In the last few days, I've finally dotted the final 'i' and crossed the last 't' when it comes to the bureaucracy that can surround the acquisition of solar panels in the current regulatory framework.
The first item was my application for payment of the feed-in tariff (FiT) from my current energy supplier, EDF. I got a mailing from them that included two copies of their 'Statement of Terms', one of which I had to sign and send back. I note they didn't call this a contract and, worryingly, there was a clause on the accompanying letter that stated that the Statement of Terms was subject to change.
Given the fiscal tendencies of the current government, it is easy to imagine that the terms might be changed without warning. It seems that FiTs can no longer be thought of as being guaranteed for 25 years despite the claims of the website of the Energy Saving Trust. Now that I'm on the scheme, all I can do is watch it over its lifetime.
Along with the Statement of Terms was a form for me to fill in my meter reading. This bothered me at first because I initially feared that they wanted my FiT payments to start from this new reading. That would render the electricity I had generated so far worthless and cost me £200. I had already lost £40 because I had applied for FiT payment a week after the panels were installed.
A phonecall to the Green Team at EDF calmed my fears. The reading stated on the Statement of Terms at the end of May was the starting point for my payments. The form was merely being sent because June is one of the four months annually that I have to send them a reading, along with September, December and March. Had I received that form earlier in the month, I would have probably received my first FiT payment now. As it is, the payment up to June will be lumped in with the payment between June and September.
The second bureaucratic box I had to tick was to send Installation Company's receipted invoice to the people at the Energy Saving Trust. This was along with photocopies of bank statements that show both the money coming in from EST and the payments out to Installation Company.
Meanwhile, the panels have settled into their routine. Since the last of my weekly updates, I had a week across the summer solstice where generation was into the 20s four days in a row, 133 units in total or £55. The weather then broke with fronts coming through interspersed with sunshine and showers. for two weeks, generation has been around 83 units or £34. Quite a variation. Here's a graph of daily generation:
My average is sitting at 14 units per day and I still reckon I'll beat the official figures, despite the poor weather recently.
