Advantages: Green energy, lots of hot water when it's sunny Disadvantages: High-pressure selling, less hot water when it's cloudy
We had been considering solar panels for some time and, when renovating our house, deliberately installed an unusual hot-water tank (dual-coil thermal-store) with the express intention of having solar panels installed at a later date. In the meantime, I researched solar water-heating companies.
Coincidentally, a leaflet from SmartEnergy dropped through our letterbox. As we were in the market for panels, I sent off the reply-paid card, and SmartEnergy ... ...a week or two later was pushy in the extreme. Fortunately, because I had already carried out some fairly extensive research into the subject, I could decipher the facts from the sales-talk, but nevertheless I was fairly impressed with the standard of engineering of the panel-section he brought with him (I'm an engineer myself by profession.) In true salesman fashion, he asked for the order in a way that indicated that he almost took it for granted ...
consumerknight 28.09.2005 (19.10.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Good early savings from SMART Energy Master. Professional People. Quality Panels. Flexible Disadvantages: It is complex, expensive and you must use the system properly to gain savings
...payback s actually on the Smart Energy Master Controller - rather than the solar panels, but if you treat it as a package then I think the payback is about 10 years - assuming you are sensible and change your existing boiler settings etc - something i suggest is a great benefit of the Smart Energy Controller. I did sign up, with some hesitation, but we agreed a price - not the cheapest - but i felt I had a reasonable deal. All in all £8k including ... ...I have received calls from Smart Energy to arrange electrician visits, and the electrician has arrived twice bang on time. The first time he did earthing tests, and bonded the gas meter. He also installed the fused spur ready for the system in the airing cupboard. The second visit was to install the Smart Energy Master. The guy was extremely helpful, and spent 6 hours with me. He discovered a problem with one of the motorized valves which he isolated ...
paul10june 04.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: we are helping reduce the use of fossil fuels Disadvantages: very poor service and far too expensive
Without prejudice
Not a smart choice.
Going green is certainly order of the day, but will helping to save the planet provide you with piece of mind or a huge headache?
Dealing with smart energy has been as straight forward as managing the accounts for the new Wembley stadium. From technicians who aren't sure what they are supposed to install, to solar panels being mounted on the wrong side of the roof, Smart Energy has it all.
The very concept ... ...the extra £££ charged by Smart Energy would indeed be money well spent on quality products and service. The sales representative was full of reassurance that indeed we would be dealing with the very 'top end' of solar technology.
But all was not well………
After a slightly slower than expected start confidence was undoubtedly rocked when the 'roofing specialist' started to mount the solar panels on the wrong end of the roof. Only after a few polite ...
Mat_yt 01.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Little lower gas bills, satisfaction your helping to save the planet Disadvantages: Pushy sales man, unjustifiable high price, kit not high quality.
...the area to take up Smart Energy's special offer.... but I had to take it there and then or someone else would take it. Even to this day, Im not sure what the special offer was... So that was how the high pressured salesman continued his pitch. I was shown some wonderful photos of their head office, pictures of the sun and other pretty pictures. The sales pitch was screaming THIS IS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT IT IS.... But, as I am in the heating ... ...dont have to call smart energy back, it will take around 20 years to get your money back, but each time Smart Energy has to make a visit, add another 3 years. Oh and the industry says that a solar heating instulation only lasts 20 years. (well I dount it will be that long with the pump clikcing on for a second then off for a second, then back on)
SO COME ON SOLAR BOYS.... Drop the price and help save the planet ...
AndrewsHappy 30.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: More hot water than you know what to do with! Disadvantages: Very complex controls.
My Smart Energy experience started with an invitation to have a salesman visit me to show me their wonderful solar water heating system. I took them up on it, because I like the idea of sustainable energy sources. The salesman duly turned up and gave me the usual pitch - discount applicable only if you sign up today, you can earn money back by recommending friends or talking to potential customers, and so on: nothing new there. As part of his presentation ... ...our spare room. We sent Smart Energy some digital photos of these little problems, and the company sent a man to fix them within a matter of days.
Eighteen months on, our system has worked wonderfully with two exceptions, neither of which were serious problems. A a few months ago, when we finally got the ceiling in the attic up, the temperatures in the collectors were getting high but the heat was not being transferred to the water. The pressure ...
nikmacve 29.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: none Disadvantages: HARD SELL and sales techniques used by con artists and scammers
...If you call up Smart Energy, they will not talk about price - they just say it's a 'messaging centre', which is total nonsense.
What can I say, I felt relieved I didn't fall for it after coming onto this and other websites. It's all a load of bollocks. I really hope other readers to not get conned into buying an overpriced system that appears to not be that great anyway.
Don't fall for these scams. Buyers beware!! Write up your experience to help ...
magicziggy 04.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Cheap, Efficient and Good for the Environment Disadvantages: Expensive to Install
Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System, With the government promoting more and more ECO friendly homes throughout the UK, it makes sense that we should all start with new homes and install more solar, energy friendly products, and where best to start, which is on heating systems.
Research is currently underway which is investigating the linking of absorption chillers with solar panels as a source of generator heat. It is an advantage that the appearance ... ...is the government need to promote Eco Homes more and also need to promote Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System, and they need to do this NOW. Sorry the review was a bit boring, but I felt details and facts were needed. Many thanks - Karl ...
KH206cc 04.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Good for the environment, reduces fuel usage. Disadvantages: Finding a decent company to work with.
