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Free PV Offer For Consumers
EOS Energy announce £20-million scheme to install free PV
EOS Energy , is offering to install PV (photovoltaic) panels on the roofs of houses, small businesses, local authority buildings and community centres for free - and the electricity generated won't cost a penny. So what's the catch? Quite frankly, there isn't one, assures Lee Summers, director of EOS, who explained that the company has managed to acquire funding of £20-million to enable a scheme for customers who could otherwise not afford a PV system. Rooftop arrays capable of generating solar power for homes and small buildings cost in the region of £15,000.
“Our scheme includes free fitting, maintenance and insurance of the rooftop PV system, with the building occupants receiving all the electricity generated by the system free of charge for the duration of the 25 year period of operation. The occupants also receive a ‘roof rental' payment if the yield is suitable,” said Mr Summers.
The reason EOS is able to offer the “free” scheme is because of the Government's Feed in Tariff (FiT). Those who purchase their own PV system would normally receive the FiT (44p per kilowatt) themselves, but by taking advantage of the free scheme the building occupants forfeit the FiT to the funder, although they will receive the electricity generated for free.
Mr Summers stressed that EOS Energy would not be receiving the Feed in Tariff itself - this would be harvested by the funder of the scheme. “We are merely trying to help people that can't afford a PV system to protect themselves from the anticipated increases in electricity prices, and, of course, to encourage the use of renewable energy,” he said.
Mr Summers said EOS would have to assess all applications for the free rooftop arrays to ensure the premises were suitable. In accordance with the REAL (Renewable Energy Assurance) Scheme EOS will also supply a quotation, explaining what it would cost to buy the system, what the FiT would be, and offering the free system as an alternative.
“We are delighted to be able to offer this exceptional deal, which is not only generating clean energy and saving people a great deal of money, but also means we are expanding our workforce, providing at least 50 more jobs, in order to cope with demand,” said Mr Summers.
