If you’re doing your homework and looking for reassurance about the quality of the products and service you’ll be investing in for your home or business solar, you’ll certainly come across the official CEC logo on some of the provider sites you’re reviewing.
Congratulations – this means the solar retailer you’re dealing with has made a strong commitment to good business practices and improving standards in the solar industry!
Sounds good, but how important is it? And what does it really mean?
In this blog post I’ll run through answers to your questions about our CEC qualifications and explain why Goliath Solar chose to become a CEC Approved Retailer, in an industry where reliable and ethical solar installers can be hard to identify.
1. What is the Clean Energy Council?
The Clean Energy Council is the peak body for Australia’s clean energy industry. They represent and work with hundreds of leading businesses operating in solar, wind, energy efficiency, hydro, bioenergy, energy storage, geothermal and marine along with more than 4,000 solar installers.
The CEC are committed to accelerating the transformation of Australia’s energy system to one that is smarter and cleaner.
2. What is an approved CEC Approved Solar Retailer?
A Clean Energy Council Approved Solar Retailer is a company that has signed on to the voluntary Code of Conduct and agreed to follow its requirements at all times.
3. What is the Code of Conduct?
The Clean Energy Council Solar Retailer Code of Conduct is a way for solar businesses to show their commitment to responsible sales and marketing activities and solar industry best practice.
The code of conduct is a voluntary scheme for retail businesses selling solar panel systems to households and businesses. It aims to lift the bar higher than the minimum requirements set by government and regulations and bring about a better standard of service within the solar industry. It is also the only solar industry code of conduct authorised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The Clean Energy Council manages the code of conduct and ensures that signatories comply with its strict requirements at all times.
4. What does choosing a CEC qualified provider mean for me?
When you buy solar from a Clean Energy Council Approved Solar Retailer, you can be assured that you are buying a quality product from a company that follows all relevant consumer protection laws and is prepared to back the operation of your solar system for at least five years. The code also has strict requirements that companies must follow in pre- and post-sale activities, documentation and general business practices.
The company you’re dealing with has signed on to the Clean Energy Council Solar Retailer Code of Conduct. That means you will receive the following – and more:
✓ Assurance that the company has gone through a rigorous process to become an Approved Solar Retailer.
✓ A standard minimum warranty period of five years on your whole system.
✓ Detailed information on the process between system installation and network connection.
✓ Peace of mind that the company will adhere to all existing legislation and regulations, and that its sales representatives will act ethically and not engage in any dishonest or misleading tactics.
✓ Many other quality and performance guarantees.
Goliath Solar & CEC Accreditation
At Goliath Solar we pride ourselves on high standards in all areas of our business and believe in delivering the best possible solar install service we possibly can, every time.
We understand that there are cowboys operating out there, and think the CEC Code of Conduct is an important industry initiative which helps separate the honest operators from the more cavalier, fly-by-night types. Most importantly it gives a stamp of approval which helps you, (the general public), be able to identify quality solar retailers and installers independently.
We are also an approved SA Home Battery Scheme Provider, which requires CEC accreditation for all their installers.
Goliath Solar & Electrical are proud to be a provider in the South Australian home battery scheme. Stay in tune with our upcoming product announcements view our Home Battery Scheme offering.
We hope our CEC accreditation gives you peace of mind that with Goliath Solar you can expect to receive top notch customer service throughout each step of the solar installation process:
PRE-SALE
- We ensure that sales representatives act ethically at all times.
- We do not engage in any dishonest or misleading advertising and sales tactics.
- We provide you with the necessary information in writing to enable full education about your purchase prior to entering into a contract.
POST-SALE
- We respect your legal rights relating to cooling-off periods and refunds and give you the opportunity to cancel a contract and obtain a full refund where changes are made after contract that are not approved in writing.
- We provide a standard minimum warranty period of five years, on the operation and performance of the whole solar system including workmanship and products, and address any problems arising during this period.
- We fully inform you of the process between system installation and network connection or will facilitate this process on your behalf.
DOCUMENTATION AND GENERAL BUSINESS
- We ensure that you are provided with the required documentation before and after the solar system is installed
- We adhere to all existing legislation and regulations, and maintain effective internal cancellation procedures.
- We maintain a fair and transparent complaints process, and get back to you within 21 days of you making a complaint.
So now you know – don’t forget to look for the CEC Approved Retailer Logo before requesting your solar and battery quotes. It’ll be the best choice you can make!
Being CEC Approved is just the foundation of our friendly level of service at Goliath Solar, there is a reason we are platinum rated on solarquotes with hundreds of 5 Star Ratings. Supplying you with a great product, great service and a great outcome is what drives our team.
