Solar panels – illustrative photo.
Prague – Fraudulent traders, the so-called energosmejdi, began to exploit the sharp increase in interest in renewable energy sources. Some suppliers lure customers with unrealistic returns on solar power plants. In some cases, it can be up to four times longer than they promise. This was pointed out by the consulting company EGÚ Brno. The demand for photovoltaic power plants or heat pumps was a record last year, the number of installations increased several times.
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According to the consulting firm, the real payback of the most commonly proposed photovoltaics with battery storage for a regular family home is around 11 years when using the subsidy, and possibly up to ten years longer without the subsidy. However, some suppliers are providing clients with misleading information about much lower returns, according to the company.
“Such calculations are mainly made by taking into account last year's extremely high electricity prices for the entire period of operation of the power plant. However, the price of power electricity has fallen by more than 80 percent since then, the decline will continue in the following years, and soon this will have a significant impact on the reduction of end-user bills customers,” said EGÚ Brno strategy director Michal Macenauer. According to him, some suppliers state the payback period for the investment in photovoltaics for households at the level of three years. “However, the payback of solar power plants in the order of lower units of years has never been realistic,” he emphasized.
According to him, some merchants do not even include the costs of service, the necessary ongoing replacement of components or the costs of adjusting the take-off point in their return calculations, which further prolongs the final return on the investment in the equipment.
“With some suppliers, you can currently find information about the payback of photovoltaics for households at the level of three years. However, the payback of solar power plants in the order of lower units of years has never been realistic,” pointed out Macenauer.
According to EGÚ Brno, unfair practices appear mainly among new and smaller suppliers who appeared on the market together with the growing demand for solar power plants. “Households and companies should therefore not be tempted by suspicious-looking offers from assembly companies with no traceable history, but rather choose among reputable suppliers. At the same time, they should not invest only because of the expectation of a quick return,” Macenauer added.
Much faster company installations have a payback than domestic photovoltaics. According to the consulting company's calculations, this usually ranges between four and six years. At the same time, the company allows exceptions in both directions.
In the previous weeks, the authorities and energy companies drew attention to other unfair practices of the so-called energy scoundrels. One of them is, for example, the abuse of government-given limits on the price of electricity and gas, which they use as an excuse to sign often disadvantageous contracts. At the same time, they threaten clients with, for example, disconnection from the supply. Other merchants, on the other hand, threaten consumers with disconnection from the supply for not paying a single deposit. Such according to the Energy Regulatory Office, the procedure may be contrary to the law, therefore e breach of payment obligation should be repeated.
