A devoted son who tried to sell his dying mother’s home to pay for her dementia care saw four buyers walk away, with his estate agents saying it was because of concerns over solar panels.
Sitting with his wife of 24 years, Ralph Wilson, 59, from Nantwich, Cheshire, told MailOnline that his mother Valerie’s home feels like a ‘noose around our necks’.
The railway operations manager is one of many A Shade Greener (ASG) customers unhappy with the company, which is being investigated by energy watchdog Ofgem – who said it was ‘sorry to hear of Mr Wilson’s circumstances’.
Earlier this year, distraught homeowners revealed they were being hounded through the courts by Britain’s ‘largest’ solar panel installer ASG after they complained about the company online.
ASG, which is run by ex-Darlington Football Club chairman Stewart Davies, promises free energy by installing solar panels that provide for a home’s needs, while receiving payments from the government-backed Feed-In Tariff scheme for any extra energy that’s generated.
But it has attracted fierce criticism for threatening customers who complain, amid concerns over being persuaded to sign up for 25-year leases they fear they can’t get out of and a lack of clarity about what they will be asked to pay for.
Ralph Wilson, 59, (pictured) from Nantwich, Cheshire, told MailOnline that his mother’s home felt like a ‘noose around our necks’
His mother Valerie had solar panels from A Shade Greener installed on her roof in 2014
However, she signed a 25-year lease, meaning it has been difficult to sell the house, her son and his estate agents say
Valerie (pictured) sadly passed away aged 85 in August this year. She had suffered from dementia at the end of her life
Her son Ralph told MailOnline: ‘I have got an unsellable house. It’s down to £215,000 now. If a bid comes to £205,000, I’ll sell it’
A Shade Greener is run by ex-Darlington FC chairman Stewart Davies, 73 (pictured)
Some, like Ralph, say the solar panels have prevented them from being able to sell their homes. As the house didn’t sell, Ralph paid for 22 months of care for his mother with £115,000 of his savings, before she died on August 7 this year, aged 85. Her passing came 17 years after her husband’s death in 2007, who died before the solar panels lease was signed in 2014.
The father-of-one told MailOnline: ‘I was desperate for the money to pay for my mum’s care.
‘She had dementia and it was horrible at the end. The last six months, she didn’t even know me.
‘What of my mum and dad’s savings? Dad worked all his life on the railways – he was a controller.
‘Dad had three jobs so they could buy the house. It seems so unfair on them that they fought so hard to get this money and now we are not going to see it back.’
He and his wife Liz, also 59, who he first met aged 11 at Nantwich and Acton Grammar School, put the house on the market in December 2022. To this day, they have not been able to sell it, leading them to worry if the inherited house will ever make them some money.
Ralph said: ‘This house is a noose around our necks and a constant worry. I feel powerless.
‘If I could [afford legal] counsel I would. I would love to have my day in court.
‘It’s a scandal. I should have just ripped [the solar panels] off. The things are not making money for them. The electricity is off. The house isn’t lived in.
‘I have got an unsellable house. It’s down to £215,000 now. If a bid comes to £205,000, I’ll sell it.
‘It’s a prime location. It’s a nice area. It’s very good for a local school. It’s a sought-after location. My dad left us the property in his will. My mum had a life interest in it.
Ralph lives nearby with his wife of 24 years Liz, who he met at school when they were both 11
The solar panels no longer function as electricity is switched off in the house, which no one lives in at the moment
It has been on the market for two years but he and his estate agents claim potential buyers have walked away because of the solar panels
ASG said under the Government’s Feed-in Tariffs scheme, which was created to incentivise investment in renewable energy, it is paid a guaranteed index-linked return for 20 years on all of the excess electricity produced by its solar panels
The home in the market town of Nantwich, Cheshire, boasts three bedrooms and a garage
His wife Liz said: ‘It seems so unfair. His mum and dad worked so hard to get where they were.
‘We put it on the market for £250,000 for a quick sale. It’s probably worth at least £280,000.’
ASG said under the Government’s Feed-in Tariffs scheme, which was created to incentivise investment in renewable energy, it is paid a guaranteed index-linked return for 20 years on all of the excess electricity produced by its solar panels.
The company has previously sued at least three of its own customers for hundreds of thousands of pounds for defamation after they complained about the firm on social media.
Its legal department told Ralph: ‘There is no option to buy the system or for early removal… there is no option to buy out the lease.’
It later added: ‘We note you admit to deliberately switching off the solar panel system. Unfortunately, under the terms of the contract in place, your actions have placed your mother in breach of that contract and the solar panel owner may wish to instruct legal action against her to recover all losses.
I was desperate for the money to pay for my mum’s care. ‘She had dementia and it was horrible at the end.
‘This includes loss of FIT payment for the system being deliberately switched off and indeed the loss of the system itself you remove it as you have threatened.’
Although Ralph told them the panels had been switched off because there was no electricity in the home since no one lived in it, ASG’s legal department denied that the house was abandoned, although it said, ‘if the property is stood empty then of course we understand the system will be switched off in line with insurance requirements’.
It added: ‘We will not be removing the system and if you do attempt to remove the system yourself then we will instruct legal action against you.’
