We’ll what can I say, you nearly got away with this one Everest, we’ve all been in those meetings where you get told we’re not actually making any misleading statements, it’s the customer who just assumes that what we are implying, but not implying meens something it doesn’t….. if that makes sense..!!
A television advert which showed solar panels being installed on Britain’s highest inn has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for potentially misleading viewers over how much hot water they could generate.
The advert for double glazing specialist Everest showed workers replacing the windows at the Tan Hill Inn on the Yorkshire Dales with A-rated energy efficient versions and engineers installing new solar panels.
But, the ASA was called in after a viewer complained about the presenter’s statement that the panels “will generate the pub’s hot water for years to come”.
The viewer argued the advert was misleading as it implied solar panels provide all of a property’s hot water, whereas the advertiser’s website stated they provided between 50 and 70 per cent and had to be complemented by other measures.
An ASA statement said: “The ASA acknowledged that Everest had intended the claim to refer to the longevity of the solar panels, rather than the volume of hot water generated, and that the claim in the ad did not state “all” the water could be generated by the solar panels.
“However, the ASA noted the Everest website stated solar panels could provide 50 per cent and 70 per cent of hot water, which referred to the volume of water the solar panels might generate, whereas the ad claimed that the solar panels would ‘generate the pub’s hot water for years to come’.
“We considered some viewers might understand that Everest’s claim that the new solar panels ‘will generate the pub’s hot water for years to come’ referred to the volume of hot water generated, as well as the panels’ longevity. Because the claim was ambiguous, we considered the ad could mislead.”
The ASA has said the advert cannot be broadcast again in its present form.
This was the latest set back for the solar panel scheme which was originally undertaken without the correct planning approval.
| What Everest said – an extract from the ASA report: “Everest Ltd (Everest) said they intended to communicate the durability and longevity of the solar panels, as opposed to the specific volume of hot water delivered and outlined that Everest solar panels had a life span of 10 years or more. They said they did not intend to mislead viewers and pointed out they deliberately did not specify the amount of hot water which could be produced, nor refer to “all” the water. They felt viewers would understand that solar panels cannot provide all the hot water required by a property all the time. They said they considered it reasonable to assume that viewers would know that solar panels were powered by sunlight, that UK weather and the amount of sunlight on any given day were variable, and that there was not continuous 24-hour daylight. On this basis, they considered that viewers would not assume the solar panels installed at the pub might provide all the hot water for the pub, because this would be an assumption which defied common sense. They said the claim on the website that Everest solar panels supplied between 50% and 70% of a property’s yearly hot water requirements was a statistic from an independent body and related to the average amount of hot water that standard solar panels might reasonably be expected to produce for an average household over a whole year. Everest said they expected their solar panels to perform better than this, but did not make that claim.” |
Source: h & v News
double glazing guy ? now solar panel guy ?…i think that you should actualy give everest a break on this,do you have nothing better to report on,at least everest are leading the way forward for solar advertising on the television ( more than can be said for the goverment)
The ASA made their decision based on a few people that might not understand that solar water heating is not a complete solution for heating up your hot water from the sun alone..i suggest you look at this website http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/ it might make you realise you should be supporting those that are at least trying to make a difference ..
here is something to release on your website ..everest upvc casement windows are A rated as standard now ? at last a company leading the way whilst most dont even know what an energy rating is or can only achieve B at an extra cost..
a local west yorkshire company on your website
QUOTE Premium uPVC casement windows are ‘B-rated’ for energy efficiency – and our standard windows still achieve an excellent energy efficiency. Please ask your West Yorkshire Windows for details on upgrading to our premium ‘B-rated’ casement windows.
so even B are an upgrade…
Hi Bailey,
Thanks for your reply it sure makes a nice change than from someone trying to sell me Viagra.
My point is not about Everest energy efficiency crusade but about the way they’ve tried to advertise it. About the window being “a” rated as standard at the prices that you charge they should also be gold plated!!
For your information we (that is my company) offer “B” rated windows as standard with the option to upgrade to an “A” rated one at a very minimal cost still I dare to say a good 15% cheaper than your company would charge (in fact probably more of a saving than that). Most people can offer an “A” rated window now West Yorkshire Windows included.
I say again though to finish it’s not a dig at Everest for the energy effifiency just how they try to get the message across.
Thank you for the wording terminology I’ll let them now they should change that bit on their website.
The latest claim from everest who state through the nice presenter that the solar panels which I note there are three of them and not all that big either- quote’ loads of hot water even when it’s not sunny. This is a blatant lie. Even in Crete the water is very cool when the day is mainly cloudy which is mainly in September or October. In the british isles the water will be cold when it’s not sunny ie the same temperature as the ambient temperature that surrounds the solar panel. Anyone can test this scientific fact by standing in an unheated greenhouse on a dull day.Now that fuel is dear it might be worth fitting do it yourself panels but considering the last two ‘summers’ I don’t think everest or anyoneelse for that matter got loads of hot water on the many dull days.
