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Solar

Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 2:47pm
47 replies1186 views14 members subscribed
Michael 71

Posts: 25

9 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 28 Nov 2022

Hi all, 

I am writing this as a warning / information to anyone interested  in getting solar panels installed. Please do as much research as you can, talk with others regarding solar companies and most importantly make sure you are on the correct tarrif with your electric company and that you actually will benefit financially from having panels installed. 

We had solar panels installed by Ecocorp in Dec 22. Our latest bill in Feb was over 400 euro. After a significant amount of arguing with the staff of Ecocorp, a couple of trips to Iberdrola, we eventually we're given a contact number for a translator to help us. ( this was from a friend of ours) our translator Roxanne went above and beyond being a translator to help us. We got an electrition from Iberdrola to come out and check our property to find out what was wrong. At our expense mind you, as Ecocorp did not agree to send an engineer. What transpired was, we are on phase 3 so the electricity coming to our house was enough to power 4 villas or a factory our electrician told us. We should have been on mono, which is normal power for all villas. At no time when Ecocorp came to sell us solar panels did the tell us what phase 3 power meant, despite seeing our bills. Most  of the electricity we have been gaining from solar was going straight to the electric company as we were on private instead of public. 

So, at the end of this saga, we've paid 10.000 euro to Ecocorp for panels we probably wouldn't have needed if we were on the right tariff payment for the electriction, our translator, and another 400/ 500 to have the legality of this sorted. We have 16 panels, or ornaments as I was calling them on the roof and a huge box in the hall for phase 3 that we didn't need. 

Moral of the story check, check and check again get an independent person to help. 

I cannot recommend Roxanne highly enough, she's been a godsend to us. 

M. 

janboon

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 8:25am

janboon

Helpful member

Posts: 175

123 helpful points

Location: Albox

Joined: 5 Mar 2018

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 8:25am

Hi Michael, thank you for this info, I am thinking of having them installed,  but your unpleasant experience  has made me  realise I need to do more research, more info. are you based in Arboleas.Can you.please pmx me with Roxanne's number.

Kind regards

MaggieB

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:11am

MaggieB

Helpful member

Posts: 308

214 helpful points

Joined: 10 May 2020

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:11am

Thank you for sharing.  What an awful experience for you to have to go through.

Crancrank

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 5:03pm

Crancrank

Helpful member

Posts: 549

363 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 8 Feb 2018

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 5:03pm

Just out of interest, did the solar company give you a forecast of the saving you would have made in consumption before you gave them the go ahead?

Michael 71

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:46am

Michael 71

Original Poster

Posts: 25

9 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 28 Nov 2022

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:46am

janboon wrote on Tue Mar 28, 2023 8:25am:

Hi Michael, thank you for this info, I am thinking of having them installed,  but your unpleasant experience  has made me  realise I need to do more research, more info. are you based in Arboleas.Can you.please pmx me with Roxanne's number.

Kind regards

Hi there, 

Yes we are based in Arboleas. 

I will forward Roxannes number to you as soon as I contact her and ask her permission. 

M

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Michael 71

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:48am

Michael 71

Original Poster

Posts: 25

9 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 28 Nov 2022

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:48am

MaggieB wrote on Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:11am:

Thank you for sharing.  What an awful experience for you to have to go through.

Yes we are both certainly suffering stressful effects from this. 

I really wish we had done a lot more research than we did. 

M

Michael 71

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:52am

Michael 71

Original Poster

Posts: 25

9 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 28 Nov 2022

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:52am

Crancrank wrote on Tue Mar 28, 2023 5:03pm:

Just out of interest, did the solar company give you a forecast of the saving you would have made in consumption before you gave them the go ahead?

Hi there, 

Indeed they did we were lead to believe we would be paying very little once everything had gone through. 

Which of course was false, if we'd known what phase 3 power was and changed it we would have been paying very little anyway. A very serious lesson and 10.000 euro out of pocket, 

M

mark2cv

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:52am

Posts: 115

48 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 7 Oct 2017

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:52am

Michael 71 wrote on Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:52am:

Hi there, 

Indeed they did we were lead to believe we would be paying very little once everything had gone through. 

Which of course was false, if we'd known what phase 3 power was and changed it we would have been paying very little anyway. A very serious lesson and 10.000 euro out of pocket, 

M

Even with a single phase supply, electric is still expensive here. Once your supply is changed you should be quids in with a decent system..

Crancrank

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:58am

Crancrank

Helpful member

Posts: 549

363 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 8 Feb 2018

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:58am

mark2cv wrote on Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:52am:

Even with a single phase supply, electric is still expensive here. Once your supply is changed you should be quids in with a decent system..

Yes but he will only be quits in after he has recovered his 10k installation costs

mark2cv

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:12am

Posts: 115

48 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 7 Oct 2017

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:12am

Crancrank wrote on Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:58am:

Yes but he will only be quits in after he has recovered his 10k installation costs

If it's a forever home why do you have to "recover" the costs? You will have drastically reduced one of your biggest monthly bills and insulated yourself from future rises - win win!

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