The Clean Energy Council is committed to ensuring high quality solar and battery design and installations through the Accreditation Scheme. CEC accredited installers and designers are bound by a set of rules that dictate their conduct.
This page outlines the obligations that apply to all accredited installers and designers, as well as the compliance procedures in place to uphold these obligations.
1. ACCREDITATION CODE OF CONDUCT
The Accreditation Code of Conduct acts to guide the behaviour of accredited installers and designers and the standards of conduct and professionalism expected from them. All persons holding any form of CEC accreditation must follow the standards set out in the Code of Conduct.
2. STANDARDS, RULES AND REQUIREMENTS
CEC accredited installers and designers must comply with all relevant Australian standards, CEC guidelines, applicable laws, regulations and codes of practice. This includes complying with network regulations when connecting to the grid and government rebate, grant or incentive scheme requirements.
Further information is available to accredited installers and designers through the installer portal.
3. CEC DESIGN & INSTALLATION GUIDELINE
To assist CEC-accredited installers and designers in interpreting the relevant Australian Standards, the Clean Energy Council produces a design and installation guideline.
The guideline contains practical design and installation information as well as your responsibilities to those you work with and your customers and should be read in conjunction with all relevant Australian Standards.
Further information is available to accredited installers and designers through the installer portal.
4. INSTALLATION ATTENDANCE
An accredited installer of a small-scale renewable energy system is required to physically install the system themselves or attended the site at least three times - at the beginning, middle and end of the installation.
To help installers meet their obligations, the CEC has produced guidance on the type of evidence that can be used to record onsite attendance at each stage.
Further information is available to accredited installers and designers through the installer portal.
Compliance is critical to the value of CEC accreditation. Our compliance procedure ensures guidelines and other regulations are followed and the standard of work upheld. Quality work ensures that the reputation of the rooftop solar and battery storage industry is maintained so that demand for the industry remains strong.
The compliance procedure outlines what happens when the Clean Energy Council has evidence that an accredited person has not followed the relevant Australian standards, Clean Energy Council guideline or Accreditation Code of Conduct, or has triggered a show cause event.
NON-COMPLIANCE
When the CEC is made aware of a solar or battery design or installation that does not meet relevant Australian standards, CEC guidelines or other regulations, we contact the responsible accredited person to inform them of the issue and what they need to do.
This information often comes from Clean Energy Regulator inspections, state and territory regulators and consumer complaints.
Allocation of demerit points
We allocate demerit points to accredited installers and designers when we are made aware of non-compliant work.
Demerit points will be allocated if:
The number of demerit points allocated depends on the level of risk associated with each non-compliance issue, as detailed in the table below:
| CEC category | CER inspection category | Demerit points | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious non-compliance | Unsafe | 10 | A safety hazard which poses an imminent risk of damage to property or persons. The system had to be shut down. | DC isolator enclosure or cable junction boxes are not suitably installed to prevent water from getting in. |
| Major non-compliance | Needs rectification | 6 | The system has failed to meet key clauses in the standards/guidelines. While not imminent safety risk may lead to premature equipment failure or other issues. | DC isolator is incorrectly rated and not within 20 per cent of required voltage rating. DC isolator is incorrectly wired, mechanical damage to LV cables. |
| Medium non-compliance | Medium non-compliance | 2 | A system does not comply with standards and guideline and poses a medium risk. | DC isolator is incorrectly rated but within 20 per cent of required voltage rating. Use of unapproved products. Important signage missing. Not all wiring installed according to AS 3000. |
| Minor non-compliance | Minor non-compliance | 1 | A system does not comply with standards and guidelines and poses a low risk. | Incomplete documentation provided. Minor wiring. Earthing interconnections are not the same make and model. |
The impacts of non-compliance on the status of an individual's accreditation are outlined below:
| NON-COMPLIANCE IMPACTS + ACCREDITATION STATUS | SUMMARY |
|---|---|
| Probation | Once an accredited installer or designer has received 20 demerit points, their accreditation will be placed on probation. An accredited person may also be placed on probation if coming out of a suspension or if they re-apply after having their accreditation cancelled. Accreditation probation will end once the installer or designer has completed the required actions outlined by the CEC, proved their competency, which may be through assessments or rectified of non-compliant work. During an accredited person’s probation period, the CEC will monitor activities related to their accreditation. If informed of any adverse findings or behaviour the individual’s accreditation may be cancelled for a period of one year. After one year, they may be eligible to re-apply for accreditation. |
| Suspension | A person's accreditation will be suspended if they have: Failed to rectify or to prove their competency while on probation within the required time frame set by the CEC, or Breached a part of the relevant Clean Energy Council Accreditation Terms and Conditions that results in direct suspension. If an installer or designer proves their competency while suspended their accreditation can be reinstated. They may then be required to provide details of their next three installations for possible desktop review by the CEC to ensure compliance. If an installer or designer does not prove competency, their accreditation will be cancelled. |
| Cancellation | If a very serious breach occurs the CEC may cancel a person's accreditation immediately. |
| Unusual circumstances - Show Cause | A show cause event is an occurrence of an event or activity which raises serious concerns about the suitability of an accredited person to install or design solar or battery storage systems. A show cause event may affect whether an installer or designer is deemed to be a fit and proper person to hold Clean Energy Council (CEC) accreditation. There are two types of show cause events, automatic and reportable: Automatic show cause events include the cancellation or suspension of an electrical licence or cancellation of public liability insurance. Reportable show cause events include working outside the scope of current CEC accreditation, receiving adverse findings from legal proceedings, fraudulent or dishonest behaviour. Failing to report a show cause event to the CEC within the required timeframes may result in the cancellation of a person’s CEC accreditation, or rejection of an application to become accredited. More information on this process can be found here and in the Accreditation Fit and Proper Person Policy. |
If a CEC Accredited person believes that a decision made by the Accreditation Compliance Team to suspend or cancel their accreditation was made in an unfair manner and that proper process was not followed, then there are two opportunities to have the decision reviewed. Firstly, internally by the CEC and then independently by the Accreditation Review Panel.
These processes do not consider technical compliance issues that lead to an Accredited Person's suspension or cancellation. Reviews will only consider if fair and due process was followed.
You can read more about the appeals process in the Installer Portal
For information on compliance activity in the Accredited Installer program, including compliance investigation outcomes, suspensions, cancellations and monthly reporting, refer to our Compliance Activity page.
