With the rise in the price of electricity, and state aid for solar, companies selling solar installations are springing up like mushrooms, some of them not hesitating to make forced sales by playing on people's fears. Many questionable practices, and over-inflated prices, which undermine the profitability of these installations. Let's take stock of the real price of solar panels, and how to unmask the scams.
France is lagging behind because of excessive solar panel prices
Indeed, France is lagging behind in terms of the rate of solar equipment. The problem does not come from the weather, because Belgium and Germany are much better equipped than us, for example, and do not have a much milder climate.
No, the problem mainly comes from the fact that solar installations in France are sold at exorbitant prices! This is something that Thomas Cautier, founder of Sunethic, is trying to denounce. But a recent event has shown that certain forces in place are doing everything to keep potential customers in the dark, and to maintain stratospheric rates. Here is his testimony, which I am reproducing with his permission, because it perfectly reflects the problem of solar rates:
? Last week, Mélanie, an entrepreneur from Avignon, who has a YouTube channel, posted a video of her new web series, dedicated to entrepreneurs.
Thomas Cautier, founder of Sunethic
Following this video, which she has since had to modify, she is threatened with legal action by the company in question.
? In this first video dedicated to the history of Sunethic's creation over the past year, I explain that one of the biggest problems in France for individuals on solar energy is the price charged much too high by some major players, on rooftop installations, in particular by the well-known number 1 in the sector.
? Indeed, every week, I keep talking to individuals who complain about having received installation quotes from the largest installers, with very high prices, for example:
=> €15,000 for a solar installation of 8 panels
=> €20,000 for an installation of 10 panels
=> €25,000 for an installation of 16 panels
⛔️ Really high prices, difficult to justify when we know, at the moment, that installers and professionals can buy good brand solar panels for less than €100 excluding tax for a 400W panel.
A good installation price by a PRO, fair, is rather equal to half of these prices, or 50% cheaper.
? It is therefore time for this to stop because it:
1) Discredits the hundreds of local and national solar installers who practice honest and fair prices
2) Discourages thousands of French people who say that solar is not for them, because it is not profitable and reserved for the wealthiest classes.
3) And above all causes a lot of money and purchasing power to be lost to all French people who sign such contracts linked to credits, and there are many of them, because of the lack of knowledge about the real prices and the very high number of salespeople from these companies, who travel throughout each department.
? I therefore invite you to support Melanie Pin in this fight for freedom of expression, and also especially to share the current purchase value of a solar panel by a PRO (100€ excluding VAT) to as many people as possible that you know (friends, family, relatives, networks) to stop this phenomenon that harms the photovoltaic sector and claims many victims every day.
✅ And I also invite all fellow photovoltaic professionals to speak out and share, too, the fair and honest price range for a rooftop installation, depending on the power and number of panels.
A few days ago, friends almost fell for such a scam, with a 6kwc installation (i.e. 16 panels) at €27,000, after deduction of state aid, what's more. A scandal, which confirms the exorbitant prices announced by Thomas.
In terms of equipment, at the professional rate, such an installation of 16 panels costs less than €6,000. Then comes labor and insurance, of course. But even with that, we are still very far from the €27,000 requested! A friend also had a similar installation done last year, for a budget of around €12,000, which is this time a price much more in line with reality.
You can find more in-depth studies on the price of the different installations that Thomas has done, who is very knowledgeable on the subject.Shock arguments that don't hold water
Of course, sales techniques are well-honed to make the
victims customers crack. First of all, we are of course riding the wave of soaring electricity prices. Fear always works, so we create a stressful situation among people by telling them that in a few years they will no longer be able to pay their electricity bill if they do nothing. Well, it is not entirely false, even if France is still one of the cheapest countries in this area.
Then, we dangle state aid in front of us. Of course, the State voted for aid to increase the rate of solar equipment in France, and we can only congratulate it. Unfortunately, the use of this aid is diverted, as was already the case in 2010, with aid and resale contracts to EDF at very aggressive rates. Here is what generally happens (the figures are bogus, it is only for reasoning):
the photovoltaic installation normally costs for example €15,000. You are entitled to a €5,000 tax credit.
- So you should normally pay €15,000 for the installation, and you can get €5,000 back the following year thanks to the tax credit, which will bring the cost of the installation down to only €10,000
- What actually happens is that the installer charges you €20,000, telling you that you will be entitled to a €5,000 tax credit. Which is indeed the case. But in the end, you still paid €5,000 more for your installation than normal, and it is the installer who is the only beneficiary of this aid, by pocketing €5,000 more.
