Solar panel owners not helped by energy providers: regulators

Many energy suppliers provide consumers with solar panels insufficient information about feed-in pricing and the amount they can earn from pumping the power they generate back into the national network, the Consumers and Markets Authority (ACM) stated on Friday. The regulator's conclusions were determined following an investigation of consumer complaints. “Providers should inform their consumers sufficiently, so that they can compare and check the available offers," ACM board member Anna Vegter said. “If consumer can make an informed choice, it spurs competition. That is good for price, quality and innovation." Last year, ACM made an agreement with suppliers on how to inform consumers on future products and pricing. The range of products must be comparable for consumers, with all providers using the same clear terminology when informing consumers of product choices. However, the investigation has shown that providers do not state the required information on balancing and grid on the panels. ACM reports they will monitor the compliance with standards more closely to ensure fair information allocation. Feed-in tariffs is a policy mechanism to enhance investment in renewable energy. It entails variability of prices per kWh for energy suppliers based on the incurred costs of producing the energy.