Selling Solar Power In Australia – Electrical Licences
What Australian states and territories require businesses selling solar power systems to hold their own Electrical Contractors Licence (ECL)? Find a summary below and a detailed explanation of electrical licensing requirements here.
NSW
Only the holder of a building or electrical contractors licence can sell solar in NSW.
A building contractor can sell solar, but an electrical licence holder must be hired as part of the contract to carry out the electrical wiring.
See Fair Trading NSW’s official advice here.
Queensland
The entity selling solar must hold either a QBCC licence or an unrestricted Electrical Contractor’s Licence.
ACT & NT
In New South Wales, the ACT and Northern Territory, a company must have an Electrical Contractors Licence (ECL) to sell solar power systems. The ECL must be in the company’s name (not an employee or subcontractor). A Sole Trader must have an ECL in the name of the Sole Trader.
South Australia
In South Australia, you cannot sell solar without an SA Electrical Contractors Licence (Or Builders Licence with Solar Endorsement). The ECL or Builders Licence must be in the name of the entity that is selling the systems and not just in the name of an employee or subcontractor.
If the installation includes structural building work, the company must hold a building work contractors licence and the work must be supervised by a registered building supervisor. A Sole Trader must have an ECL in the name of the Sole Trader.
Victoria & Western Australia
In Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, our understanding is that an entity selling PV systems does not need to have its own Electrical Contractors Licence if it subcontracts the solar installation to an entity that has an Electrical Contractors Licence.
Tasmania
Any business selling solar in Tasmania either has to have a Tasmanian ECL or must subcontract the work out to an entity with a Tasmanian ECL. All paperwork involved in the sale and installation needs to name the licensed entity. The subcontractor can’t be nominated after the sale.
Cases of solar businesses not being appropriately licensed are more common than you might expect – and often it is simply an oversight by the company. We check to ensure all businesses participating in the SolarQuotes network have the necessary licensing to sell solar power as part of our screening process. You can view SolarQuotes’ top ranked installers here.