• Installing renewable energy systems is intended to be an investment in clean energy and lower bills – yet some companies sell them using fear and deception, concealing terms and conditions in the ‘small print’.
• Polska Energia Grupa Kapitałowa acquired customers through unfair practices, whilst Energia dla Pokoleń included unlawful contract terms. The standard contract templates used by Nasz Prąd also raised concerns.
• The President of UOKiK imposed fines totalling over PLN 7 million on the two companies and nearly PLN 400,000 on their managers.

Consumers choose to buy photovoltaic panels or heat pumps with a view to lowering energy bills and protecting the environment. Installing renewable energy systems is a major investment for many households – often financed from savings or a loan. That is why the President of UOKiK is scrutinising the practices of businesses operating in the renewable energy market and takes action when consumers are exposed to misleading sales tactics and contracts containing hidden terms.

– Renewable energy installations require consumers to pay tens of thousands of zlotys, and businesses must take full responsibility – both for the quality of the product and for fair sales practices and transparent contract terms. It is unacceptable to sell photovoltaic systems by instilling fear and applying pressure, or to draft contracts in such a way that the risks and costs always fall on the consumer – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.

Advertising disguised as an official letter

Polska Energia Grupa Kapitałowa used advertisements that resembled official correspondence. In reality, these formed part of a sales campaign promoting photovoltaic installations. Consumers’ letterboxes were filled with leaflets styled to look like official letters – black and white, using formal phrasing and titles such as “Announcement” or “Notice”, while the envelopes bore the red imprint “Notice to residents of the municipality”. To many recipients, this could have appeared to be correspondence from a government authority or an energy distributor, rather than a commercial offer from a private company. This was a deliberate marketing ploy – designed to increase pressure and prompt the recipient to act quickly.

This pressure was further intensified by the way energy prices were presented. The company’s marketing materials warned of purported, unavoidable electricity price rises of up to 300–400 per cent, whereas the actual increase in household electricity prices between 2022 and 2024 was just under 33 per cent.* Such messaging – presented without sources or relevant context, including protective measures like energy price freezes – was intended to alarm consumers and persuade them to enter into a contract for a photovoltaic installation.

Vague terms, real consequences

The standard-form contracts used by Energia dla Pokoleń contained clauses that could make it difficult for consumers to assert their rights, such as enforcing deadlines for installation. The issue also concerned imprecise terms, for example, ‘adverse weather conditions’. These made it impossible for the customer to determine whether a delay resulted from an extraordinary event or from foreseeable weather conditions. In practice, this could mean a long wait without certainty as to when the installation would be completed, and a lack of effective means to enforce timely completion. Provisions regarding the expected outcomes of the investment were also significant in the case. If a consumer is promised specific benefits based on data and parameters, yet the contract includes a clause stating that the company does not guarantee the level of energy production or savings, the actual results may turn out to be lower than those indicated by the calculations provided.

During the proceedings, UOKiK also examined a complaint concerning the installation of a different model of a key component of the photovoltaic system than the one the consumer had seen in the design. The company argued that the visualisation was not an integral part of the contract, but merely an illustrative drawing. From the consumer’s perspective, this created a risk that elements presented as definitive during the sales discussion could subsequently be regarded as non-binding.

You have two hours or you pay PLN 1,000

The issue of contracts also arises in the context of the company Nasz Prąd – proceedings concerning potentially unfair terms in standard-form contracts are ongoing, and UOKiK is examining clauses that may be detrimental to consumers. The President of UOKiK has raised concerns, among others, about a provision stating that the installation team was to arrive at the agreed time, and if the property was not ready for work to commence and the situation had not changed within two hours, the company could charge the customer an additional travel cost of PLN 1,000 for each day of delay. At this rate, the penalty could accumulate to a very high sum – particularly as the company did not specify exactly what ‘preparation’ of the property entailed.

Penalties for companies and managers

Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK, imposed a total of PLN 7,033,289 in fines on the companies and PLN 387,000 on their managers. Energia dla Pokoleń was fined PLN 6,129,221, while personal liability was imposed on Jadwiga Kurkiewicz (PLN 138,000), Marcin Janosz (PLN 80,000), and Kacper Kruk (PLN 69,000). Polska Energia Grupa Kapitałowa was fined PLN 904,068, while the managers – Jolanta Iwona Kubiczek and Adriana Małgorzata Kałuża – were each fined PLN 50,000. Both decisions are not yet final, and the companies have lodged appeals with the court.

This is the latest action taken by the Office in the renewable energy sector. Previously, the President of UOKiK imposed a fine on Sunday Polska and challenged unlawful provisions applied by Polska Energia Grupa Kapitałowa and Am Eco Energy.

* Data source: https://www.ure.gov.pl/pl/energia-elektryczna/ceny-wskazniki/7853,Srednia-cena-energii-elektrycznej-dla-gospodarstw-domowych.html ; accessed on 9 March 2026.