Connect one to solar panel meter, this will tell you what is being generated at any given time. Connect other to normal meter, this will tell you what you are using plus generated. A bit of basic maths is needed, but as long as your not using more than double that is being generated it's free electric. The monitors aren't sophisticated enough to work out two seperate readings. Word of warning: the energy monitors are not very accurate and over a period of time can be 20% out. It tells me the solar panels are generating a nominal amount, even when I know they are not.
  2. A new battery is being developed (in Germany of course) which will be suitable of domestic installations which will allow you to store energy generated during the day to be used when the panels are not generating (e.g. at night) but last the lifetime of the panel installation. It is due on the market this summer, but probably a few years yet before it reaches the UK and more affordable price. Worth keeping a look out in the future.
  Technical glitches: None, but I did have a phone call from an engineer when their system showed it wasn't generating anything to check it out. It was easy to explain - several days of very thick fog locally! Reassuring though that they keep an eye on it.
  Things to watch out for: None with a Shade Greener, they are very transparent and open. I have noticed some other companies have started to charge for survey fees. I would say if you can afford to do it and you indend to stay in your house for a while it is worth purchasing your own panels and benefitting from the Feed in Tariff, payback would be 12 to 15 years. I've wasn't in a position to do this so the free panels suited me.
• I had a great experience with A Shade Greener, from start to finish. They were very patient with me as I asked loads of questions before I finally decided to go ahead and kept emailing Sarah Dyson their customer relations person but she never lost her patience with me or ever made me feel as if I were thick, even though I was probably sometimes a nuisance.
• Whereabouts are you?North Notts
• How smooth was the panel-fitting process? Textbook stuff really, better than I'd expected, after all you do expect some glitch or other, but in my case it was as smooth as anything, and the guys were really polite, friendly and knowledgeable
• How much did you save on your electricity bill? Only had them installed in Feb this year but I have been closely monitoring my consumption and reading my electric meter every week. I was running at 40% less than this time last year when I didn't have the panels but now have got that to nearly 45% less consumption So I'm expecting my overall annual bill to be around 40-45% less than it was last year. My direct debit has been reduced by Ј15 per month
• How long did you have to wait for the panels? A few months but entirely my fault as I couldnt make my mind up and kept putting things on hold
• What are your tips to ensure you get the most out of the free panels? Obviously, use what you can in the day, get an Owl monitor or something similar so you can see what the panels are producing. Me and my hubby work funny hours so theres usually one of us in during the day, which is useful. When we arent going to be in we just put stuff on timer so it comes on between 11-3 when the panels are at their best and usually belting it out if its a good day. Dont put everything on at once, stagger them.
• Were there any technical glitches? None whatsoever for me, but I have got a very standard ex-council house semi.
• What should other MoneySavers watch out for when signing up? Always ask to see a copy of the lease or agreement. There are some 'free' solar companies who I believe are not really free and are dropping all sorts of charges in

I still believe it is better to buy your own and claim the FIT payments yourself but credit due to ASG they did say that, and never once made any silly claims or tried to make out that free solar was better. But nobobdy wants to lend you money for solar and my bank wouldnt extend my mortgage (cause I dont have much equity) and to be honest I'll probably want to be moving again in about 10 years so it wouldn't be worth it for me. I'm better off renting my roof out and just enjoying the free leccy, it's painless, I dont have to worry about maintenance or anything. Would recommend it any day (and have done loads of times)

• We live in Doncaster and had our solar panels fitted by A Shade Greener about six weeks ago and already we have noticed a significant reduction with our electricity bill. From the initial application to installation we found A.S.G a very helpful, professional and courteous company to deal with, we had a small issue with our mortgage provider needing specific wording within the contract which was ironed out by the company solicitor who kept us informed of any progress.
  The installation process is very straightforward and only took two men less than half a day to complete.
  I would highly recommend A Shade Greener to anybody thinking about having solar panels installed, its an all round winning situation, we get cheaper electricity, A.S.G get a few quid. Every ones a winner and in 25 years they are all yours to do what you want with.
• We are between Pontefract and Doncaster,and can honestly say we are delighted with the work carried out by this company.
  The whole proceedure was carried out with ease, kindness and considerstion by all of the companys staff. The panals are not an eyesore, they blend quite well with the roof, the internal electrical wiring is discreet. The panals work as soon as they are fitted and although we have only had them for about 3 weeks, already we have saved over Ј20.00 on the electric bill. This will become more apparant over a full quater.
  We do all the washing, dishwashing, etc during the hours of day light to make sure weI use the power that we generate, as the panals work in ambient light, not just sunlight.
  We highly reccomend this company,they are nothing short of fantastic.
• We had a 3.3kWp system fitted by A Shade Greener (ASG) in June last year (2010) and have been thrilled with everything so far.
  In the 12 months to the install date, the system has produced a total of 3188kWh of electricity - very impressive.
• Whereabouts are you?

