What you can do as an individual
Success of Solar Together Scheme 1 and response to recent You and Yours radio report
In June 2023 'You and Yours' recently focused on customers impacted by Green Energy Together (GET UK)'s failure to deliver, who are in London, Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire only. This is not a company used in Wiltshire as part of the Solar Together scheme.
With regards to the Solar Together Scheme in Wiltshire (2022-2023) which has just come to an end, both installers used, Infinity Renewables and EE Renewables, had great success and satisfaction levels from customers, with over 80% of customers saying that they would recommend Solar Together to their friends and family. Overall, there were 712 installations in Wiltshire, which equates to over 12,900 tonnes of carbon avoided over 25 years (the equivalent to roughly 7,000 cars off roads for a year) and with more than £7.5 million invested in the scheme from our residents. Only 3.6% of customers contacted iChoosr with a complaint and we are satisfied that they have worked to keep in touch with customers to understand and resolve the issues.
Installers working with Solar Together are in a contractual relationship with iChoosr, and the qualification process for the installers involves multiple elements including:
- evidence of MCS certification plus either HIES or RECC certification
- evidence of a CRM system that enables them to manage a high volume of customers.
- evidence that the installer can realise an Insurance Backed Guarantee for workmanship.
- evidence of Insurance policies that cover liability, works and indemnity.
- annual accounts
- details of organisation and employees
- evidence of customer satisfaction results
- financial due diligence which is performed by an independent specialist
Before its qualification in February 2022 GET UK had successfully installed around 1,000 PV installations in multiple programmes; and was qualified and approved to participate most recently in February 2022. Since this time, its performance has deteriorated, and it has not been qualified to bid in further auctions with Solar Together. iChoosr are working hard, alongside industry bodies such as MCS and HIES as well as the councils where these customers have been impacted to work through the issues they are facing as GET UK customers. For those customers who are seeking a deposit refund where there was no installation, iChoosr are helping by highlighting how they can get their deposit refunded which depends on their circumstances.
Therefore we are confident that for Scheme 2 (2023-2024), that irrespective of the installer(s) selected, iChoosr will work with them and us to ensure the best service for its customers and our residents.
Find out your carbon footprint
To begin lowering your carbon footprint one of the first things you can do is to establish what your footprint is. The WWF carbon calculator (opens new window) is a good tool to achieve this.
Spread the word
To ensure greenhouse emissions decrease fast enough we are going to need engage within society. Talking about it encourages others to think about it and spreads the message further.