You know when something is worthwhile and profitable when high-pressure sales types attempt to cash in. Such is the case with renewable energy.
The other day I received a cold call from a call centre in Scotland, in which a young woman told me that the government had just introduced a new grant called the Feed in Tariff, from which I could benefit. I only had to agree for a free visit from an energy advisor. I agreed to be put through to the next young person to talk about this, interested in what they were going to say. This young man talked a lot, at high speed, about how much I could make from photovotaic panels and the ‘new’ government ‘grant’, and very little about the fact that I would have to pay for the panels up front, receiving payments from the Feed in Tarrif over the next few years. The patter was all about getting the advisor/salesman in through the front door. I was not even asked which direction my roof faced, or whether it was shaded, which might even have saved the ‘advisor’ a visit.
Now I’m not saying that this company sold a bad product, or were doing anything more dubious than normal advertising ‘puff’, although their script was misleading. However, it is unnecessary to do business with this kind of company. There are good, local businesses who have much experience in installing renewable energy, and care about getting exactly the right product for your property. For a large project, there is plenty of advice and information available for you to organize the installation yourself, and maximise the income from the project.
PV panels are still an excellent investment, despite the falling Feed in Tariff – if they weren’t, there would not be so many salesmen interested in selling them to you!
For impartial advice you can contact our team at Dorset Energized and check out our renewable energy pages on: www.letsgetenergized.co.uk/energy