Homeowners with solar panels on their roof that were installed by A Shade Greener were promised free solar panels. Let’s refresh our memories how the solar panels were supposed to be really completely free and that there is no catch (their words).
Solar Panels Can’t Be Free if You Don’t Own Them
You signed the contract, and the solar panels are installed. According to a reasonable interpretation of the ad, you are now the recipient of free solar panels. Why is it then that your roof space has been leased to A Shade Greener and you’re not allowed to touch the solar panels that are on your roof? The answer is simple: you don’t own the solar panels on your roof, A Shade Greener does.
A Shade Green leases the homeowner’s airspace for 25 years and installs their solar panels in that space. The solar panels might be positioned in the same location as they would be if they were owned by the homeowner. But the homeowner has no ownership rights over them. Only 25 years later will they switch owners. At this point, it is realistic that it would be economically most viable to replace them with new and more efficient panels, which will generate significantly more energy.
Sadly, at least than 20% of homeowners will never actually become owners of the solar panels on their roof (assuming everyone kept living in the same house), life is not infinite. A lease period of 25 years is a very long time.
A Shade Greener are the UK market leaders in the free solar industry, with over 67,000 free installs under our belt, we have many happy customers benefitting from the FREE electricity our systems provide. We’re not currently installing, but you can register your interest for FREE solar panels for when installations resume in 2017.
A Shade Greener, old website screenshot (source)
Some percentage of homeowners will in the end receive a free, but dated set of solar panels. Would this make the claim of free solar panels technically correct (however misleadingly)? Well, maybe. This would make free, technically correct, but that’s not really relevant as A Shade Greener isn’t using this line of arguing. But A Shade Greener says that they have already supplied free systems.
A Shade Greener calls panels that they install free, but the panels remain theirs. Similarly, if your neighbour offered you a free car and parked his car in your spot, you would not have received a free car. By using the term free, A Shade Greener has simply been dishonest. No-one has received free solar panels so far.
Verdict: You did not receive free solar panels; A Shade Greener still owns them.