Trading Standards Warning On Solar Panel Email Scams

30th May 2024

There has been a recent increase in reports of scam emails offering grants or funding for solar panels. Some say that having the panels installed will increase your property value and decrease your energy bills, while others mention 'free electricity'.
The emails ask you to click a link to check your eligibility for funding or grants. These links typically lead to a form where you are asked to enter your contact information, which is then often passed to companies who may go on to cold call you with bogus 'deals'.
Several consumers, after responding to similar emails, have been called and subsequently visited by companies who pressured them into signing expensive contracts for energy products they did not want or need.

There has also been a recent increase in cold calls from companies offering solar panel servicing or wrongly telling people that they need to repair or upgrade their solar inverters or renew their warranty.

One man was visited by a company who told him his existing solar panels needed to be replaced urgently due to a risk of fire. The salesperson tried to convince him to agree to have new panels installed, at a huge expense.
The man was worried, but contacted another company for a second opinion before agreeing to have any work carried out. The second company, who were MCS-certified, told him that there were no issues with his existing solar panels and that they did not pose any risk to his property.

How to Avoid
Don't accept any information from online adverts or cold callers about energy saving measures without doing independent research, particularly if they tell you that there are grants or funding schemes available.

Don’t fill out any online forms or questionnaires from adverts about energy efficiency measures and don't take part in any phone surveys from cold callers. These are usually designed to collect data and generate leads for companies who engage in misleading marketing.

If a cold caller tells you that your solar panels need to be serviced or that you need a new inverter, double check with the manufacturer first.

The best way to avoid misleading information about energy efficiency products is to seek advice from trusted companies and to have an impartial assessment carried out to determine which energy saving measures will actually benefit your home.

You can do this by calling Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 or visiting www.homeenergyscotland.org - they also offer free and impartial information about energy saving measures.

Find out more
Find contractors who are MCS Certified: https://mcscertified.com
Home Energy Scotland: energysavingtrust.org.uk/renewable-energy/electricity/solar-panels
Scam Share Spotlight PDF on energy scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/Spotlight-Energy.pdf
TSS website: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/energy-marketing-scams