{"id":44983,"date":"2020-11-20T05:36:15","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T19:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=44983"},"modified":"2020-11-20T05:36:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T19:06:15","slug":"consumer-protection-solar-mb1769","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/","title":{"rendered":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44984\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\" alt=\"WA's Consumer Protection and solar power\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research-768x403.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Western Australia&#8217;s Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping says rooftop solar power has a bright future in the state, but prospective PV purchasers need to do their research before signing on the dotted line.<!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Even though there\u2019s a lot to love about this renewable, some consumers have come to Consumer Protection with complaints about poor quality parts, companies going broke and pushy sales tactics,&#8221; states Ms. Chopping.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The number of complaints Consumer Protection has seen recently wasn&#8217;t mentioned, but back in December 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wa-solar-complaints-mb1321\/\">the agency noted<\/a> more than 200 Western Australians reported issues in the year prior after the installation of a solar power system. Hopefully the numbers have dropped since.<\/p>\n<h2>Solar Buyer Tips From The Commissioner<\/h2>\n<p>Ms. Chopping said before signing a contract for purchase of a solar system installation, consumers should:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>get several quotes from different suppliers<\/li>\n<li>ensure the prospective supplier is Clean Energy Council (CEC) accredited. Just a note on this, the Commissioner&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.wa.gov.au\/announcements\/commissioners-blog-solar-future-bright-do-your-research\">article<\/a> links to the CEC members page, but being a member doesn&#8217;t mean much. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cec-installers-retailers-members\/\">CEC members, accredited installers and approved solar retailers<\/a> &#8211; it&#8217;s important to understand the difference.<\/li>\n<li>if a solar salesperson is making claims that will play a role in a purchase decision, ensure those are in writing on the contract.<\/li>\n<li>ensure you understand the terms and the conditions of the contract. T&amp;C&#8217;s can be rather lengthy and dry reading, but it&#8217;s important to read them and if you don&#8217;t understand something, seek clarification.<\/li>\n<li>ensure your home insurance will cover the system &#8211; it may need to be extended.<\/li>\n<li>if your premises is part of a strata scheme, check you have approval to install solar panels.<\/li>\n<li>read online reviews and feedback about the solar retailer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SolarQuotes has some of the above covered through the resources on this web site. For example, you can read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/installers\/reviews\/\">solar installer reviews<\/a> &#8211; and as the SQ name suggests, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/quote\/\"> get quotes<\/a> from carefully pre-vetted and accredited installers. Among other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/tools\/\">handy tools<\/a> are the SQ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/solar101.html\">Solar 101 guide<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/solar-calculator\/\">solar and battery calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Beware Dodgy Sales Tactics And Know Your Warranty Rights<\/h2>\n<p>The Commissioner also notes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Solar power providers are not allowed to use forceful or high pressured sales tactics to get you to buy something, nor can they provide you with false or misleading information. They must also ensure their products and services meet the consumer guarantees.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Consumer Protection has previously pointed out the supplier is generally the party responsible for resolving any issues that may occur with a system post-installation, and a supplier demanding the customer contacts the manufacturer or installer for repair or replacement isn&#8217;t on.<\/p>\n<p>On the topic of false or misleading information, there was a recent example of this where a successful prosecution was made by Consumer Protection. In October this year, a solar installation company was hit with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/fake-reviews-fine-mb1715\/\">$6,000 fine for publishing fake testimonials<\/a> on its website.<\/p>\n<p>Consumer Protection can provide Western Australians with advice on warranties, terms and conditions, installation work quality issues or any overselling of benefits that may occur &#8211; further information can be found on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.wa.gov.au\/publications\/solar-panel-systems-factsheet\">agency&#8217;s solar fact sheet<\/a>. Complaints about a solar power system that can&#8217;t be resolved with the retailer or manufacturer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.wa.gov.au\/consumer-protection\/consumer-complaint-checklist\">can be lodged here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Western Australia&#8217;s Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping says rooftop solar power has a bright future in the state, but prospective PV purchasers need to do their research before signing on the dotted line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":44984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Western Australia&#039;s Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Western Australia&#039;s Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Bloch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\"},\"wordCount\":555,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\",\"name\":\"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"WA's Consumer Protection and solar power\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\",\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Michael Bloch\"},\"description\":\"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research","description":"Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research","og_description":"Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Bloch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Bloch","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1"},"headline":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research","datePublished":"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/"},"wordCount":555,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","articleSection":["General Solar &amp; Storage News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/","name":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-19T19:06:15+00:00","description":"Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection says rooftop solar has a bright future in the state, but buyers need to research.