Cyanergy Pty Ltd has strived enough to thrive in the solar industry with its magnificent craftsmanship of merchandising the world’s most iconic solar systems and LED lights. Unlike most recently founded solar retailers, Cyanergy didn’t come and go overnight; instead, it managed to attain the CEC approved solar retailer honour within a short period. The Australian Government has invested billions in transforming the country, adapting to this new renewable energy options by partaking in various schemes. Cyanergy is one of the leading retailers to execute them successfully.
The Clean Energy Council expects to see a target of 33000 GWh generated by 2020 partly because they want to opt-out using the coal-produced electricity and want to rely more on renewable energy sources. Hence, the demand for these renewable energy sources, including the use of solar systems and renewable energy equipment has soared up in recent days.
We feel privileged that we are able to come up with cutting-edge CEC approved solar equipment and LED lights for fulfilling the criteria of the renewable energy schemes. In my topic, I will cover what CEC means to solar industries, their ethics, and how Cyanergy incorporates the code of conduct.
What Does CEC approval mean?
There are plenty of solar retailers across Australia, and some of them are reliable, and some are not entirely trustworthy. When you, as a customer, invest so much into purchasing the solar systems, you need to be certain that the products you are buying and getting installed from are in compliance with the federal & state laws to meet the requirement set by the CEC. The CEC has developed a series of codes of conduct that will raise the bar and quality of these retailers’ services.
When a retailer agrees to sign off on the contract for these codes to be approved as a CEC approved solar retailer, they are consenting that they will abide by all the rules and regulations stated in the codes of conduct, which is authorized by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). These codes are promulgated to refrain the miscreants from selling and marketing the products in an illegal way.
The CEC expects all the approved retailers to sell their solar and renewable energy products through ethical and legitimate marketing. Even if the installers or designers are hired by the retailers to carry out the installation, and should the problem arise, the approved retailers should have the audacity to take the responsibility of any third or subcontracted parties. You will immediately recognize the approved retailers by looking at the special Clean Energy Council Approved solar retailer logo issued by the CEC.
Why Should You Choose A CEC Approved Solar Retailer?
The approved retailers tend to look after your solar installation with more subtlety and perfection. They ensure it by employing some of the finest accredited installers or designers to install the solar systems, batteries, inverters, and other renewable equipment. When you invest a lot of money in buying and installing solar systems, you don’t want to screw up the whole plan by hiring amateur installers who barely know the system’s safe installation. On top of that, the unapproved retailers don’t want to take their imperfect work’s risk and liabilities.
The accredited installers undertake prerequisite training to carry out the installation, and luckily, the approved retailers tend to have a sort of link with them. Consequently, these approved retailers thus provide better service in setting up the solar systems or lights and handling the complaint caused by the installers. Currently, there are only 43 CEC approved retailers against 4000 accredited installers in Australia because it is not easy to follow the higher standards and pay the lumpsum fees to get approved.
These codes help both the retailers and the consumers address the plausible issues that might hamper the reputation and the reliability of the solar retailers. They are but not limited to;
- Any misguidance to the customers about the solar PV system’s performance, and the amount of the electricity bill.
- Any false claim of the size of the PV systems, the amount of the government incentives, and the appropriateness of the solar system.
- Retailers’ reluctance to show any professionalism in taking the PV system’s blame and liability, including product warranties and workmanship.
- Subpar installation work.
- The retailers’ tendency to jib at taking the accountability of the subcontracted parties, as well as any parties that generate sales leads.
The CEC approved solar retailer receives many perks from the state and the local government. They are as follows;
The various organization and the government provide exclusive tender facilities to an approved retailer, such as
- Victoria solar homes package and the South Australian Government’s home battery scheme.
- Government incentives, for example, STC (Small-scale technology certificate), LGC (Large-scale generation certificates), and the state rebate like Victoria solar rebate are only offered to the CEC approved solar retailers.
- Outnumber and stick out with their Approved Solar Retailer logo against any other contemporary competitors.
- Avail the discount up to 15% for the Clean Energy Council membership.
- Enlisted on the Find an Approved Solar Retailer tool for the customers.
- Customers get relieved knowing that the ACCC mandates the retailers they have taken the solar systems from.
CEC Approved Solar Retailers are reliable at any sense
Because, in order to get CEC approval, A retailer has to follow some rules and regulations, such as;
- Sign and abide by the code of conduct.
- Has to pay the designated fees according to the size of the company, which varies between $800 and $6000.
- Has to carry out the paperwork, which complies with the mandatory procedures and policies.
- Try to be golden, adhere to the exercise of the standard practice and don’t mess up with the codes.
The code of conduct emphasizes mainly on three topics, such as pre-sale, post-sale, and documentation. I am yet to discuss what each of them means elaborately.
Pre-Sale:
1. Prevention of the false advertisement: The CEC related codes of conduct ensure that the retailers cannot advertise unethically to hoodwink people with their false representation of the marketing campaign. Cyanergy is transparent about all of its products and freely discusses it upon the request of the customers.
2. Right quote for the right installation: When a customer wishes to purchase a whole solar system, they need the right information about their specific properties in a written form. We Cyanergy always value your urgency and allow you to ask for the quote, formulated by the right experts.
3. Right interpretation of the government incentives: The customers need to have a detailed understanding of what types of rebates apply to them. The retailers must never dodge the customers with the wrong information about the rebates, which could convince them to purchase it. The retailers must not also pretend that they are allowed to get you the rebates granted when they are not. Fortuitously, the Cyanergy is entitled to both government and state rebates.
