'It's a big scam': Quebec company accused of fleecing customers buying solar panels

A solar-panelcompany based inLongueuil is being accused of misleading customers withexaggeratedclaims about what they will save on their energy bill.

Lanaudire resident Andr St-Pierre and Granby resident Francis Gareau both purchased solar panels after being visited by a representative from Rnovations et constructions Gauthier et Ploquin.

In both cases, the representative dazzled them with huge potential savings on their electricity bills.

St-Pierre said he was promised annual savings of nearly $2,000 if he purchased 10 solar panels and a heat pump at a cost of $23,000,paid through a financing plan.

"With savings of $1,784 per year, the investment was worth it," said St-Pierre.

Gareau said he was promised a 70 per cent reduction in his Hydro-Qubec bill if he bought 15 solar panels and a heat pump. That cost him $36,000 through a 10-year financing plan.

In both cases, the panels did not deliver the promised savings. According toGareau, his savingsamounted to about $5 per month.

"It's a big scam," he said.

Exaggerations, omissions and lies

Radio-Canada's consumer affairs programLa facture met with a sales representative linked to the company to verify such promises were being made to potential customers. The conversation was recorded with hidden cameras.

After calling Rnovations et constructions Gauthier et Ploquin, La facture was transferred to Regroupement Qubec Vert an organization that appears to only exist on Facebook.

When the representative arrived, he suggested installing 20 panels for annual electricity savings of $1,200.

But a spokesperson for Hydro-Qubec,Louis-Olivier Batty, said achieving energy savings ofthat scale is virtually impossible for most buildings.

According to the sales representative recorded by La facture, the 20 solar panels would produce 13,000 to 14,000 kilowatt hours per year.

Hydro-Qubec estimates the panels would produce about half that much electricity.

"It's dishonest," Batty saidof the sales pitch, since customers will not see the savings they are being promised.

Hydro-Qubec has created anonline calculator to help inform consumers about potential energy savings from home solar panels.

The head of a non-profit organization promoting the use of renewable energy said it's frustrating to hear of a company exploiting those seeking to lower their energy costs.

"People are ready to listen to anyone to not pay Hydro-Qubec," said nergie solaire Qubec president Patrick Goulet, who also confirmed the utility's estimate of a solar panel'senergy output.

The Regroupement Qubec Vert representative insisted to the undercover Radio-Canada journaliststhat he was not inflating the capacity of the solar panels.

Pitch suggests spike in hydro rates coming

The representative also suggested that Hydro-Qubec'selectricity rates were set to rise at unprecedented levels.

He estimated a five-per-cent increase for each of the next 10 years. Next year, Hydro-Qubec is asking for a 0.8 per cent rate increase from the province's energy authority far from the hike predicted by the solar panel salesman.

Hydro-Qubec is, for now, discouraging the use of solar panels by consumers, a view echoed by industry experts.

They argue it does not make financial sense, currently, to produce solar electricity in a residence given current hydro rates.

"For a new house, it might be worth it when integrating the cost into the home mortgage," said Goulet.

Regroupement Qubec Vert

Regroupement Qubec Vert cannot be found in Quebec's business registry and its only online footprint appears to be on Facebook.

Behind that Facebook page is a call centre selling solar panels and heat pumps, which is owned by Rnovations et constructions Gauthier et Ploquin president Jean-Maxime Ploquin, according toLa facture.

That call centre is the subject of 87 complaints, 18 cease-and-desist orders and a warning from Quebec's Office of Consumer Protection.

Ploquin also owns another business, Hydro-Rvolution, which specializes in heat pumps. That business and its representatives were ordered to pay more than $94,000 in fines between 2013 and 2015 for making false or misleading claims.

While he initially agreed to an interview with La facture, Ploquin later declined citing the advice of his lawyer.

Based on a report by La facture's Franois Dallaire.