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"WA's Consumer Protection and solar power"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/consumer-protection-solar-mb1769\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"WA Commissioner For Consumer Protection: Do Your Solar Research"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1","name":"Michael Bloch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Michael Bloch"},"description":"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/solar-consumer-research.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-bHx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35520,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wa-solar-complaints-mb1321\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":0},"title":"WA&#8217;s Consumer Protection Flags Growing Solar Complaints","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"December 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The popularity of solar power in Western Australia is accompanied by an increase in related complaints according to Consumer Protection. Consumer Protection is a division of WA's Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. It says that in the past the past year, more than 200 Western Australians have reported\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar complaints in WA","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-complaints-western-australia.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-complaints-western-australia.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-complaints-western-australia.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-complaints-western-australia.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-complaints-western-australia.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49076,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wa-solar-survey-mb1943\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":1},"title":"WA Solar Owners Invited To Complete Survey","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A Western Australian government agency is asking the state's solar owners to provide feedback on their clean power journey. Building and Energy, which is a division of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulations and Safety, is undertaking the survey to gain a better understanding of the community\u2019s experience with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Australia solar installation survey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/solar-installations-wa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/solar-installations-wa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/solar-installations-wa.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/solar-installations-wa.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/solar-installations-wa.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65563,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wa-consumer-solar-mb2634\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":2},"title":"WA&#8217;s Consumer Protection Warns On Crap Solar","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"September 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Choose your solar installer wisely says Western Australia's Consumer Protection after an increase in complaints about performance claims, shoddy systems and workmanship. WA is a hotbed of PV activity, largely driven by uptake in the Perth metropolitan area that generally enjoys the lowest solar prices in Australia thanks to intense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar power systems in Western Australia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wa-solar-consumer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wa-solar-consumer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wa-solar-consumer.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wa-solar-consumer.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wa-solar-consumer.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65616,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-installer-investigations-mb2638\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":3},"title":"(Some) Solar Installers Still Behaving Badly: NSW And WA","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"September 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Several NSW solar sparkies have lost their licences and in WA, search warrants were executed last week in an investigation into potential solar STC fraud. First to New South Wales, where NSW Fair Trading has cancelled the contractor licences of seven electricians.\u00a0 The revocations occurred after investigations determined the electricians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar installer investigations","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/solar-installer-investigation.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/solar-installer-investigation.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/solar-installer-investigation.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/solar-installer-investigation.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/solar-installer-investigation.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43838,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/fake-reviews-fine-mb1715\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":4},"title":"Solar Company Fined For Fake Reviews","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A solar installation company has been whacked with a fine of $6,000 for publishing fake testimonials on its website. At Perth Magistrates Court last Friday, Suntech Solar Pty Ltd trading as Ausuntech Energy pleaded guilty to all charges associated with eight breaches of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The prosecution\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar company fined for fake testimonials","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/fake-reviews-fine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/fake-reviews-fine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/fake-reviews-fine.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/fake-reviews-fine.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/fake-reviews-fine.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95884,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/netcc-approved-sellers-mb3310\/","url_meta":{"origin":44983,"position":5},"title":"NETCC Approved Seller Numbers Reach 2,000","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"November 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Australia's New Energy Tech Consumer Code recently reached a significant milestone in the number of Approved Sellers participating in the program. Also rising are the number of consumer complaints made against sellers. What Is The NETCC? The New Energy Tech Consumer Code is a pay-for-play voluntary program administered by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Installation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/netcc-solar-batteries.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/netcc-solar-batteries.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/netcc-solar-batteries.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/netcc-solar-batteries.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/netcc-solar-batteries.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44987,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44983\/revisions\/44987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}