The green light has been given for solar panel installations to restart in Victoria tomorrow, including in metropolitan Melbourne.
On the advice of the Victorian Government’s health team, the whole state moved to circuit breaker restrictions from 11:59pm on May 27, with only 5 reasons for leaving home. Installing solar panels wasn’t one of them.
But yesterday, Acting Premier James Merlino announced current restrictions will remain in place in Melbourne for a further seven days from 11.59pm tonight – with some small changes – and in regional Victoria restrictions will be relaxed.
One of the changes in restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne relates to solar system installations. Among the permitted activities are:
“Home solar panel installations (only for outdoor work or in roof cavities with external access)”
History Repeats – Just Shorter
No doubt the last week would have brought back some really bad memories of last year for solar installers in Melbourne (and of course everyone else in Victoria) – and understandable fears it could happen again. Even the loss of one week, while unfortunately necessary, represents a significant setback; loss of sales, interrupting cash flows and throwing scheduling and other activities into disarray.
Like many sectors, Melbourne’s solar industry was severely affected in 2020 after restrictions introduced at the beginning of August allowed for solar power system installations to continue in regional Victoria under certain conditions, but not in Melbourne unless a home was fully vacated or at a construction site. Those restrictions remained until October 19 – so 10 weeks.
This resulted in stresses on Melbourne installers and their teams that those of us in other states can only imagine, and it was heartbreaking to hear stories from those affected. Companies closed, workers were laid off and it was just an incredibly sucky situation for everyone involved. Many managed to just hang on thanks to government support.
When the nod was given for installations to proceed, Melbourne households continued with their brisk uptake of the electricity bill busting technology, taking advantage of not only the federal subsidy but also Victoria’s solar panel rebate. While the backlog of work posed challenges of its own for Melbourne solar businesses, those were probably welcome compared to the previous situation.
COVID-Safe Solar
On a related note, back in April last year we outlined how to go about a COVID-safe solar experience – from the research phase right through to handover. Getting solar installed can involve little to no close contact, so it’s very low risk with appropriate safety procedures observed. It’s certainly in the interests of installers to ensure they do.
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