12th December - on the horizon.

[SolarCity]

I can see it! A flickering beacon on the horizon. Every day it gets closer as a I clamber through this swamp of despair.

Just for a few weeks I won't have to deal with brain-dead delivery drivers, rude and incompetent suppliers, sub-human sub-contractors or slobbering couriers.

Running a business in the last few weeks? It's been like being trapped in a plummetting elevator with a gang of flailing, vomitting farm-hands.

Stop the world - I'm getting off.....

 

[confounded]

Yes, in the same boat, counting down the days. When is your last install?

 

[SolarCity]

Scaffold is going up on the last install tomorrow morning and were following up to get the roof work started. We can't get the stock we need for other jobs we have won so have decided to call it a day.

 

[confounded]

Hmm we are going to the Tuesday of next week. Working tomorrow to try and reduce what we need to do next week. Still have 2 4kWp one 10kWp and a 1kWp micro inverter system to get done....

Should have all the gear in our hands today which is the biggest hurdle at the moment, although things seemed to have got a lot easier in the last week. You could get another couple in if you wanted......

 

[MorganPVI]

Our last job goes in Monday, then subbing till the 10th.

 

[dansk]

Im done Tuesday, but i am going to survey in the morning so maybe if i can get the kit that will be the last one.

 

[northernsun]

Hopefully done tuesday and I cannot bloody wait! The worst thing for me has been dealing with customers! I hate the way I have been dealing with them- ie, ringing up to re-arrange things because of missed deliveries etc.. Not just once but 3 times for one customer. I hate having to be like this and It has really worried me that the customer in question must have thought I was some sort of cowboy making excuses and keeping a lot of her money. Either that or I've just come across as incompetent. Thankfully all have been undestanding but it infuriates me that I've been put in this position.
That and the general stress of the last month of herding cats means I can't wait for a couple of days of lying down!

 

[SRE]

That's what I've hated the way we've had to move customers around. Our issues have been more around getting our roofer on site and the weather but in the roofers case they had already doubled their work for us to help us out and understand the deadline we've had to work with it. It wasn't their fault, or ours!

Our last one on Tuesday and I don't expect to install until Feb after that.

 

[JulianC]

Was planning to finish today but a customer got in touch day before yesterday to see if we could fit him in. Stock arriving for that one on Tuesday....with any luck

'Tis the storm before the calm....

 

[Eco Deal]

30 days with out a day off ! due a LLLLLLOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGG sleep !!!!

 

[SolarCity]

I have been told that I have had just 24 days off this year - including 14 days in Cyprus with my laptop perched on my lap.

I have also worked out that I spend 4 days in the office for every 1 day on site. I expect that ratio to increase on the office side after the deadline.

 

[SRE]

We've had 2 weekends off the whole of this year, it's been torture but going to San Francisco in November was supposed to be the trade off :-(

We'll be finished, paperwork and all by Thursday and that's us til mid January!

 

[MorganPVI]

I can almost taste the all you can eat Chinese we will be going to for the firm Christmas do, expecting a sore head on the 19th.

 

[dansk]

On mine tonight, free bar all night.

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Xmas do booked for the 17th, cant wait! Still got 1x trapezoidal 4kW to complete, 1 slate 4kW to do and 1x 4kW on the ground (600 miles away). All in all looking forward to the glorious 9th when I too can have a long lie in and chill out for a while. Oh yes and wait for the nice VAT return that Ive just submitted!!!

 

[powervan]

VAT inspection in new yr i rec for u lot!!!!!!!!!!! firsty im glad biggs said 4 days in office to 1 on site!that explains the mess in my office!! all jobs done except PAPERWORK!!!!! i got 1x centrosolar kit outstanding !!!!! that prob be on 12th !!! them im out of it!!!! dont no how u lads manage it all !! im jumping ship before i get REAL moaning at y deposits from last 6 weeks never went into dep account!!!! nic mcs picking holes in my fileing cabinet!! i prob would open door and say ______ off at mo!!! back to being a simple sparks!! although that seem easy peasey (office wise now)!!! a traumatic lesson in office managment mcs has been !! ps SNOW COMING

 

[jupestar]

still got 35KWp to install... ****ing myself.... Boss suggested squeezing in a couple more domestics. We have the kit... but no chance, really looking forward to Xmas.

