Solar Panel Email Scams - Trading Standards

21st June 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'.

You are asked to click on a link and enter your postcode to see if you qualify for a new 'funding grant scheme'

These links typically lead to a form where you are asked to enter further 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.

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.

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
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

Find contractors who are MCS Certified: https://mcscertified.com