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

• How smooth was the panel-fitting process?

Exceptionally smooth from initial inquiry and survey through to installation of the panels. The scaffolding went up a day or two before the install and was taken down a couple of days later.
The install was started about 8-8.30am and the system was up and running at about 2.30pm - including the installation of the electrics. The install team of two were very quick and polite and left the site clean and tidy after they had finished.

• How much did you save on your electricity bill?

Difficult to say. We were on a high-cost electricity tariff and switched to a lower cost-tariff at about the same time as the install. We also had the electricity meter swapped part-way through the year. Definitely made some savings but difficult to quantify fully. Probably about 30-40% all told.


• How long did you have to wait for the panels?

Two months from initial inquiry to the fitment of the panels.

• What are your tips to ensure you get the most out of the free panels?

In my case, to train my Mother to use the dishwasher / washing machine / iron after around 11-11.30am when the panels are producing at their most efficient and to defer their use if it is cloudy!


• Were there any technical glitches?

No, none whatsoever.

• What should other MoneySavers watch out for when signing up?

If a company wants you to pay ANYTHING - for a survey for example - then simply DON'T! A Shade Greener do NOT require you to pay anything at any stage - for a survey, fitting, equipment or maintenance.
You do need to check with your mortgage company that it is OK to fit the panels as they have an interest in the property (and I believe that some mortgage lenders make a charge for this).
You may also need to check with the landlord if your property is leasehold and even if it is freehold, there may be a restrictive covenant in place - particularly on the newer housing estates. You will need to check this out.
Also, there may be problems if you are in a conservation area. Check with your local council.
All my dealings with the company and staff have been first-rate. They are probably the best company that I have ever dealt with - nothing has been too much trouble.
It would be nice if they had supplied some means of displaying the output of the panels - I have two (third party) energy meters which, in all honesty, only give an indication at best. Certainly the energy meter that is clamped to the feed from the grid cannot differentiate from current to or current from the grid, so is effectively useless. The generation meter supplied by ASG is in the loft (so not the most accessible position) and incomprehensible. These, however, are only minor gripes.
In short, I would thoroughly recommend ASG if, like me, you are not in a position to purchase the panels directly and thereby profit from the FiT payments and the export tariff. As prices have dropped significantly in the last 12 months (for a purchased system) this may now be more viable, but the FiT payments are reducing over the next few years and this also needs to be factored in to any decision-making process.
I hope this helps,
XRayDave