 

[powervan]

Best of luck!! ££££££££££££££££bonus££££££££££££££££££££

 

[morph]

will the new FIT kill your businesses or just the rent a roof bussiness?
after this date will it be easier to source materials? due to fewer companies sourcing materials
just interested in the effects of the latest change

cheers

 

[powervan]

i think it will be other way! rent a roof scheme now makes sense! no cost! free electric!! NO BRAINER NOW! if kits come down to correct price then smaller companies should survive but defo less instals!! i dont think u wil survive on instals alone unless u can by inbulk!! old story (capital)! u can survive i rec doing instals for the bigger companies plus a few of ur own! BUT to justify the PAPERWORK!mcs!real then (its tight)! the rent a roof boys have the money to buy CHEAP so still a viable £££ thing for them! well for old lang zine my friends for all lang zine i bring a cup of cheer myfriends! or perhaps a FITS policy change

 

[solarsparkie]

I dont suppose you fancy a trip to sunny dorset to give us a hand do you? 07866 777 474

Scaffold is going up on the last install tomorrow morning and were following up to get the roof work started. We can't get the stock we need for other jobs we have won so have decided to call it a day.

 

[SolarCity]

If I had the time, I definitely would. Unfortunately we have just started wading into the mass of paperwork. I need to get most of it done before my trip to Lanzarote on the 15th.

 

[jupestar]

Yeah agree with powervan - rent a roof will carry on till march at least... returns are still there i believe but the confidence to buy is not. We are not getting many domestic enquires anymore and those we are getting are not serious enough to invest too much time in.

The c-rated stuff will kill it off - we'll start doing other technologies, wholesale, and i'll go back to gas and coal, just to keep things ticking over till things pick up again.

my father is building a small jam factory his land. it will have ground source heat pumps, BIPV on the south, with thin film on the north.. A thermal unit, air source heat pumps, rain water storage, maybe CHP, and a small wind turbine on the roof if planning allows. It will be the most overspeced building you will ever see, as it is only 5mx14.... But that is jan... before that it will be holidays, holidays holidays....

 

[SolarCity]

my father is building a small jam factory his land. it will have ground source heat pumps, BIPV on the south, with thin film on the north.. A thermal unit, air source heat pumps, rain water storage, maybe CHP, and a small wind turbine on the roof if planning allows. It will be the most overspeced building you will ever see, as it is only 5mx14.

Love it!

 

[funboy57]

We have no installs planned or pending after this week, not even getting any enquiries. Carrilion are laying off virtually all their staff, installers CV`s are landing in my inbox daily. We are not sure whether to continue with PV next year. We will diversify into other areas. As a company we will survive , PV to us is just a bolt on to our business. Tis a pity though to knock it on the head.

 

[solarsparkie]

Send their details my way , we need sparkies in dorset yesterday

 

[powervan]

ONE good thing lads!! scrap value BONKERS took 10 builders sacks of bits of t/e bit of swa bit of pipe bit of alley £950 SPONDOOOOLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!perhaps i best get scaffolds down on last 2 jobs before it all dissapears!! then again if its stolen i spose its a replace like for like SO PERHAPS WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE pikies to get into solar so we have work in new yr

 

[SRE]

Good God we never get anything like that! That will make up for some fo those failed deliveries ... might stretch to half a trip to San fran ...

 

[powervan]

prob them house bricks in the bottom of the sacks its sky high at mo!!

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Remember "rent a roof" schemes will also loose the TAX breaks, so I think they will slip away....Just waiting for the confirmation of the ACTUAL rate post Dec 12th, and for customers to realise the next BIG hurdle will be the EPC.....