{"id":101816,"date":"2026-09-11T05:32:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T20:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=101816"},"modified":"2026-09-10T15:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:33:15","slug":"cec-double-standard-on-budget-brand-delistings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cec-double-standard-on-budget-brand-delistings\/","title":{"rendered":"CEC Double Standard On Budget Brand Delistings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Neovolt<\/p>\n

Neovolt have been threatened with de-listing because their CEC approval paperwork isn’t in order.<\/p>\n

I find this curious because when I’ve asked about similar approval paperwork in the past concerning Growatt products, they weren’t de-listed. And the CEC refused to answer our questions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It’s been an interesting rash of emails and solar industry social posts over the last couple of days.<\/p>\n

Seems the Neovolt range of hybrid solar battery inverters doesn’t have all its ducks in a row. They’ve been scheduled for removal from the CEC-approved list, which means no one will be able to install them. They’ll be ineligible for the Cheaper Home Battery Program.<\/p>\n

Because many networks use the CEC list as a default for connection approval, you wouldn’t be able to use these units even if they were given away for free.<\/p>\n

As soon as Solar Accreditation Australia announced it, I reached out to VoltX (not to be confused with Voltex), which is the exclusive agent for Neovolt ByteWatt<\/a> in Australia, and asked about this embarrassment. So far, they haven’t come back with any reply. What has turned up in the interim is a statement posted to their social media.<\/p>\n

Neovolt BW-BAT-9.6P CEC Listing Compliance Update<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NEOVOLT has been advised by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) of its intention to temporarily suspend the CEC listing of the BW-BAT-9.6P battery while certain outstanding listing compliance matters are being resolved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We would like to reassure our customers, distributors, retailers and installation partners that the matters raised by the CEC relate specifically to compliance with the CEC Battery Listing Terms and Conditions. The CEC has not identified any product safety concerns in relation to the BW-BAT-9.6P battery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NEOVOLT is treating these compliance matters as a top priority and is working closely and constructively with the CEC and relevant parties to address the outstanding requirements as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We understand the importance of maintaining certainty and continuity for our customers and industry partners. Our immediate priority is to complete the required compliance process promptly and minimise any potential disruption to the Australian market.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NEOVOLT remains fully committed to meeting Australian product listing and compliance requirements and will continue to cooperate closely with the CEC throughout this process.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We appreciate the continued support and confidence of our customers and partners. Further updates will be provided as soon as additional information is confirmed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For any enquiries, please contact your NEOVOLT representative or the NEOVOLT Australia team.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No Reason To Panic<\/h2>\n

From what we can gather, there’s no imminent safety concern or risk of fire<\/a>, so it’s not a recall. It’s simply that the certification from the overseas test laboratory has expired, so the subsequent paperwork is no longer valid. The CEC probably wants to review the paperwork again, for a fee, of course.<\/p>\n

I hoped Voltx would be a little more forthcoming, as we’ve had correspondence with them before to clarify warranty liabilities. To be honest, it did take a few back-and-forth messages. We eventually worked out that Voltx would assume responsibility for the existing Australian stock, as the previous distributor’s failure had left thousands of units orphaned.<\/p>\n

Is The CEC Turning Over A New Leaf?<\/h2>\n

While everyone in solar has been laughing at the green (plastic) tea leaves<\/a> recently gifted by Growatt to the CEC, I’m wondering whether they’re truly improving their performance or just doing some performative paper-shuffling?<\/p>\n

At SolarQuotes, we’re pretty much sworn off taking anyone’s largesse. Full disclosure: I was given a box of wine by a really happy end user after I spent an hour on the phone offering him valuable off-grid winery advice. However, I still need to pay for my own solar hardware, and while I might wrangle a trade price, I’m never getting a volume discount.<\/p>\n

Whereas industry figures explain there’s a cultural norm for Chinese brand representatives to rock up to business meetings with nice little gifts. We’re talking earbuds for your phone or bottles of Scotch, not just brand merch or cheap giveaways. The personal stories I’ve heard have not been transactional, but delightful. Of course, Growatt’s choice of gift crossed a line.<\/p>\n

Growatt: What Now?<\/h2>\n

I fielded a complaint from an end user who wasn’t convinced his cheap solar power system was performing correctly. While I wouldn’t recommend Growatt,<\/a> I got some details from the bloke and found the design of his system was not compliant. The current rating of the panels was simply too high for the 5 kW inverter, which meant technically it wasn’t eligible for the solar rebate. Whoever installed it had effectively committed STC fraud.<\/p>\n

I told the customer he should challenge his installer and Growatt. The system was working flat out; it had no 1.25x margin<\/a> specified by Australian rules. With the panel current delivering right on the limit, there was no headroom, so the inverter was likely getting hot, de-rating itself, and so underperforming.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, Growatt’s response wasn’t an updated machine; it was simply that they had re-rated the inverter. They offered to send the customer a new, compliant sticker to put over the old one.<\/p>\n

\"growatt

These machines didn’t have sufficient short-circuit current rating (ISC) for the solar input to meet Australian rules.<\/p><\/div>\n

Call Me Sceptical<\/h2>\n

I went looking for the test certificates and asked the CEC whether this thing had been retested, or whether Growatt had re-applied to have the machine re-assessed and to have an updated round of certificates or approvals issued. The CEC simply wasn’t answering, though. What I didn’t know was that, sometime in the past, before my tenure at SolarQuotes, Finn had written some mean things about the CEC, so they would just ignore us.<\/p>\n

The email I wrote in January 2024 looked like this :<\/p>\n

I would also like to know about the CEC process for updating inverter specifications. I have had a customer complaint to review and found a non-compliant installation of 14 Jinko 475-watt, 120-cell tiger neo mono-facial N-type modules connected to a Growatt MIN-5000TL-XH Single-Phase Inverter.
\n
\n475 W panels have a short circuit current of 14.23 A, and therefore, when you apply Australian rules for 1.25 x 14.23, you get 17.78 A. However, the inverter is only rated at 16.9 A according to its label. (photo above)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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