Your Home Deserves a Local Installer — Not the Lowest Bidder
Group-buying solar schemes like Switch Together Essex promise savings, but when things go wrong — and they have — there's nobody local to call. Here's why homeowners across London, Essex, Kent, Suffolk and Hertfordshire trust Expert Energy Group instead.

What Is Switch Together?
Switch Together (formerly Solar Together) is a group-buying scheme run by a Dutch company called iChoosr. Local councils promote the scheme to residents, and then a reverse auction takes place — where solar installers bid against each other to win the contract. The cheapest bid wins.
That might sound like a good deal, but here's the catch: you don't choose your installer, you can't vet them yourself, and your contract is with the installer — not with Switch Together or your local council. If the installer cuts corners, delays your job, or goes bust, neither the council nor iChoosr are legally responsible.
A Track Record of Failed Installers
In London, iChoosr selected Green Energy Together (GET) as the sole installer for Phase 4 of the scheme. GET went on to lose its MCS and HIES accreditations and entered liquidation — leaving homeowners with half-finished installations, lost deposits, and scaffolding stuck on their homes. Despite this, GET was then reappointed as one of three installers for Phase 5. In 2025, it happened again — Fusion8, selected for Solar Together Hampshire, lost its accreditation and entered liquidation, leaving customers scrambling to recover deposits of up to £2,000.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68152083
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15v5de97dgo
Why Expert Energy Group Is Different
We're a local company with local staff. We cover Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and London — and we've built our reputation on doing the job properly, not on being the cheapest bidder in a reverse auction.
When you work with us, you deal directly with the people who design and install your system. There's no middleman, no faceless call centre, and no waiting months in a queue behind hundreds of other households. We visit your property, assess your roof and energy needs in person, and design a system that's tailored to your home — not a cookie-cutter specification generated from a web form.
We don't subcontract your installation. We don't farm work out to whoever puts in the cheapest tender. Our own team installs your system, and we stand behind it with a workmanship warranty backed by insurance protection — so even in the unlikely event anything went wrong with our business, your warranty remains valid.
We're well established in the local area and we're not going anywhere. If you have a question six months or two years after installation, you pick up the phone and speak to the same team who fitted your panels. That's the difference between a local company and a bulk scheme.
Personal Advice, Not a Price Calculator
Group-buying schemes give you a system specification based on a few details you enter online. We give you personal, expert advice face-to-face. We'll tell you honestly whether solar is right for your property, which battery makes sense for your usage patterns, and how to maximise your return — including help with DNO applications, export tariffs and monitoring setup.
Expert Energy Group vs Switch Together
See exactly what you get when you choose a local installer over a group-buying scheme.
| Feature | Expert Energy Group ★ RECOMMENDED | Switch Together |
|---|---|---|
| Choose your own installer You decide who works on your home |
✓ | ✗
Assigned via auction
|
| Local company, local staff Based in your area, not overseas |
✓
Essex, Kent, Suffolk, Herts & London
|
✗
Run by iChoosr (Netherlands)
|
| In-house installation team No subcontracting to the cheapest bidder |
✓ | ✗
Installer chosen by lowest bid
|
| Personal, in-home survey Proper roof assessment before quoting |
✓
Free, no-obligation survey
|
~
Basic details via web form first
|
| Tailored system design Designed specifically for your property |
✓ | ~
Standardised packages
|
| No deposit required Pay only on completion |
✓
Full payment on completion
|
✗
Deposit required upfront
|
| Same-day quote No waiting for auction results |
✓ | ✗
Wait weeks for auction & offer
|
| Fast installation How quickly you'll be up and running |
✓
Typically within weeks
|
✗
Can take 6+ months
|
| Insurance-backed warranty Your warranty survives even if the installer doesn't |
✓
2-year workmanship + insurance backed
|
~
Depends on installer — 2 have gone bust
|
| Direct aftercare & support Call the people who installed your system |
✓
Speak to our team directly
|
✗
Routed through iChoosr helpdesk
|
| Help with DNO & export tariffs We handle the paperwork for you |
✓ | ~
Varies by installer
|
| Price match guarantee Competitive pricing without the risk |
✓
We'll match & beat like-for-like
|
✗
Fixed auction price only
|
| No failed schemes or bust installers A clean track record you can trust |
✓ | ✗
GET & Fusion8 both liquidated
|
| Battery & EV charger options Full range of home energy products |
✓ | ✓ |
| MCS-certified installation Required for Smart Export Guarantee |
✓ | ✓ |