Hi Michael,
Great to have someone with your knowledge on the subject dropping into the site, Would you say that Solar isn’t really going to be that great for the majority of the year in the U.K. we would all like to do our bit for “efficiencies” sake but there’s a fine line between being Green and being dull with money, if you can’t get the payback and you have to wait for ages to get a £400 grant from the government then why bother.. What’s your thoughts on this?
I have everest solar panels, and on my display in my airing cupboard i was generating hot water (which was added to by my boiler) in dec, i would recomend this product to anyone, and as a little bonus i had my property valued 6 months before getting said panels put on and just after by a friend of a friend who owns a estate agent my house was worth the same on both occasions when my street has lost approx 8% in value, i got the 400 pound off everest who give it to the customer before claiming it off the gov, they also did my cavity wall and loft instilation free of charge which is a stipulation of the grant
I’m a bit dubious on this one, the old 400 pound off larky it takes so long to get the money back they’ve just added the money on to take it off, but hey if you’re a genuine happy customer good on you.
Thank god at last a heating engineer thats been to crete..
quote..Anyone can test this scientific fact by standing in an unheated greenhouse on a dull day.LMAO …pick me off the floor…
Figures depend on what system you use..they are not made up look for yourself..every system ever made is tested
solar panels are tested by http://www.solarenergy.ch/spf.php?lang=en&fam=1&tab=1
i cant see the greenhouse test on there yet but iam sure they will be interested in your findings…
keep up the good work ..
ps..i hope you dont fit gas appliances with the same space age technology..(matches and asbestos pants)
thanks for making me smile today.
Intersting blog guys, im just trying to figure out solar panels as to whether or not theyre worth buying. Ive heard theyre good but only for hot water supply. Be interesting to know what you guys, especially any engineers, think about the following statement from the everest website regarding solar thermal panels for hot water:
‘And, here’s a surprise: solar water heating works using the sun’s radiation, not sunshine. So it keeps on pumping free renewable, eco friendly energy into your home even on rainy days.’
Hi Adil,
I think the problem with PV solar panels are they take so long to get them to pay for themselves, saying that however if you are doing a new build property and build it into the cost of the property then obviously the benefits are massive imagine no bills for elctricity and being able to sell surplus electricity back to the grid!!!
Solar for water will in the U.K. only really reduce your bills by about 30% and the current panels will never have the claimed 70% reduction in bill payments there are loads of other ways of driving those bills down though you’ll find out shortly, lots of things going on in the world of energy efficiency at the moment, there’s a new company which are going to be on the scene shortly with a fresh approach to efficiency http://www.myenergysavings.co.uk they aren’t running at present just I know the guy who’s starting it, watch out for it it’ll save you pounds!!!!
Any engineers out there please feel free to comment I’d be interested in your input on this one…
i dont think that PV panels here is the issue
If you take your view you could also say that double glazing would take too long to get your money back as well…both products add value to your home if done properly
As you are aware there are a lot of companies out there selling home improvements that dont or add very little value to a property, solar suppliers can be the same, selling systems to combination boiler homes which cannot work or single panel systems which are of very little use to most homes but are regarded as good value because of price .(This does not mean they are getting the right system to do the job for the size of their property)
Solar heating is about many things and like double glazing the cost is not the only option, the enviroment,rising fuel costs etc,you will get your money back if you use a company that will do it properly and can give a proper guarantee and service.
unfortunatley there are many people setting up companies just jumping on the bandwagon that have no idea but just want a fast few quid.(solar and windows)
Whether we like it or not solar is the future and we should embrace it rather than find reasons not to buy it.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your input I feel very similar to you on this point you need a specialist when it comes to any product and Solar panels are no different in fact in this instant it’s more important and I fully believe that window companies should stick to what they do best.
I do believe thatthere is a synerjy possible between the products to reduce payback period on both items, I’ll e-mail you direct to have a chat if that’s o.k.
Thanks for your comment and I’ll hope to speak to you soon.
Andrew.
I was misled into believing I had bought “B” rated Everest Timber Sliding Sash windows. After installation of the windows I found out they were not rated at all(!), and the performance, if rated, would only achieve the bare legal “E” rating. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who had a similar experience, and please write to me at c.m.hall@talktalk.net .
Anyone who feels they have been misled should phone their local Trading Standards or Consumer Direct, because once there are a significant number of complaints these bodies will be able to launch an investigation into Everest and stop the misleading promotions.
Solar Powered electricity continues to be employed for industrial usages ever since the 1970′s, and it is used at the moment greater than ever before. Seeing that new government policies about unpolluted non-renewable fuels come to pass, the sourcing cost of electrical energy will be expected to skyrocket. Many businesspeople not to mention individuals are turning to solar driven power in an effort to eliminate rates.