You want to be eco-friendly and save on your electricity bills, so you have solar panels installed. It all looks great, until… you realise they don’t actually work.
What are you meant to do in this situation?
Before you panic, you’ll be pleased to know that there are steps you can take to fix things with the provider who installed the solar panels – even if they don’t resolve it directly with you.
Read on to find out more!
By the way, if you have an unresolved Solar Panel Complaint…
UtilitiesADR offers a FREE, independent route to a resolution – approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute to settle non-regulated utility disputes across the UK, whether you’re an individual consumer or a business with over 10 employees.
Common Solar Panel problems
As with anything, there are many ways that solar panels may malfunction. The best way to determine what has gone wrong would be to contact a professional (such as the provider/engineers who initially installed them for you).
Common solar panel issues may include:
- Not generating electricity
- Generating less electricity than expected
- An inverter or other component developing a fault
- Incorrect installation of the panels
- Faulty monitoring equipment
- The installation doesn’t meet the agreed specifications
REMEMBER:
It’s important not to assume that a reduction in electricity generation automatically means the panels are faulty. Solar panel electricity generation can vary depending on factors such as weather, daylight hours, shading and the condition of the system.
If you’re concerned that your solar panels aren’t performing as they should, your first step should be to contact the company that installed or supplied it to submit a formal complaint.
Before submitting a Solar Panel complaint…
Before reaching out to the provider who installed the panels for you, it’s usually worth gathering evidence in preparation to strengthen your complaint and increase its chances of success.
Here’s what we recommend you should do!
1. Check your Solar Panels
No matter what your complaint is about, it’s always worth gathering some basic information that clearly demonstrates what went wrong, and eliminates any room for confusion.
For example, you might want to check and make note of:
- When you first noticed the problem
- How much (if any) electricity the solar panels are generating
- Whether your inverter or monitoring system is displaying an error
- Whether the problem is constant or intermittent
- Whether any equipment appears damaged
It can also be useful to take photographs or screenshots of error messages, monitoring information or any visible issues.
Don’t attempt to repair electrical equipment yourself!
If you believe there may be an electrical fault or safety issue, it’s always advisable to contact an appropriately qualified professional to carry out any repairs. Not only is it safer, but if you try and fix the issue yourself and accidentally damage anything further, you could also make it harder to prove who was liable for the issue in the process.
2. Check your paperwork
Before contacting the installer, locate any documents relating to your solar panel installation.
This could include:
- Your contract or order confirmation
- The installation specification
- Invoices or receipts
- Guarantees or warranties
- Details of any maintenance or servicing agreement
- Emails or messages exchanged with the installer
- Information about the system’s expected performance
What was promised? What did you agree to originally?
These documents can help you establish what you were told you were purchasing and what services the company agreed to provide.
3. Contact your solar panel installer
Finally, after having gathered the relevant evidence and made a clear account of events, your next step should normally be to give the provider an opportunity to investigate and resolve the problem.
Filing a formal complaint with the provider and giving them an opportunity to put things right is usually a key requirement for most forms of complaint escalation later down the line – such as using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), or going to court.
Not sure what Alternative Dispute Resolution is? Please see our dedicated article here:
> What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
For example, you may ask them to:
- Inspect the system
- Repair or replace faulty equipment
- Correct an installation problem
- Investigate why the system isn’t generating as expected
- Provide information or documentation that you were promised
- Refund or compensate you where appropriate
How can UtilitiesADR help?
UtilitiesADR is a free-to-use independent Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme that considers non-regulated complaints between consumers and participating utility providers. We’ll review the information and evidence provided by both parties before reaching an impartial decision… All within 60 Days of declaring a Complete Complaint File!
We offer 3 ways for you to submit your complaint to us, all of which are completely FREE:
Not sure what the difference between regulated and non-regulated utility complaints is? Please see our dedicated article on this:
> Regulated VS Non-Regulated Utility Complaints: What’s the Difference?
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