The CEC has provided a snapshot of its Solar Accreditation Scheme related compliance activity between the beginning of July last year and the end of June this year.
Clean Energy Council accreditation is necessary for those who want to design or install solar or battery storage systems – it applies to individuals. Without it, installers can’t participate in government initiatives such as the Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) scheme, more commonly referred to as the “solar rebate”, and the systems installed wouldn’t get approval to connect to the mains grid.
Accreditation differs from Clean Energy Council membership and the Approved Solar Retailer program, which are available to businesses. There is no such thing as a “CEC accredited” solar business and just being a member of the CEC isn’t an indicator of installation quality or business ethics.
SQ’s Ronald goes into more detail regarding the difference between Clean Energy Council accreditation, membership and Approved Solar Retailers.
How Many Accredited Solar Installers And Designers In Australia?
As at the end of June this year, there were 8,255 CEC accredited solar (or solar + battery) installers and designers across the country – the breakdown:
- Queensland: 2,283
- New South Wales: 2,096
- ACT: 151
- Victoria: 1,845
- Tasmania: 127
- South Australia: 826
- Western Australia: 817
- Northern Territory: 110
.. it’s a lot of folks to keep tabs on and unfortunately not all accredited parties do the right thing.
Demerits, Suspensions And Cancellations
The CEC receives reports of solar designs and installations that aren’t up to scratch in terms of relevant standards and guidelines from various sources. These include the Clean Energy Regulator, regulators in each state/territory, and from consumer complaints.
If the CEC finds breaches after investigating and depending on the situation, it may issue demerit points, a suspension or decide to totally cancel an installer/designer’s accreditation.
Where an accredited installer or designer accumulates 20 demerit points, they go on “probation”. The CEC keeps a closer eye on them and they are required to carry out whatever action/s to the Clean Energy Council’s satisfaction. If this doesn’t happen, the party may be suspended – but the accreditation can be reinstated when the party cleans up their act.
A cancellation will occur for very serious breaches. However, this isn’t an installer version of hell as there is an avenue for redemption. The party can reapply for their accreditation after 12 months from the cancellation date.
For the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, Clean Energy Council compliance actions included:
- 1641 cases assessed
- 10,729 demerit points allocated (number of parties not mentioned)
- 12 installers were suspended
- 37 installers had their accreditation cancelled.
.. and judging by some of the photos we continue to see of crap solar installations, there’s still a lot of work for the CEC to do on the compliance front.
You can keep up to date with CEC compliance activity snapshots here and learn more about accreditation demerits, suspensions and cancellations here.
Consumers with a complaint against a Clean Energy Council Approved Solar Retailer or accredited installer can submit a report using the CEC’s complaints form.
Related: Tips for choosing a solar installer
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