- Not only does this lead to over-inflated prices, but inevitably, through the lure of profit, it gives rise to the creation of many solar installation companies that don't know much more about it than the local butcher :/
Which brings me to the next point: the 25-year warranty put forward by these companies. Of course, the majority of solar panels are guaranteed to maintain a production of 80 to 85% after 25 years. This is almost a standard today in the field. But let's be honest, few of these solar installation companies will still be around in 25 years. On the one hand, given the economic fluctuations, it is increasingly rare to have a company that survives that long. On the other hand, since a good number of these companies are only opportunistic businesses, they will have disappeared as soon as this business is no longer profitable. So yes, at best you can turn against the manufacturer of the solar panels if it still exists in 25 years, but you should not hope to be able to call on the installer to maintain its installation. I myself had this bad experience with my roof installation, carried out 15 years ago by one of the leaders in the field at the time. Installation guaranteed for 25 years, of course! Except that the company, even if it still exists, has been bought out 3 or 4 times along the way, and the current structure no longer supports old customers. A letter was sent to us on this subject a few years ago. So the 25-year guarantee, trash! Another argument to convince: these carpet merchants often present themselves as “state agents”, which sounds much better than “commercial”. But it is absolutely false. A testimony sums up this situation very well:
Company with telephone canvasser. They call with 06 or 07 and say that they are state agents that they are not salespeople to sell solar panels. They come to your home and sell you the solar panels as a state program that makes the deal, the bank and others accept it and that they do everything themselves. And at the end of the meeting they make you sign not an application but a purchase order. And sell you everything 10,000 euros more expensive than the real value and install solar panels less efficient than the latest models..
Signal Scams
Finally, among the arguments put forward, among many others, a maintenance service that agrees to come and clean your panels once a year. On the one hand, unless you have a really really high roof, it's something you can do yourself, using a telescopic pole for example, as we saw in our
guide to cleaning your solar panels
. And honestly, except in the case of a big sandstorm coming from the Sahara, the impact of dirt on production remains negligible, the panels cleaning themselves with each rain. On the other hand, we come back to the sustainability of the company: even if it actually provides its maintenance service, how long will it actually be possible?
Methods to avoid scams A lot of things need to be checked in advance before signing such an installation. You don't sign an installation worth several thousand euros because the gentleman pays for a TV ad or because he looks good!First rule: a quick check on sites like
societe.com
to check various information about the company, such as the date of creation, workforce, turnover, etc. Some data can raise suspicions. I recently saw an installation company with 5 employees, whose manager had no less than 7 other mandates in other solar installation companies. This is called diversification… If you don't sign with a company, you may sign with another company… that still belongs to it.
As with all work, the basic rule: get several quotes from different companies! There are also sites that allow you to get quotes very quickly, such as Sunethic ,
Beem ,Sunology , etc. (yes, I mention them because they are partners of the blog, but especially because their goal is really to democratize solar energy in France, and not to exploit the market like some of these dishonest installers).Look for customer reviews, testimonials and references. A reputable company will generally have positive reviews on several platforms. Be careful though: on the one hand, an increasingly common practice is to buy fake reviews. On the other hand, some “clever” people buy a multitude of domain names using the name of their company with the word “reviews”. For example, a company called “Solaire MD” (fictitious name) would reserve the domain names “solaire-md-reviews.fr”, “solaire-md-meilleurs-reviews.fr”, etc. So, when you search on Google for “Solaire MD reviews”, you come across sites belonging to them, with necessarily good reviews. We find the same practice with Facebook reviews for example. This company, whose name I will not mention, has a very active Facebook page, with a lot of “likes” on its posts. So far, so good. But if you take the time to click on the details of the likes, you will see that they all come from accounts with strange names, a distinctive sign of likes purchased on the internet (to give you an idea of the sites selling 250 likes for €4…). Check that the installer has the necessary certifications, such as the RGE (Recognized Environmental Guarantor) qualification in France, which is an indicator of quality and expertise. Without these certifications, you will generally not be entitled to the available aid, despite what the salesperson may say.Make sure that the offer is clear and detailed, including all costs (installation, equipment, maintenance), the expected performance of the panels, and the warranty conditions. The installer must be able to provide you with detailed information on the solar panels offered, including their efficiency, durability, and compatibility with your roof.
Be careful with overly optimistic promises of earnings or financial returns. The return on investment depends on many factors, including the sunshine in your area. Don't hesitate to check its announcements in parallel using independent sites such as
Photovoltaic Geographical Information System
, which are able to give you your forecast production. The one put forward by the salesperson is sometimes very far from reality…
Finally, be careful with long-term consumer credit offers: the savings made each month on the bill will pay for the cost of the loan! The loan is there to make you swallow exorbitant prices, unfortunately customers do not see that they are being doubly ripped off with the exorbitant price and the interest on the long-term credit… ConclusionPersonally, I am totally convinced by solar: I have had a roof installation for 15 years with total resale, I have solar stations on the terrace to erase my electric heel, I have an isolated chalet that only runs on solar panels. Solar works and is profitable, whatever some say! But on condition that you don't pay any price for it! With each
test of a plug&play solar station
, I have comments indicating that it is very expensive and that you can make it yourself for half the price. Of course! That's the price of peace of mind and ease for a plug&play installation in 2 minutes. But even by taking a solar station at €600, we would arrive at less than €10,000 of equipment for 16 panels, almost 3 times cheaper than some installation companies! That's to say how much money these companies put in their pockets!
In short, solar, I can only invite you to do it. But be careful with the offers that are made to you, and find out as much as possible to avoid scams! And if you are a bit of a handyman, know that there are systems to do it yourself, which will obviously considerably improve profitability. Thomas explained in a detailed video how to install his plug&play kit on a roof, even though he was not a professional:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DPsiHt8sW0
And if you are not comfortable on the roof, but you have a large garden, you can also do the installation on the ground, like
our friend Julien
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