Parliament this morning

solarelectrix · Nov 3, 2011

Re: Running a small business - worst day
sorry guys thought I start new thread on this:

I was able to get my local MP to raise the concerns of the PV industry this morning in parliament - as a result I have been contacted by some of the media trying to ask how bad this is for us. If any you guys have some stats, I meet my mp tomorrow to try and get here a better understanding of the plight of the humble installers.

I don't think all is lost, we have little stock in the Uk channel and some are experiencing poor service from those who where our fair weather friends! Any body who wants me to pass your comments on, please send to [email protected].

I have given some media organisations this web site as a reference to show our anger and dispair at these proposals.

I am pleased that my local MP has taken the challenge - we need to be heard or Uk solar installers will be closed 12/11.

Markc · Nov 3, 2011

I think you could take some posts from here as most sum it up.

I've lost £120K of work simple as!

If you pass on my comments I think you'd be shown the door!

GreggElectrical · Nov 3, 2011

When looking round a supplier's warehouse, i asked how long he expected his stock of inverters to last (i reckon he had at least 1000). He said he wouldn't be buying anymore till new year. That was september. Called him today to find he had sold out!

Should indicate the scale of panic the industry is in!

LightGEN · Nov 4, 2011

Yep, my business partner and I spent most of the day on the phone sourcing kit for two installations. Eventually resorted to contacting suppliers in Europe and sourced Sanyo HIT235s from Germany. I just hope all the kit we've ordered over the past few days turns up when it's supposed to!

Bloody government :33:

SRE · Nov 4, 2011

My worry is that the rush is going to cause a serious accident. We have members installing in storms, completing paperwork at 2.45am and 4am and then going onto roofs and working with potentially lethal dc electrics and all because of nonsensical timescales for change that mean in order to mitigate for no earnings post 12/12 all boundaries are being pushed.

pwboston · Nov 4, 2011

I have also written to my MP, although my situation is slightly different, IE im waiting to get accredited (we are electrical contractors and were joining the scheme as we had customers wanting solar installed) we havent got accredited yet as we are waiting on the NIC to visit, and can't even do the work yet. So we have invested money and will have to work again at getting the customers.

For reference like someone mentioned above we have lost £80000 worth of installs Monday morning, once we were accredited we were going to do them in December/January.

Not only that, but the property we had negotiated a price on for the assessment etc even they have pulled out so i am having to install a small system on my office

we were going to do this but once things got moving a bit.

I have written stating i think that long term the FIT tariff had to change, but when the original date was proposed, many people make business decisions based on events that are planned and the Government has potentially forced people out of business by messing this up.

secondly the C rating has to be revisited, Having spoke to a builder today and seen the records them selves, brand new houses just built, with all new boilers, windows etc only just made the C rating, it is very difficult for rural properties to get these ratings and there is no real link between solar PV and heat retainment for instance. Generally solar PV is used for general power not heating systems. Anyway could go on but you know it all anyway.

that is the cut down version of what i sent my MP

Zach Halley · Nov 4, 2011

The Impact assessment released on Tues has some very interesting information your (ALL) MPs should consider!

- DECC estimate that installations will reduce by 95% as a result of the proposal (95% * 25,000 jobs to be lost)
- That the current cost of FiTs to bill payers is £1.40 per year (remind your Tory MP of this if he spouts about the cost of green taxes to hard working families)
- The in the do nothing scenario (just drop Fits 9% each April) that the addition to bill would reach £25.80/yr by 2020 (but nobody is arguing for this scenario)
- No account is taken in the IA of the loss to the revenue of 25,000*95% lots of PAYE or consequential state support costs
- No account is taken of the electricity savings made by the 100,000 'hard working families' that have had PV installed.

It seems to be missing a scenario. One in which the FiT was cut 35% by end Dec. This should have been modelled to see how many fewer jobs would be lost and how the Solar PV sector could have ended up as being sustainable rather than demolished.