ᐅ Solar panels unavailable – Additional charges or cancellation possible?
Created on: 17 Jul 2020 12:49
K
kati1337
Hello!
We are currently in the middle of building our house, and our photovoltaic system is scheduled to be installed soon. Today, the company responsible for this, hired by our construction firm, called me.
We had already included the photovoltaic system in the original contract offer with our building contract. In hindsight, it was much too expensive. At the time, we didn’t know better / we naïvely didn’t compare prices because we wanted everything “from one source,” as we’re not experts and were hesitant to assign trades separately. We have a contract price of €9,280 gross for 4.2 kWp (kilowatt peak). (I know, stop laughing.)
The company said on the phone that the offer is from late 2019 and that the modules in that capacity are no longer available. He offered to use modules with higher output. We would then pay an additional €600 for 4.55 kWp instead of 4.2 kWp. The alternative would be to remove one module so that the kWp matches the original offer again. However, that would look bad because we have a manor-style gable, and then one side would have 7 modules and the other side 6.
I said that I think this is too much extra money to invest and that I find the system very expensive anyway. From our point of view, this is frustrating. Our contract included a drawing showing that we would get 14 modules with x kWp for price y. I don’t really understand why the unavailability of these 14 modules should be my problem now, and why I should either pay extra or accept worse aesthetics.
We did some calculations together, and he said we could split the difference, which would cost €300 extra, but then we would get modules matching the roof color and a bit more output than before. I told him on the phone that we could do that, but have not signed anything yet.
What would you do?
Part of me would like to say that we should just cancel the expensive photovoltaic system since they can’t deliver what we agreed in the contract. But I don’t know the legal situation / if that is even possible. Some preparatory work has already been done, and cables have been run to the attic.
We are currently in the middle of building our house, and our photovoltaic system is scheduled to be installed soon. Today, the company responsible for this, hired by our construction firm, called me.
We had already included the photovoltaic system in the original contract offer with our building contract. In hindsight, it was much too expensive. At the time, we didn’t know better / we naïvely didn’t compare prices because we wanted everything “from one source,” as we’re not experts and were hesitant to assign trades separately. We have a contract price of €9,280 gross for 4.2 kWp (kilowatt peak). (I know, stop laughing.)
The company said on the phone that the offer is from late 2019 and that the modules in that capacity are no longer available. He offered to use modules with higher output. We would then pay an additional €600 for 4.55 kWp instead of 4.2 kWp. The alternative would be to remove one module so that the kWp matches the original offer again. However, that would look bad because we have a manor-style gable, and then one side would have 7 modules and the other side 6.
I said that I think this is too much extra money to invest and that I find the system very expensive anyway. From our point of view, this is frustrating. Our contract included a drawing showing that we would get 14 modules with x kWp for price y. I don’t really understand why the unavailability of these 14 modules should be my problem now, and why I should either pay extra or accept worse aesthetics.
We did some calculations together, and he said we could split the difference, which would cost €300 extra, but then we would get modules matching the roof color and a bit more output than before. I told him on the phone that we could do that, but have not signed anything yet.
What would you do?
Part of me would like to say that we should just cancel the expensive photovoltaic system since they can’t deliver what we agreed in the contract. But I don’t know the legal situation / if that is even possible. Some preparatory work has already been done, and cables have been run to the attic.
T
T_im_Norden17 Jul 2020 13:29You agreed to it over the phone, so the matter is settled anyway.
T_im_Norden schrieb:
You agreed on the phone, so this matter is settled anyway. Let’s assume I didn’t say "yes, we agree," but instead said "I’ll discuss it with my husband, you can send me the offer for now."
T_im_Norden schrieb:
You agreed to it on the phone, so the matter is settled anyway.Only theoretically.Removing the photovoltaic system afterward isn’t any easier either. Maybe you can agree on a compensation for effort, around 1000€ or so, and then you can hire someone yourself.
How detailed was the original quote broken down? Can you quantify the preparatory work completed so far?
Otherwise, I’m skeptical that they will fairly account for your share in any calculation.
Still, you should have it calculated and at the same time get one or more quotes for the remaining work. That way, you can figure out what will be more cost-effective for you.
However, the remaining work is probably not very attractive for a new solar installer. Especially because of warranty issues, many will likely refuse to continue work done by others.
I’m afraid you might be “stuck.”
Otherwise, I’m skeptical that they will fairly account for your share in any calculation.
Still, you should have it calculated and at the same time get one or more quotes for the remaining work. That way, you can figure out what will be more cost-effective for you.
However, the remaining work is probably not very attractive for a new solar installer. Especially because of warranty issues, many will likely refuse to continue work done by others.
I’m afraid you might be “stuck.”
Tolentino schrieb:
How detailed was the original quote? Can you specify the preparatory work that has been completed so far?
Otherwise, I don’t think they will calculate fair shares for you in their billing.
But have them calculate it anyway and at the same time get one or more quotes for the remaining work. Then you can figure out what will be cheaper for you.
However, the remaining work probably isn’t very attractive for a new solar installer now. Especially due to warranty issues, many will likely refuse to continue someone else’s work.
I’m afraid you might be "trapped." As far as I know, only the cables between the distribution board and the roof have been installed so far; the solar installer hasn’t done anything yet, only the electrician.
The contract’s quote wasn’t very detailed. It only mentioned the system capacity (4.2 kWp), the inverter manufacturer, the panel manufacturer, and the number and dimensions of the panels.
It seems they cannot supply the latter as specified.
Our contract also included a drawing of the house with the (symmetrically arranged) solar panels.
So I’m wondering if we really have to accept that either the symmetry of the house will be compromised, or that we will be charged for panels with higher wattage.
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