Contact Solar
Bird mesh - in the contract, not fitted
Mesh is on the kit list and in the agreed price. Installers left it on 14 Aug saying another team would fit it. Ticket raised 17 Aug. Contact rang 18 Aug: their crew cannot fit it (health and safety, panels close to roof edges). A sales representative then offered £30 per panel, asked me to scope the retrofit myself, and gave the name of a panel-cleaning firm (Solar Panel Cleaners UK Ltd) to contact - a company with a Companies House entry but no contact details I can find. Scaffold was still up on 18 Aug. What the paperwork says: "Bird Protection (inc. in System Price)" on the signed proposal and "Bird protection" in the order confirmation of 12 June; nothing in either, or in the installation booking, says it is fitted by anyone other than Contact Solar.
Next: I have asked a bird-proofing specialist for a retrofit quote (19 Aug), though the scoping was Contact Solar's to do under the contract. Proposal: settle at the quoted retrofit cost, or Contact arrange the fitting through their nominated firm.
Contact Solar
Scaffold removal
Still up on 18 August. Useful if the mesh is fitted quickly; otherwise it needs a date to come down.
Next: Tell me the planned strike date.
Contact Solar
Certificates and handover pack
Received so far: NICEIC Building Regulations certificate of compliance (19 Aug 02:52, by email) and the export certificate (19 Aug). Still to come: MCS certificate and the handover pack needed for SEG registration.
Next: Issue the MCS certificate and handover pack; tell me the expected date.
Contact Solar
System fault - inverter / battery
Something not right on site from 17 Aug. Support (18 Aug 12:38) saw an inverter reading as switched off and asked for a full power-cycle; done by 12:58 with no effect - the same state now shows on both inverters and the battery is draining unusually fast. The inverter display at 11:25 on 18 Aug (photo below) shows the unit OFF, 0.00 kW from the panels and 0.0 kWh generated that day, batteries held at 20%, the house drawing 0.55 kW from the grid and the inverter showing 0.0 Hz on the grid side - i.e. no generation and no battery use. Escalated to a senior technician 18 Aug 14:40. On 19 Aug 08:48 the side switches were checked and photographed: ON/OFF ring lit, PV switch at ON - so the obvious explanations are ruled out. The generation meter read 70.6 kWh total output since install at that time; it will be re-read daily and the figure published here.
Next: Senior technician to respond; I can be on site for a visit at short notice.
Contact Solar
Pod Point 7 kW home charger (in the contract)
In the signed proposal ("Pod Point EV Charger - inc. in System Price") and the order confirmation ("1 x Podpoint 7kW Tethered EV Charger"). Pod Point supply and fit it under the funded referral scheme (Pod Point email, 17 Aug). Pod Point rang 17 Aug 16:30 (missed); I rang back 19 Aug and was told my project manager - which I take to mean Contact Solar - will organise the installation, and a note has been placed on their system.
Next: Contact Solar: confirm who the project manager is and arrange the Pod Point installation date; tell me if anything is needed from me.
Contact Solar
Sunsynk monitoring - link the plant to my account
Handover team asked me (18 Aug 08:39) to register on Sunsynk Connect and reply so they can link the plant they created. App installed and account registered 19 Aug; the app shows nothing until the plant is linked.
Next: Replied 19 Aug 12:28 with the registered address. Contact: link the plant as owner; confirm the string-to-inverter mapping and whether the app shows per-string power.
Me (customer)
Workmanship warranty - signature requested
Adobe Sign request received 18 Aug 08:47.
Next: I will sign once the fault above is resolved and the install is complete, so the warranty describes a finished job.
