Anyone got bookings for post-12th Dec?

[DomB]

..Just wondering, does anyone have any installations booked for after the 12th Dec?

We've got 1 customer whose new roof won't be ready in time but has vowed to press ahead anyway..

 

[SRE]

Nope, we've got one job to go and look at and had a few noises as a result of the work we've been doing this month but nothing concrete and I don't know how we'll be able to quote when we don't know how much the tariff is going to be set at.

 

[BruceB]

I have one survey on 13 Dec and one on 14 Dec which I expect will lead to jobs. There are people around here that realise:
- that solar pv prices are going to fall;
- that the house they live in is never likely to reach EPC level C;
- that they want some independence from rising electricity prices; and
- they might help save the planet a little.

 

[SRE]

You just going with the 21p and waiting to install until it's confirmed? I'm thinking we could maybe do that but I wouldn't want to install before the price is confirmed.

 

[woko]

I'm hoping it will pick up again in January.

 

[BruceB]

Yes I will be basing it on 21p, but will be suggesting waiting until January/February for re-pricing and the actual install so that we can get a good idea of revised pricing and rates.

Regards
Bruce

 

[Markc]

Yes four confirmed for 2012 and all happy (as they can be) at the 21p level. All know if there is a sharp price reduction we will offer the discount to them. Can't say fairer than that.

 

[SRE]

What happens if government responds to the consultation with a 16p rate? We won't know what they are going to do until end of January at the earliest I just can't see how anyone can pre-empt what the figure will be. I'm certainly not installing at risk of having to subsidise customers jobs for 25 years if the Fit is different to that proposed.

It's only 6 weeks ago since people were rubbishing the January deadline that some installers thought might be imposed and none of us saw the December deadline coming. I'm sitting tight until it's confirmed I'll try to generate work on the assumption that the 21p will come through but won't be taking deposits or installing before I know for certain.

 

[SRE]

Well, I'm just getting more pee'd off the more I look at this. I guess if you're a risk taker then you'll not be worrying too much, but we're just too small to be caught out with the tariff being reduced even further at the end of the consultation and ending up being liable for a shortfall of payments.

The Real document that we're supposed to provide to customers says :
How certain are these changes?
[FONT=Arial MT,Arial MT][FONT=Arial MT,Arial MT]The Government is currently consulting on these proposals. This consultation will continue until 23 December. The Government may, following receipt and analysis of these consultation responses, change some or all of the detail of the proposals. But it will not bring forward the cut-off date any earlier than 12 December, or the date for reduction of tariffs to before 1 April 2012.

Looking at the websites of a number of national companies they are failing to mention this at all on their sites.

Totally fed up - can't see a way out of this at all today. Has anyone got any positive news????
[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[DomB]

MarkC with 4 installs in 2012, that is heartening.

My guess is that there'll be a knee jerk drop in action until the public get over what they've missed (and get over Christmas) and they see that the 21p is not all bad (assuming it is 21p). There's already emails going out about prices coming down even further. Maybe it's not the end eh.

I'm struggling to see how to make any money from the Green Deal

 

[Markc]

I have no great issue with 21p to be honest but I have major concerns over the EPC. A 'C' grade is just to high from what I have been researching and with so many unanswered questions regarding this currently it is difficult to know where to go with it after April.

@SRE I fail to see why you think you as an installer would be liable for the balance on the FITs rate if they dropped it further. This is one aspect out of our control. Why would a client expect you to front the balance? If the Government drops the rate further that's between the client and the Government. No difference than if they all of a sudden cut the 25year to 10 for example. I understand your concerns. Are you guaranteeing the rate in any of your own documents?

 

[SRE]

I
@SRE I fail to see why you think you as an installer would be liable for the balance on the FITs rate if they dropped it further. This is one aspect out of our control. Why would a client expect you to front the balance? If the Government drops the rate further that's between the client and the Government. No difference than if they all of a sudden cut the 25year to 10 for example. I understand your concerns. Are you guaranteeing the rate in any of your own documents?

Had quite a long discussion erlier today with REAL about it and there's 2 ways to do it.

Don't tell the customer and I've seen about 15 websites today that are happily telling customers that the rate is going to be 21p - which we clearly don't know and won't know until the beginning of Feb.

Or tell the customer that you don't know what it's going to be and hope they sign up. I'm in the last option but don't expect anyone to sign up before they know what to expect.

Real are saying that you shouldn't be linking your quotes to payback periods because you don't know what they will be and it was Real who said that if you've sold the system showing a payback of 21p and the government then sets the rate lower than that then the customer could well take you to court for the difference in payments as it has effectively been mis-sold.

So, if you have a green customer then that's great but if your customers are expecting the 21p and you install on that basis you could leave yourself wide open and we now live in a very litigous society. It probably wouldn't happen but I wouldn't want to be taking the risk. Others will no doubt take another view.


I think our plan of action will be to survey at the end of January for installation on the second week of Feb assuming the payments come in at 21p as expected but we won't be installing before the government has made it's decision. We've been shafted once and I'm not keen to go there again