...get a mail drop from Smart Energy. I sent back the flyer to register an interest and contacted. This time we had to make a booking to see a “Marketing Representative” that had to be within 5 days as they could only offer “Special Promotional Discounts” for certain postcodes and once their allocation had gone… The date and time offered didn’t work and we were informed that they would call back the following week to set up an appointment then, providing ... ...the Internet for information on Smart Energy using Google and +Smart +Energy +UK. She found this website as well as the BBC Watchdog Site. We questioned the “Marketing Representative” about poor installation & lack of post sales support as highlighted by these sites and his response was, “well given that we have so many installations there are bound to be a few that go wrong” and “even VW have appeared on Watchdog”. Not convinced we decided not to ...
cwink_99 13.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
...house uninhabitable for some time. Smart accepted responsibility for carpet damage but otherwise showed a total lack of concern. Thanks to our own insurance company we have, after six weeks, had everything put to rights, and our company will claim back from Smart – that will be a battle!
While we also plan to sue them for the £6,500 we have paid, on the grounds that they have totally failed to keep their promises, we have two major disappointments: ... ...this company; (2) why is Clearskies, the government agency which supports Smart and its customers, so unconcerned, despite initially expressing some support for us and the problems we were having?
Star rating 1
Savings this year: c. £25, to set aside against vast expenses we have incurred.
Diogenes ...
allisterj 25.08.2004 (26.08.2004)
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Having read previous reviews of Smart Energy UK on CIAO, the double glazing salesman tactics alluding to are in fact an insult to even the most unscrupulous, deceptive and manipulative double-glazing salesmen that exist [and I never thought I'd be defensive of the double-glazing window trade].
After repeated system failures of what culminates to be less than £1800 worth of equipment for BARGAIN price of £6000 [actually value of equipment provided ... ...is the real litmus test. Smart Energy's level of customer disservice and indifference to our many reported problems has been exceptionally dire. Phone them up, go through their automated 'dial 1 for blah blah, dial two for more sales related garbage' and my favourite, 'dial 3 for customer service' and low and behold... 'sorry, no one can take your call at the moment'. They do not have a competent customer support system in place. Every repair [which ...
bobjord 20.08.2004
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Advantages: Supplements domestic hot water for some of the time Disadvantages: Regular break downs and slow costly service to repair
I've had the Smart energy solar water heating system installed for 3 years. It has broken down countless times and required an engineer sto visit and repair. There are 2 main downsides to this:
After the end of the free warranty period each visit costs a minimum of £90.
It takes on average a month from reporting a problem to getting an engineer to visit, and they are not always equipped to fix it in one visit. Cue another month's wait. The engineers' ... ...In summary, I think that Smart energy have been victims of their own success. An efficient system that can't cope with summer temperatures and a poor quality of installation and servicing.
If choosing a solar hot water system again, I would look at the cost and efficiency of after sales service as being a major selection criteria. Do not believe Smart when they say that the system is low maintenance! ...
SmartGreenGiant 17.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Keeps the house cool. Subtantially reduces water heating costs. Disadvantages: Smart Energy. Lack of customer service. Inability to fix faulty systems
...non existant. I have a Smart Energy Solar Hot Water System. It goes wrong, the water valves stick. The system overheats until the thermal cutout shuts the system down. The so-called Smart Controller' drives the pump irrespective of a positive temperature difference.
Smart Energy are more interested in generating folllow on income than repairing the system. Worst of all the supposed fitter they eventually send out cant fault find and just changes ... ...that dodgy parts returned by one fitter are simply put back in the parts bin and only thrown after being rejected by several customers)
I could purchase a annual maintenance contract at £120..........that negates most of the saving and as I'VE DICOVERED SMART ENERGY CANT FAULT FIND THEY'RE OWN EQUIPMENT. ...
AngrySmartEnergyCustomer 01.08.2009 (02.08.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Hassle-free installation and service - Free hot water Disadvantages: The company does not qualify for renewable energy grants in our area.
...we had excellent communications with Smart Energy, as they kept us informed of progress. They booked EDF to shield our outside power cables and they booked the scaffolders.
When the scaffolders failed to turn up at the appointed time, I contacted Smart Energy and within 10 mins had a call back to say that they were now en route.
Although the system did not require planning consent, our local council require it to comply with Building Regs. When ... ...program. Smart Energy are not part of this. If they had been, I could have got a grant up to 1400 quid. If you are looking for a grant, check with your council that they include Smart Energy in their list of approved suppliers.
Would I recommend them? definately! ...
PeterCaulf 28.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Sounds great Disadvantages: Be careful of the sales tactics
...and you are a special Smart Home and I may choose you to promote our services. Rubbish - I am sure if all houses said they wanted to buy the product everyone would become a Smart Home!
• Also with this special grid reference which you have to disclose to see if you qualify for a Government Grant is also rubbish - as the salesman said you were unlikely to get it as it all changed in 2006
• Then came the pricing with the may be we can give ... ...pre-printed and it is standard
We agreed that we wanted to think about it and we would get back to him, at this point it took one hour to try and get him out of the house, to the point where it started to get heated and then I called a close to the whole thing and enough was enough and out he went. I am concerned that some people could just get bamboozled into buying. Be aware, you don't have to sign anything!
I think the product sounds great but, ...
Reviwerer 07.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
Advantages: Good Technology Disadvantages: Appalling Customer Service
Problem 1: I have a Smart Energy solar water heating system, and when it works, it works very well. However, it has broken down 3 times in the first 15 months. When it breaks down, you enter a nightmare world of appalling customer service - endlessly reporting the fault again and again to them, being promised they will call you back (they NEVER do), engineer appointments being made then cancelled at the last minute when you've disrupted your life ... ...don't have to go through Smart Energy. For instance, the evacuated tube panels they use are from a company called SonnenKraft - go search for them on Google. Good kit, but Smart Energy are definitely NOT the only people you can buy it from.
Best advice: this technology is good, but Smart Energy are bad - VERY bad. You should find another supplier of the same or similar technology through the Solar Trade Association (search for them on Google - their ...
alex3465 11.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smart Energy Solar Water Heating System
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