Ralph added: ‘[Stewart Davies] is very rich and powerful. It makes me so angry. It’s the threats that worry people. I own my house, I don’t want to be losing my house.
‘I can’t afford a legal battle. I’m at my wits’ end. I’m sick of them. It’s been tough, an absolute nightmare. I’m worried to death.’
‘It’s modern-day bullying.’
Letters from Ralph’s estate agents appear to confirm ASG’s solar panels had been a major factor hindering sales.
Estate Agents Baker, Wynne and Wilson, who are trying to sell the house for Ralph, told MailOnline: ‘A lot of people have said they have seen the reviews of the solar panel company.
One estate agent told Ralph that four offers were ‘withdrawn due to complication of the solar panels’
Railway operations manager Ralph is one of many A Shade Greener (ASG) customers unhappy with the company, which is being investigated by energy watchdog Ofgem
‘A lot of people want information. It’s been a bit of a nightmare.
‘It’s a very quiet corner plot, walking distance to major schools and a great price.
‘It was at £250,000 and that was a good price. It would be in the region of £300,000 if you put some work into it.’
In a letter, Ralph’s estate agent from the firm told him: ‘[The house] went on the open market in December 2022 for £250,0000 and since then, the property has been reduced on two occasions.
‘In total we have had in excess of 30 viewings at the property with four accepted offers that went forward to conveyancing and were then withdrawn due to the complication of the solar panels.
‘Presently we are marketing the property for £215,000, asking for only cash buyers due the solar panels being the complication with regards to any sales.
‘We will obviously try our utmost to try and find a prospective purchaser with our high profile internet advertising on Rightmove, On the Market and Baker, Wynne and Wilson and social media coverage.’
Ralph also asked another estate agent, Gary Fear, to help out.
Stewart Davies has called customers who complain about his company ‘evil co-conspirators’. Pictured: Davies with one of his colleagues
Stewart Davies is a keen helicopter pilot who passed his test in 2017
Mr Fear told Ralph: ‘We have conducted several viewings since July when the property was placed with us. We have also received offers, all of which are below the asking price.
‘In my opinion, I don’t see us getting any offers higher than the figures that have been put forward so far.
‘To put it plainly, the property is blighted by the issue with A Shade Greener and the solar panels.
‘If we continue to market the property at a figure of £215,000, we will still get offers around £180,000 to £185,000.
‘None of this is good news I am sure but my advice would be to accept an offer of £185,000 and draw a line under things.
‘If you continue to strive for an offer higher than that, you will continue to wait, incur additional expenses and may still sell for that figure in some months time.’
Mr Fear told MailOnline: ‘It’s been blighted by the solar panels and the incredibly restrictive lease.’
To put it plainly, the property is blighted by the issue with A Shade Greener and the solar panels.
Connor Naismith, the newly-elected MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: ‘I am deeply sorry to hear about the challenges Mr Wilson has faced regarding the sale of his mother’s property due to complications surrounding the solar panel lease.
‘I understand how distressing this situation must be, particularly in light of his recent loss.
‘I am in contact with Mr Wilson to offer my support, and my office is working to explore all available avenues to assist him in resolving this matter.
‘I am committed to ensuring that all of my constituents receive the help they need during difficult times, and I will do all I can to assist Mr Wilson with this case.’
An Ofgem spokesman said: ‘We are sorry to hear of Mr Wilson’s circumstances. We are aware of the allegations against A Shade Greener and are continuing our inquiries.’
A spokeswoman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: ‘This is an appalling situation and Ofgem is urgently looking into the hugely worrying accusations levelled against the company.
‘If it finds any act of non-compliance, we will not hesitate to support Ofgem in using all its powers appropriately.’
A Shade Greener did not respond to a request for comment.
Who is A Shade Greener boss Stewart Davies?
Stewart Davies, 73, is the boss of A Shade Greener (ASG), a solar panel company that promises free energy and excellent support to its 70,000 customers.
Davies is listed as a director of 32 companies. All but two are registered with the same address in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The two others are registered at the building next door.
He refused to comment on his style of business when previously approached by MailOnline.
In 2004, Davies became chairman of Darlington FC when the group of lenders he was part of took over the football club after it went into administration.
Pictured: A Shade Greener boss Stewart Davies, 73
Stewart Davies was Darlington FC’s chairman from 2004 to 2006
The club’s former chairman was George Reynolds, a former convict who reportedly borrowed £2million in 2002 from Sterling Consortium, which included Davies and other partners at accountancy firm BKR Haines Watts.
Sterling Consortium reportedly lent money at high interest rates to other football clubs in a financial jam including Cambridge United, Scarborough, Barnsley and Chesterfield.
A bag was found by police containing more than £500,000 in cash in the boot of George Reynolds’s car
George Reynolds arrives at Newcastle Crown Court on October 21, 2005, after admitting to tax evasion
When Reynolds was caught with £500,000 of cash in the boot of his car in June 2004, the police started investigating him for money laundering.
His lawyer said the money came from Reynolds’s solicitor’s account.
Reynolds pleaded guilty to tax evasion, with the money laundering charge ordered to lie on file. He was jailed for three years.