• Hi,
  I have looked at solar panels for a number of years but never being in a position to afford them.
  About 6 or 7 weeks ago i noticed an advert on the TV from A Shade Greener advertising totally FREE solar panel systems.
  Later that night i trawled the web to find out more about solar systems and this company called A Shade Greener..I found nothing negative on the web, including checking out this money saving website. I was very impressed with A Shade Greeners web site (TYPE IN "A SHADE GREENER" IN GOOGLE)was very informative and and the BBC and ITV interviews proved that they were legitimate and not a con. My next visit was to the EON web site who supply my electricity the fact that they were offering the same deal but with the disadvantage of charging Ј100 admin fee put me off stright away but proved that free solar panels were available and not a con. I had one last evening trawling the web including the goverment sites looking for anything negative about the deal and this company offering this totally free system. I FOUND NOTHING BUT POSITIVE COMMENTS.....I went on there site and registered my interest in this free system...They contacted me a week later with date for a survey once that was done they arranged within a week for the scaffold and a instalation...From Applying to instalation it only took 5 or 6 weeks..There instalation team were a credit to there company leaving me with no mess or disruption.
  Yes i could have bought the system but i have not got the money free to spend without a loan which i could not afford.
  So if you want a free solar system installed with no costs at all, including full free all inclusive maintanance and support Check out A SHADE GREENER...
  Russ.
  Selston
  Nottinghamshire
• To Clarify,
  The 3.3 kw that you mention, Sherlock, is 3.3 kwh, (peak).
  This means that under ideal conditions you'll generate 3.3 kws for that hour, not all the day as I seem to understand your post.
  Generally speaking, you generate a lesser amount in the morning, then as the sun rises, so does what you are generating, then as the sun lowers again later in the day, the amount you generate diminishes.
• To be strictly accurate a 3.3kWp system will generate exactly 3.3kW in controlled laboratory conditions of 'sunlight', temperature and air mass and it is unlikely that an ASG system will achieve 3.3kW unless they start installing them much further South in England.
  In reply to a query from an ASG customer who wasn't getting 3.3kW, I posted this:
  Quote:
• OK, technically you both are correct, but I was referring to this sentence:
  Your solar panels will create up to 3.3Kw on a sunny day but if you have a couple of items on at the same time like the washing machine and hoover the electricity you need for both of them will take you WAY OVER the 3.3Kw you have free, so you are 'paying' your electricity supplier for the extra usage even on a sunny day between 11am and 3pm!
  The way I read this, it suggested that the total generated for the day would be 3.3kwhs, which of course, it won't be, the total on any particular day would depend on the conditions, as well as other variables, but specifically on a sunny day, well my best is 24.
  The 3.3 referred to relates to the kwp of the system installed by ASG, so a reference to the day is mis-leading as it refers to what can be generated in 1 hour under ideal, (or lab) conditions.
• Blimey - when I entered my experience with ASG I didn't intend to create a whole debate on the output of the solar panels!
  All of your comments are correct in some way or another and some of you have not read my report the way I intended it to be read, which is my fault for not making the report clearer!
  My main point is that if you can't afford to buy the solar panels yourself, you can have solar panels provided, fitted and maintained FREE for 25 years!
  If I was looking to buy a house and two were very simillar and one had solar panels on, then I would buy that house! We all like to think we are trying to 'do our bit' to help save the planet and a house with solar panels is more appealing to me as it helps me feel that I was doing my 'bit'!
  Not all of us can afford to move house, have all the expense that moving house costs and then have Ј12000 to Ј18000 extra cash to buy solar panels and then have to pay someone to install and maintain them!
  A Shade Greener have been very honest about what you will and will not acheive from your panels and they have got fantastic customer service!
  We all have our own opinions but since our panels have been installed we have had a lot of interest from neighbours (some we have never spoken to before) who are wanting to save both money and help the planet! One has had solar panels fitted and a few more have signed contracts and are awaiting their installation date!
• Hi
  Ashadegreener has asked us to post a response to some questions. MSE doesn't endorse anything a company says on the forum,
  Quote:
• If I was buying a house today I would go for the house with solar panels but not if they were rented. I would either want an empty roof or my own panels.
  I would not buy a house that came with small print. Especially not small print I didn't choose.
  The main reason is the technology is moving fast and in five years time I wouldn't want to be stuck with 2011 panels for another 20 years. In 2016 the panels will be better and cheaper. It would be like being given a 50 inch flat screen TV for free ... on the condition you couldn't replace it for 20 years. Would you still want to be using a TV from 1991? Or maybe a free 56k modem connection but you had to use it for 25 years.
  At least if you own the panels you can get Ј1000-1300 a year. In 10 years time that has paid for panels and the next 15 is profit.
  I was tempted to buy a system until I thought about the drop in price year on year. The scenario goes something like this ... me and my neighbour have Ј15,000. I buy a PV system and he keeps his money in a shoe box. After two years I have earnt Ј2000 through the feed in tariffs and I've got panels on the roof. My neighbour has still got Ј15,000 but now panels are only Ј13,000 to buy new. He buys a system. We are both equal in terms of money and we both have systems on the roof but he has a newer system.
  So why buy now when the prices are dropping at the same rate as you can earn?