It would be one thing if these companies plain and simply don’t offer a buy back program but this runaround we’re getting . . I can’t imagine that these companies don’t have all kinds of other issues if getting solar information is so hard.
This morning Vince talked to the company that assured him they have a plan that will work. They sent him the agreement we have to fill out and sign. This afternoon, a young man from the same company . . a man I had talked to yesterday and said he would get more info and call me back . . he called. He said “sorry but we don’t offer a buy back program at this time.” I said “Huh? We talked to someone with your company this morning and signed up for the program!” He checked, found the records . . no . . we signed up for a straight electricity provided plan . . no buy back.
Vince called the guy he talked to and he said “Oh, I must have made a mistake!” Can you believe this is how the electric companies do business . . and we’re depending on them for our power? Not only does the left hand not know what the right hand is doing, but they don’t give a flip. The higher up the ladder we go talking to people, the less they seem to care and are more concerned about how we got their number.
The only company left that buys back (or that we thought would buy back . . who knows at this point . .) is the one who will only give you half credit for each kW so we may scrap the whole solar plan. At this point, I’m thinking digging a big hole in the ground and crawling in might be the better idea.
Dottie N. says
I’m so sorry to hear all this, Judy – it almost seems like y’all are the ball in the pinball machine going back and forth and back and forth.
Would calling the PUC be of any value as far as additional guidance?!?!?
We signed up for electric service in Texas about 8 years ago (bought our retirement home and have been “moving” things off and on for years). We were told that because of deregulation, we could “choose” our electric company. I called and was signing up for service with one company because of lower rates. They were sending the paperwork and “boom” got a call that they didn’t service our area so had to go back to ground zero and found there was only one company that provided service.
I know this isn’t anything at all like what y’all are going through with the exception that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. It certainly makes things extremely difficult for the consumer when options that were available aren’t really available at all.
Time for a glass (bottle?!?!?) of wine? 🙂
Erin says
Yup scrap it because you never know down the road what they will do “at their discretion”! You tried. Beaurcracy sucks! Also how the hell do these people get their jobs! They are not educated about the product(s) nor do they give a damn about the customer. Yes you to death to get you to sign a contract and hope like hell you are “misinformed! “. Go on your gut! If you feel you should scrap it do so!
Vickie VanDyken says
Grrrrrr. I wonder if that clever Vince could do a little more research and figure out how to set up your own, made by Vince, less expensive system ? I have heard that solar panels are not complicated and not difficult to do yourself. At least you could try it out and see if it would provide enough power for you to get off some of the dependency of the electric companies. Maybe it would work better if you installed it anyway?? Not exactly sure how all that actually shakes out, although I used to be a Plant Equipment Operator for So. Cal Edison. I worked at several generating stations where we made the stuff (Electricity).
I bet he could do it at a cost that wouldn’t break the bank and would be worth some experimentation……
Guess for awhile any way the selling it back isn’t worth the hassel…
Good Luck 🙂
PS I got permits for my husband to take his load to GA, through a service. Not quite sure what “e-modal” is and why the Port of Baltimore uses it. Neither did the not very interested lady I called to help (?) me…The overseas shipper is CH Robinson….so I just went to them and asked. Dumped that one right in there lap!!! Perhaps it’s time to become a low information person??? ROFLOL …not. but no one cares anymore 🙁 Frustration….need to sew !!!
Marion Morgan says
I would be saving all info and correspondence, record your calls and conversations (just keep a record, tape if you can) and send to the government office that oversees the programs offered. Hopefully, heads will roll. It has tobe regulated by someone higher up. This should not be this hard to understand, you two are bright, think of the people who are being taken for a ride, not nice.
Diana in RR,TX says
I guess TXU isn’t available there. They state plain and simple on their web page that they do if you install solar panels or a wind system.
Marion Morgan says
Had to laugh at Vickie’s letter, as soon as I wrote, I picked up a quilt to add the binding. Gets out the frustration. . .sewing is like that!
Jo says
If you don’t get the same answer more than once from the same company then don’t do it. They don’t know what they are talking about and you will get stuck with something you didn’t want
swooze says
I wonder if calling the company you are talking to about the install can give you any insight…..Good luck!
Tinkerfeet says
The solar is still worth it without the buy back! Cut your ties to the grid completely. Then no more hassle at all, you are free and clear.
JudyL says
It all depends on where you are, the cost of your power and the cost of installation. Here, a full system would be a 32 year payback. We don’t have 32 years left. It may be cost effective for you, and for some but it isn’t for us. We’ve researched everything there is to research and the only way we’ll come out ahead, even after 8 to 10 years, is with a buy back of excess energy.
Joyce says
How frustrating! I’m sorry you are going through this!
Katie Z. says
Ah!
Claudia W says
Based on what you are experiencing. I would scrap the solar plan at least for now if I were you. It doesn’t seem that the electric companies are interested in working with you. If you need buy back to make it worth your while, I’d wait until you are much surer that you can get it.
CJ says
You are now at exactly where we ended up. In the end, it made the most sense to scrap solar. I’m sorry you had to go through this.
Kate says
Perhaps you could just delay a bit. Feels less final than scrapping. Things may change in a year or so. Or you may decide otherwise. Good luck.
Rebecca in SoCal says
How frustrating, and confusing. I’m sorry you’ve put so much into this plan to run into this brick wall.
Susan says
Wow! Who was it who used to say, “Ain’t that a revoltin’ development?”
Lynne in Hawaii says
That just ain’t right! It sucketh, big time. So sorry you have to go through this.
patti says
i’m guessing the buy back program is a government backed/required thing and we all know how THOSE things go… with the stroke of a pen! our electric company is required to purchase a certain amount of renewable energy whether they need it or not. they happen to not need it as our energy is hydropowered. to make matters more convoluted, the government in its infinite wisdom does not consider hydropower a renewable resource!
even if at one time a company did buy back solar power, the funding can stop, the amount they are required to buy back can be met, or the timeframe it was mandated for can end. all the while one is trying to be independant,and self sufficient we are still at the mercy of government control. i’m sure the windpowered people with government subsidies and electrical buybacks will soon face the same thing.
my vote would be to scrap the whole thing and go back to enjoying the good life.
Paua L says
Could a little humor help? What if they called back today and said it was all just an April Fools? I really am sorry you all are having all these problems and frustrations.
CindyM says
When I read you wanted to crawl in a hole …. I thought of the earth-sheltered house in southern Illinois we lived in 30 years ago. It was sheltered on 3 sides, with the south side almost all windows (3 rooms wide… the kitchen, dining room and master bedroom. It was covered on top, although there was a house a couple of miles from us that was covered on top. But it has been an experimental house that the university has built… we were the 2nd owners. It was labeled “passive soloar” which just means you have to be smart enough to open the drapes and blinds in the winter when the sun was shining so it would warm up the house. It had a wood burning stove in the great room, which actually did a decent job heating the entire house, but the backup heating was electric baseboard — expensive, but at least you control each room separately. I sort of miss that house. It was on 5 acres –which about 3+ was just wooded… but I did have a huge garden. The worst part was that it too 18 months to sell after we moved from there to Texas. But we loved it for the 6 years we lived there.