This week on the Mercer Report, Rick was with Mike Holmes to install solar panels on the roof of a home in Oshawa, ON. David Suzuki makes an appearance as well. They are working with an innovative Canadian company called PURE Energies. Based in Toronto, this company was created by solar specialists who design, install, finance and operate residential rooftop systems. They offer a no cost profit sharing lease or the option to buy a system for your house.
I think this is a fantastic idea! While this is something I would seriously consider, I have to admit, I am still looking for the catch.
Also, I wonder how the solar panels will affect the cost of replacing the roof? Eventually those shingles are going to need to be replaced. Would I have to call PURE Energies back to first remove the panels, and then get them to come back and put those suckers back up once the roof has been redone? What about a leak? How much more would the panels complicate things?
Regardless, this is something I plan on looking into. Have any of you had experience with this kind of thing? Suggestions? Concerns?
14 comments:
I missed the show this week. This is VERY cool! When we were down in Chatham -Kent there were solar panel installations in many of the farm yards.
I'd think that ther could be some additional cost to replacing your roof when the time comes because the panels will have to be removed and re-installed BUT you benefit from a percentage of the return on the energy collected from your rooftop so it seems likely that the profit would offset the cost.
Also, since Pure energy owns the panels they would have to remove and reinstall them and THEY would lose the income from the panels on your roof during this time so they would be anxious to get them back into place. I would absolutely do this if the opportunity existed here.
http://www.pure-energies.com/why-solar-faq.html
They don't adress the issue or when it is time to replace theroof but in the application process thay ask the age of the roof.
Thanks Jay. I emailed them and asked about what happens when your roof is replaced, and they said that they will come back once in a 20 year period and take off and replace the panels when you need your roof replaced.
I put an application in. We will see if we get picked!
I would be interested to hear your experiences with Pure Energies, I'm currently looking into putting solar panels on my home as well :)
GO SOLAR
You wanted to know the catch...your system could be making up to $7,000 a year, Pure Energies is pocketing $5800 a year (or roughly $110,000) over the life of your system. Cost to them...somewhere around $40,000...you are giving up two thirds of your potential income. Use a legitimate company, get your system financed through your bank and make your money instead!
Please can anybody give a name of legitimate company
Thanks
Please can you give me a name of a legitimate company
Thanks
We are meeting with a Pure energies tech on Tuesday. I have contacted 3 levels of government and have heard no bad things from any of them. The BBB has had only one complaint(resolved) in the past three years.Will keep you informed.
PS: we live in St Catharines and have back-split with lower and upper roofs both facing due south.
I applied for this program when it first came out and was picked for instalation, but they have been screwing me around for three years now waiting for them to come. Finally doing some homework I have found someone who will install a 10Kw system for $30K that would be paid off in 4-5 years and earning me $7500 a year. In light of this Pure Energies offer of up to $100 a month for twenty years, and then you own the panels (after they are WELL used) really sucks.
Stay away from Pure Energies.
Here are my three reasons why.
1. The rate they payout to you (in our case) was not disclosed until the system was fully installed. Until then they keep quoting higher amounts to lure us in. You will get much higher payout with your own system, and less headaches.
2. Their engineers are apparently supposed to send plans on where the solar panels will be installed on your home. In our case they did not, and tried to install 4 panels on the front of the house, after we had specifically indicated that only the side and rear are available. (Who wants solar panels in the front of their home in a brand new subdivision and brand new home).
Anyway, they drilled holes on roof in the front of the house to install the panels (even if we told them we didn't want them there). After a fairly heated exchange with Pure Energies**, we finally got them to remove the panels, and they agreed to properly fix the roof. What did they do? To properly "fix" the holes, they just spread tar over the holes, and left it. As any home owner knows, in 2 years that tar will dry out, and start to leak, especially in our southern Ontario climate with the multiple freeze and thaw cycles we get during the winter.
Needless to say we put in a complaint to have the shingles replaced, and have not had much luck in getting them fixed.
** Pure energies did try and entice us to keep the panels up in the front in exchange for $1000 which we promptly turned down.
3. Their work is shoddy, messy, and not to the standard of what a regular contractor would perform. They installers that came out were very under experienced, with the most experience installer having only 3 months experience. Their website claims over 30 years’ experience. Where were those guys!?
Instead of properly installing the wires from the roof to the boxes on the side of the house by properly going through the roof, and trying as much as possible to conceal the wires they just ran the cables over the eaves troughs and down the side of the house.
My recommendation, stay away from Pure Energies, the measly $400 we are getting per year certainly won’t be worth all the frustrations we've had to endure. As a small business owner, I've probably lost more money (lost revenue from my business) having dealing with these guys than I’ll ever see in return from the system.
If anyone wants to contact me for details, please feel free to do so.
Bryan Lachapelle
bryan@lachapelle.name
** If pure Energies does eventually come to repair the roof by properly replacing the damaged shingles, or if they come to "fix" the shoddy work, I'll re-post to let everyone know. I still think you should stay way.
Update on post above.
Update: A few days after posting this review online, a representative from Pure Energies called and mentioned the upper brass saw the review.
They started the process of resolving the damage to the shingles and within a few weeks, pure energies did come back to the house, and did properly fixed the shingles (replaced them with new ones) at the company's own expense.
They also paid for damage that was done to the siding on the side of the house by one of the contractors.
Now that everything is finalized, I'm a little happier, however wish I did not have to resort to posting a bad review online, just to get the attention from the upper brass.
Anyway, all said and told, I'm glad I posted the review as it resulted in the shingles and siding being repaired. Time will tell if this company lives up to it's other promises, and if this entire thing was worth it.
Nadinebc, Jay, Bryan , I'm considering of installing Pure energies's solar panel.
Few questions :
How much would they charge if need to remove and replace the solar panel before the 20yr period in the event the shingles needs to be replaced sooner than later ? My home is 5yrs old...but already seeing issues with the shingles cracking and etc. I dont think the shingles will last us for another 20yrs. 15 yrs tops we think.
Also, in the event there's a leak, who pays the upfront cost to investigate what's causing the leak?
Has anyone seen any savings on their electric bill since installing these solar panels?
reference: Has anyone seen any savings on their electric bill since installing these solar panels?
The electricity from PV panels is fed directly into the grid. The homeowner can NOT access the electrons, even if there is a power failure. There is no impact on your utility cost ... this is a sideline source of revenue.
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