Solar panel report on mis-selling: Comments and interview
Today’s Which? magazine report exposing misleading claims from the solar heating industry is a great start on the campaign to clean up the industry but the consumer champion may need to take the matter even further to be heard at the highest level.
A number of additional points emerge as Barry Johnston, MD of Solar Twin Ltd comments:
“At last, this catalogue of misleading claims are out in the open and I am really grateful to Which? for bringing them to the public’s attention. They shouldn’t have to however, because the industry should be as ethical and honest – and environmentally friendly as some of the products being sold! It is important that the public can determine which companies are good and which can do a lot better and I look forward to working with anyone to put this right.”
He added on Zero carbon:
“The Which? report on solar panels mis-selling does not mention that the dominant trade body, the Solar Trade Association, (STA) is making repeated false claims that solar heating systems, which have to be plugged into the mains electricity in order to work, are zero carbon. The fact is that if they are plugged into the mains then there will, of course, be carbon emissions at the power stations.”
On Legionella safety:
“Legionella bacteria grow in warm water. In the UK, more people die from Legionella infection than from hot water scalding, so this deserves to be taken seriously. We were surprised to see that the typical solar heating plumbing diagram used to illustrate the Which? article is does not comply with the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance (L8) on Legionella safety. Although the Solar Trade Association describe this plumbing as “safe” the Water Regulations Advisory Service website describes L8 non-compliant systems as being highly likely to be creating a risk of Legionella."
On Telephone quotations:
“We agree with The Which? report’s solar expert who says that quotations by telephone are “doomed to failure” – in the case of complex installations where mains wiring, high pressure plumbing and new hot water cylinders are necessary. However, for simple installations, with no mains wiring, low pressures, and where solar panel just connects to an existing hot water cylinders, then quoting by phone is successful and reliable. We have been trading successfully for ten years with and without inspections pre-quote." (See note 1).
On Non-disclosure of industry links and extensive industry cover-ups:
“The Which? solar article describes only one solar heating company, out of the fourteen which it assessed, as helpful and sensible: Southern Solar. Southern Solar’s Managing Director is Chairman of the Solar Trade Association (STA) and on behalf of the STA he has made repeated claims to the public and to Government that solar heating is zero carbon, when it usually is not. The STA also oppose phone surveys which restrict consumer choice in the case of simple installations like Solartwin’s. The STA have repeatedly threatened Solar Twin Ltd to be silent on the zero carbon and Legionella issues and they have specifically excluded Solar Twin Ltd, a zero carbon solar supplier, from membership because it has raised these matters publicly.”
Barry Johnston added;
“Solartwin solar heater heating technology is a zero carbon innovation. Its hot water storage does comply with HSE guidance on Legionella. Solar Twin sent full evidence of STA misleading claims on both zero carbon and Legionella to Which? magazine over the past 18 months and was disappointed when Which? didn’t publish a Legionella story in Spring 2009.”
Barry Johnston is available for additional comments or interview.
ENDS – 540 words
PHOTOS (300dpi+) and more information at
http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/news/solar-twin
Note 1: Third party government statistics on grant aided solar installations show that more complex technologies had 20% more problems after installation than Solartwin, which was surveyed by phone. Phone quoting has been a deliberate part of Solar Twin Ltd’s environmental strategy for a decade. We examine roofs using aerial photographs. We ask over 60 detailed questions, note the answers on a database and send them to installers. Not only are telephone quotations accurate. They save time, money and, crucially, CO2 -since on-site surveys are avoided.
Solartwin is a Scottish-invented “disruptive technology” for solar water heating. Developed at Napier University in Edinburgh, the technology is a winner of a SMART award for innovation and a best buy from Ethical Consumer Magazine. After 10 years of STA-led opposition on commercial grounds by the self-regulating solar heating industry, it was officially accepted by the UK solar accreditation scheme (MCS) run by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in 2009.
Solar Twin’s third generation solar water heating system is a cost-effective route to renewable energy heating. Solartwin is a quickly fitted and affordable solar water heating system. Installed in a day, it contains far less kit than old solar hot water systems and is far more reliable as a result. So simple, Solar Twin usually requires no re-plumbing, nor antifreeze, nor mains electricity, providing plenty of hot water, dependability, minimal maintenance and better payback.
Solar Twin Ltd is a UK renewable energy company who have installed thousands of Solartwin solar water heating in the past decade. From the outset the company specified sustainability as the essence of their business. For example they pioneered a reliable low carbon solar sales technique which did not involve surveying on site (and all the mileage and emissions which his brings) by initially using satellite photographs of a customers a home to determine if roofs were suitable locations for well-performing solar panels.
Solar Twin’s corporate values look at the big picture. Maximising performance of one component at the expense of this is no longer the way forward to the renewables industry. It looks at sustainability, energy efficiency and a “whole of life” cost. These factors, on top of reliability and getting rid of bought in energy are what really matters to green consumers.
Set up in 1998, Solar Twin Ltd. is based in Chester, Cheshire.
The Solartwin retail website: http://www.solartwin.com
The Solartwin trade website: http://www.solartwinprojects.com
Further information, photos & interviews:
Barry Johnston Managing Director, Solar Twin Ltd.
Email: barry@solartwin.com Mobile: 07712 611658
Tel: 01244 403407 Fax: 01244 403654
Web www.solartwin.com
Press contact:
Jane Harrad-Roberts Marketing Projects, PR
Email: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk Mobile: 07785 395705
Tel: 01244 330000 Fax: 01244 330101
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