Solar Installer Won’t Honour the Warranty? Here’s How to Escalate

They promised 25 years of “worry-free” power. Eighteen months later the inverter is dead, the app shows zero generation, and the installer’s phone goes to voicemail. Or they answer and say it’s the manufacturer’s problem, and the manufacturer says it’s the installer’s. Meanwhile your power bill is back to what it was before you spent $8,000.

Solar is one of the most complained-about industries in Australia, and regulators know it. The rules are on your side, and the “not our problem” routine doesn’t survive a properly written letter.

Your rights

• Consumer guarantees override the warranty card. Under the Australian Consumer Law, panels and inverters must be of acceptable quality (s 54) and fit for purpose (s 55), and installation must be done with due care and skill (s 60). These guarantees exist regardless of what the manufacturer’s warranty says, and they last for as long as a reasonable consumer would expect the product to last, which for solar is many years.
• The retailer/installer is responsible. You bought from the installer, so under ss 259–263 ACL your remedy is against them. They cannot send you to the manufacturer. If it’s a major failure, you can choose a refund or replacement. For consequential loss (lost feed-in credits, higher bills), s 259(4) lets you recover that too.
• Warranties against defects must be honoured (s 59 ACL). If they gave you a written warranty, failing to comply is a breach of a consumer guarantee in its own right.
• Clean Energy Council rules. Accredited installers and CEC Approved Retailers sign a code requiring them to honour warranties and provide a minimum 5-year whole-of-system warranty. Breaching it can cost them accreditation, which matters to them because they need it to claim STCs.
• Misleading claims (s 18 ACL). Savings projections or “you’ll never pay a power bill again” that were never realistic are misleading conduct.

What to do right now

1. Collect the paperwork. Contract, quote, invoice, warranty documents, CEC compliance certificate, and any monitoring data showing the underperformance. Download inverter logs before they overwrite.
2. Get an independent inspection. Another CEC-accredited installer can inspect and report on the fault and installation quality. In some states (Victoria via Solar Victoria, Queensland via Electrical Safety Office) there are free or subsidised safety inspections.
3. Quantify your loss. Compare power bills before and after the failure, and count lost feed-in tariff. Add the cost of the independent inspection and any repairs you’ve had to pay for.
4. Write to the installer. Cite ss 54, 55, 60 and 259 ACL. Tell them the failure, that you require repair within a reasonable time (say 14 days) or you’ll treat it as a major failure and claim refund plus consequential loss.
5. Send a Letter of Demand. When they stall, a formal letter with the inspection report and quantified loss, plus notice that you’ll complain to the CEC and file at the tribunal, gets attention. Installers can’t afford CEC complaints.
6. Escalate. Complain to the CEC (for accredited installers/retailers), your state fair trading body, and the Clean Energy Regulator if the STC paperwork was wrong. Then file at your state civil tribunal.

“The installer’s gone bust.” Now what?

This is the single most common solar complaint in Australia, because installers come and go with the rebate cycles. You still have options:

• Manufacturer liability (s 271 ACL). You can claim directly against the manufacturer or importer of the panels or inverter for goods that aren’t of acceptable quality. The claim is for damages (the reduction in value, or the cost of replacement), not repair. Find the Australian importer on the product datasheet or the Clean Energy Council’s approved products list.
• Manufacturer’s product warranty. Separate from the ACL, most reputable panel and inverter brands have Australian warranty contacts. Register the product if you haven’t (you can usually still do it late) and lodge the claim with your serial numbers.
• Retailer vs installer. If you bought through a retailer who subcontracted the installation, the retailer is your supplier and remains liable even if the installer disappeared.
• Home warranty insurance. In some states, solar installations above a value threshold require home warranty (building indemnity) insurance, which responds if the contractor is insolvent.
• Financed systems. If you financed through a linked credit contract (e.g. a “buy now pay later” or green loan arranged by the installer), s 278 of the National Credit Code lets you raise the supplier’s failures against the credit provider. Contact the lender and, if they refuse, AFCA.

Also check the Clean Energy Regulator’s records: if STCs were claimed for your system, the installer certified it was compliant and installed by an accredited person. If that certification was false, it’s a matter the regulator will act on.

Who to complain to

Clean Energy Council (accreditation complaints), your state fair trading office (NSW Fair Trading, CAV, Queensland OFT, Consumer Protection WA, CBS SA), the Clean Energy Regulator, and for electrical safety issues your state electrical safety regulator (Energy Safe Victoria, ESO Queensland, NSW Fair Trading electrical). If the installer has gone bust, pursue the manufacturer directly under s 271 ACL (manufacturer liability) and check whether the panels are covered by a manufacturer’s Australian warranty.

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