My landlord is having solar panels installed on the property, do I need to tell my supplier?

Hey ​@amyhunter3111 ,

Good luck with the install! It’s HIGHLY recommended you let your supplier know about this ASAP as they’ll need to authorise Exports so as to avoid triggering Reverse Run alarms on the meter. Once they know, they’ll do the rest in that regard.

If you wish to claim Smart Export Guarantee, you’ll need to apply for that separately before you can get paid for your Exports. OVO offers that so you can check out https://www.ovoenergy.com/seg for details.

You can - if you wish - choose to have SEG on a different supplier to your energy supply - they run on separate accounts and aren’t tied to each other.

Thank you 

What type of smart meter do you have ​@amyhunter3111 ?

It’s quite unusual, but getting more common, for a landlord to install solar panels at a rental property.

If/when they do then it’s almost certainly the LL who will be pocketing any SEG and not the tenant.
As noted the SEG and the electricity supply are seperate accounts.

The panels belong to the LL, who wants a return on their investment.
That return will be the SEG or a higher rent, possibly both.

Education is needed for the tenant who will have to learn how the setup works, however it’s a rental and tenants usually change so each new one will need educating or at least an information pack..

https://www.greenenergysolar.co.uk/do-tenants-benefit-from-solar-panels/

If you’re a tenant and your landlord is having solar panels installed you can let us know. If you’re a landlord and are having solar panels installed you can can set up your Smart Export Guarantee with OVO.

 

• The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) - Getting paid for the energy you export to the grid - FAQs Tutorial

• We’re now installing solar - the brighter way to generate electricity at home News

 

This is the smart meter 

Thanks - I just wanted to double check. Most meters are compatible with solar PV these days but when my panels were first installed, they weren’t so I only had a smart meter installed once they’d updated them 

So our Housing Association are installing Solar Panels and battery and ASHP. What do we need to tell OVO. Anything, nothing? We will no longer have storage heaters so no economy 7. Also we’ve just had a smart meter put in, if we change to another company is that ours and will it just switch to another supplier or do OVO get shirty.

Hi ​@Tricko ,

Generally you’ll want to give OVO a heads up to avoid being investigated for tampering and/or so your Smart Meter can be configured to permit exports. You might be able to get SEG too, but you’ll need to discuss that with your HA.

Your meter will work with all suppliers - you’re not locked to OVO and you don’t need to tell OVO if you want to leave as the new supplier would tell OVO on your behalf. The meter will remain property of whoever the active supplier is though, you as the customer will never own it.

Thanks I really don’t understand any of this! Configured to permits exports. What does that mean? What is SEG and what’s an HA. I was hoping anything in the batteries we would use to cut our bill. Though don’t know how we’d do that either!

HA is Housing Association, but 20 times shorter! :)

SEG would be Smart Export Guarantee, OVO has details on that at https://www.ovoenergy.com/seg .

Letting OVO know you plan to export means your Smart Meter can be set up to not trigger tamper alarms as a result of legitimate exports. It’s highly recommended to do so even if you're not claiming FiT/SEG yourself.

Hey ​@Tricko 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community,

I’d advise letting OVO know about the changes made in your property. But you are free to switch to another supplier, if you are currently in a fixed rate contact you may have to pay an exit fee. The support team will be able to advise if this is the case.
 

• How to contact OVO - best practices and Data Protection Tutorial

We have tons of helpful topics & resources about the green technology you are getting installed which might be helpful: 

 

• Setting up a Heat Pump - ASHP

• Diary of an ASHP install - Part 1 Blog

• Diary of an ASHP install - Part 2 Blog

• Using an air source heat pump (ASHP) to reduce your carbon footprint - guide Tutorial

Solar:
 

• Solar Photovoltaic (pv) panels: Installation, apps, export payments and ROI - User guide Tutorial

• The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) - Getting paid for the energy you export to the grid - FAQs Tutorial

Hope this helps