Mr Marcin from a tiny town in Poland had long dreamed of becoming independent of the ever-increasing energy prices. erstwhile he heard about photovoltaic subsidies and energy storage, he thought it was a large opportunity. In his account he had savings – 140 1000 PLN, which he put aside for years for a "black hour". Inspired by the imagination of inexpensive energy, he decided to allocate this money to the photovoltaic installation along with the energy storage. The representatives of the company who visited his home were enthusiastic. They promised savings, fast return on investment and no electricity charges. Everything sounded like a dream.
However, respective months later, Mr. Marcin began to regret this dream.
“It was the decision of life, and I feel as if I have been deceived”
The installation company presented a detailed project: 10 kW photovoltaic installation and 10 kWh energy storage. The full was to cost PLN 140 thousand, of which Mr Marcin could recover about PLN 40 1000 from the grant. He covered the remainder out of his own pocket.
- “I believed that I was investing in the future. Everything looked beautiful at the presentation: graphs, simulations of savings, and even data that showed that my electricity bills would drop almost to zero.” – remembers.
A fewer weeks after the installation came the first electrical bill. Mr Marcin was pale, seeing the amount – almost 600 PLN. He was amazed due to the fact that in the summertime his installation produced immense amounts of energy. He called the company to find out what went wrong. The typical assured him that it was normal, and the actual savings would not be seen until a fewer months later.
- “I believed it due to the fact that I am not a specialist. I waited patiently.”
The bills grew and the savings were invisible
Winter was a real blow. Photovoltaic installation produced negligible amounts of energy, and Mr. Marcin had to usage electricity from the grid. The energy warehouse, which was expected to be a remedy for specified situations, was almost useless.
- "I have learned that the magazine is not able to cover my needs 24/7. It only works for a fewer hours, and then I gotta usage the power again. Why has nobody told me this before?” – says annoyed.
The bills for the current in winter reached as much as PLN 800 per month. Mr. Martin felt cheated. He called the installation company, trying to get answers, but each time he heard the same excuses: “This is temporary”, “Please be patient”, “The summertime will be better”. Even in spring, however, the situation did not improve.
Why did the investment not meet expectations?
After many months of frustration, Mr Marcin began to search aid from independent experts. It turned out that the company that installed his strategy made any serious mistakes:
- Inadequate installation to actual demand: It turned out that Mr. Martin's home consumes more energy than expected. Photovoltaic was besides small, and the energy retention area was besides small.
- No applicable information: The company did not explain that the energy warehouse does not operate indefinitely and will not guarantee full independency from the network.
- Hidden costs: The company has not reported that the usage of energy retention generates additional energy losses, which translates into higher bills.
“What now?”
Mr. Marcin admits he's angry.
- “If I had known that it would all be so bad, I would never have decided to do so. I feel like I threw $140,000 in the mud. This money could go on something else, and so I only have bills and stress.”
Currently, Mr. Marcin is considering filing a suit against the company that installed his system. He besides seeks to sale the energy storage, but he knows that even then he will recover only a fraction of the amount invested.
More here:
140 grand in the mud? He invested in photovoltaics and energy storage, now warns
