Solar Electricity: What Happens Next

Your Checklist:

Before your assessment please can you:

• Ensure the assessor can park a van within close proximity of your property
• Ensure the assessor can gain unobstructed access into your home and loft
• Ensure that you have read the assessment Terms and Conditions
• Ensure you have signed both copies of the Tesco Renewable Energy declaration form.
• Ensure the Assessor can gain easy access to your electricity fuse board.

 

The Installer will:

• Contact you 24 hrs prior to your visit to ensure the date is still convenient.
• Collect your signed Declaration form
• Carry out a technical site visit during the assessment which normally takes 1-2 hours
• Verify that your property is suitable to accommodate a solar electricity system
• Consider the condition, orientation and size of your roof in the assessment process
• Identify how the connection will be made between the solar panels and your main electricity consumer unit (i.e. the fuse box)
• Identify the scaffolding requirements and make such arrangements following assessment if you choose to proceed (please note this will be erected prior to install)
• Discuss the options available to you depending on the available space for the system and your budget and how much electricity could be generated by different sized systems
• Advise if there are any items of work that you should undertake prior to the install of your solar electricity system. For example, rectify damaged tiles on the roof or upgrade the electricity meter if the existing one does not meet current building regulations
• Provide you with a guide price for the recommended work
• Advise if there will be any extra costs over and above the standard installation prices if the system you require for your property is outside of the standard quoted prices. For example:

- Extra scaffolding if required for buildings over 2 storeys

- Electrical wiring upgrade

After the Assessment

If you decide you wish to continue with the installation on the day of assessment, the installer will inform Tesco Renewable Energy and we will then send you the following documents for your consideration;

• Formal quotation and Declaration with a breakdown of costs and installation requirements.
• Copy of the customer terms and conditions of our service to you.

If you are happy with the details provided in the quote and the terms and conditions then you need to sign and date the Tesco copy of the quote and the customer declaration form and send to the Tesco Renewable Energy free post address. Please note that once you have signed the customer declaration form you are confirming that you have read and understood and accepted the quotes and the terms and conditions and a contract will have been formed between you and Enact Energy Renewable Limited.

Once the signed declaration form has been received, one of the Tesco Renewable Energy advisors will call you direct:

• To take your 50% deposit and
• Book a convenient date for your solar electricity system installation to be carried out.

Please Note:

Full payment must be available on the day of the installation.

Your Checklist:

Before the installation please can you:

• Ensure the installer can park a van within close proximity of your property
• Ensure the installer can gain unobstructed access into your home/ loft and electric meter cupboard.
• Ensure you (or a nominated adult over the age of 18) will be present during the installation
• Ensure you have the balance available to pay Tesco Renewable Energy on completion of your installation

Please Note:

Your power may be disconnected at times throughout the install.

1. The solar panels:

• The full installation will take 1-2 days to complete
• The solar panels will take approximately 1 day to install
• The panels will be fixed onto brackets which will in turn be fixed securely to the roof rafters underneath the roof covering.
• Any tiles/slates that need to be removed in order to secure the fixings will be replaced once the brackets are in place

Please Note:

The panels are covered by a 25 year power output guarantee and a 5 year warranty.

2. The inverter:

• An inverter is required to convert the direct current (DC) produced by the solar electricity panels into alternating current (AC) to become a usable form of electricity within the home or exported to the national grid
• The inverter will normally be located in the loft space with a cable that runs back to the consumer unit (i.e. fuse box) via a ‘total generation meter’, which will record the total amount of electricity being produced by the solar panels

Please Note:

The inverter is covered by a 5 year warranty. Further extended warranties are also available.

3. Final checks and guarantees:

• On the final day of installation all aspects of the system will be checked to ensure that everything is fully operational
• The system will be fully explained and all relevant documentation will be left with you, including all relevant guarantees/warranties
• On completion of the work the installer will clear surplus debris and make arrangements for the removal of the scaffolding

4. Payment on completion:

• Once the installation is complete and you have received all your documentation, the installer will call Tesco Renewable Energy to confirm completion.
• One of our energy advisors will then contact you to take the final payment.

5. After The Installation:

Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) were introduced on the 1st April 2010. The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for the electricity exported to grid. These payments are in addition to any savings made by using the electricity generated in your home.

For more information about FiTs please click here for your free guide, or call 0800 321 3456.

• Once your installation is complete you need to inform your chosen energy supplier that you are now eligible to receive the FIT (Feed in Tariff). Send your MCS paperwork to your energy company.
• The supplier will then register your installation onto the Central FIT Register, which is administered by Ofgem.
• You can arrange with your energy supplier when the payments will be made to you.
• The tariff levels shown in the table below apply to installations completed from 15th July 2009 to 31st March 2012 for the lifetime of the tariff. After this date, the rates decrease each year for new applications.
• All generation and export tariffs follow the rate of inflation.

Tariff levels, for technologies installed between 15th July 2009 and 31st March 2012:

Technology	Scale	Tariff level (p/kWh)	Tariff lifetime (years)
Solar electricity (PV)	≤4 kW (retro fit)	41.3	25
Solar electricity (PV)	≤4 kW (new build)	36.1	25

Source:energysavingtrust.org.uk/Sell-your-own-energy

For further information on feed in tariffs please click here or call us on 0800 321 3456.

Thank you for choosing to proceed with Tesco Renewable Energy, brought to you by Tesco Home Efficiency. Enact Energy Renewables Limited manages Tesco Renewable Energy on behalf of Tesco Stores Limited.

We trust that you will be happy with the work that has been carried out in your home and that you will enjoy greener energy, as well as the cash savings!

Download your free guide ´Understanding Feed-in-Tariffs´