4. Bait-and-switch: Any CEC approved solar retailer will never bait the customers regarding the pricing. Therefore, there is no chance that the installation and the solar system’s price will rise against what was asked prior to the installation. Cyanergy always sticks to its price that’s already mentioned in the quote.
5. Badgering phone calls: Most of the companies have telemarketing agencies, and they can become annoying for some time for badgering you by making a lot of phone calls. Sales Manager Pty Ltd is a sister concern of the Cyanergy that makes outbound calls to sell or inform about their products. However, Cyanergy has never been deemed unprofessional in making enormous phone calls to its potential clients.
6. Clearing the confusion: A CEC approved retailer’s task is to give a clear insight into the difference between the government incentives (STC) and the state rebate (Victoria solar rebate). Therefore, Cyanergy always informs its customers that STC is a financial incentive, not a rebate. Hence, the rebate will not be applied once the STC is applied to you for your installation.
Post-Sale:
1. Cooling-off period: The CEC approved solar retailer is bound to provide the customers at least 10 business days after the contract is signed, known as a “cooling-off period” without charging the penalty. However, suppose the customer wishes to opt-out of the deal after signing. In that case, the company can charge the customers penalty, as mentioned in the initial contract provided that the fees must not be an arm and a leg.
The fees have to be affordable and legitimate. Cyanergy gives you a 10-day cooling-off period to cancel your contract in which the company refunds you the amount minus any admin and/or processing fees.
2. Refund: According to the codes, the customers can document any fault and ask for a full refund if the main solar system turns out completely different than what’s mentioned in the initial contract. However, Cyanergy unequivocally states that the refund policy won’t apply to the damaged, installed, used, dropped, broken, or altered products. The product must be in its original state while being sent back to the company.
The Cyanergy assumes that the customers must bear the cost of the postage and any insurance cost if there is any provided that the insurance must play it safe when there is a chance of loss, theft, or damage caused during the transit. Without insurance, the Cyanergy will not take any liability for the loss or damage of the products.
3. Electricity grid connection: Once the installation is done, a CEC approved solar retailer always tends to prepare and submit the relevant documents to the electrical supplier in the specific timeframe. The Cyanergy has always been proactive in doing the paperwork as fast as possible to get you the grid connection to apply for the feed-in-tariff. The Cyanergy team always informs the customers step by step about the ongoing procedure of applying for the grid connection.
4. Warranty: The CEC approved retailers’ signatories must provide the customers at least 5 years of warranty on the operation and performance of the whole solar PV system, including workmanship and products. The customer has the right to claim the indemnification when the solar goods fail to meet the consumer guarantee or retailer’s warranty. In that case, the retailers have to either repair or replace the products on time.
For both LED and solar systems, Cyanergy will only carry out the repair or replacement of the products which belong to them. As soon as any of their products removed from the first installation will result in an immediate termination of the retailer’s warranty. If you are unable to comply with the rules and regulations set by the Cyanergy regarding taking good care of their products, the warranty will wither away.
However, if you seek immediate help from the external technicians, then you must discuss the nature of the job and the qualification of the experts with the company within the warranty period.
For the following reasons, the warranty can be breached, such as;
- Inappropriate use of the lighting and solar products.
- Repaired breaks and any sabotage or damage caused by the untrained and inexperienced workers.
- The installation service’s inability to comply with the customer’s guarantee set out in the Australian Consumer Law.
- Damages that are very unforeseen and less likely to occur from this kind of installation.
- Any natural calamities caused by the act of God, power surges or uncontrolled voltage or mishaps can lead to a termination of warranty.
- Damage initiated by vermin, animals, pests, wear and tear, oxidization and discoloration by mould.
Cyanergy provides 2-5 years of warranty for the LED lights and a minimum of 5 years warranty on the operation and performance of the whole solar PV system, including workmanship and products. Products, for example, inverters and panels, can have a warranty for over 5 years, which will then be covered by a separate manufacturer for an extended period after the initial 5 years.
| COMPONENTS | Min. Period of Warranty |
|---|---|
| Solar Panel Modules (manufacturing defects) | 10 Years |
| Solar Panel Modules (regular performance) | 25 Years |
| Inverter | 5 Years |
| Battery | 10 Years |
| Mounting Frame | 10 Years |
| Installation | 5 Years |
| Retailer Warranty for operation and performance | 5 Years |
5. Privacy: Any CEC approved solar retailer values your privacy, and so is Cyanergy. Cyanergy while receiving the payment by card will only ask for the customers’ relevant information, such as name, email, postcode, card number, and expiry date. Any information to do with the credit or debit card will be dealt with by SecurePay Australia.
Moreover, the Cyanergy shares your detail with third parties when needed, such as subcontractors, to provide you the service. However, third parties are instructed not to share your details with any source by any means. Any changes in the privacy policy will be updated on the homepage of the Cyanergy.
Documentation:
The tasks of the CEC approved retailer don’t end up with installation only; it also involves providing the right documentation to the consumers to make them aware of each of the following party’s roles in offering you the exemplary service in the post-installation period. It is essential for the company to explain everything to the customers so that they might have crystal-clear ideas about post-installation services. Cyanergy sticks by it by giving you all the details about their future source of contacts for the following tasks:
| Party responsible | Documents |
|---|---|
| Retailer | List of equipment |
| Warranty information | |
| Equipment manual | |
| Equipment handbook | |
| Array frame engineering certificate | |
| Designer | Shut down and isolation procedure |
| System performance estimate | |
| Maintenance | |
| Earth fault alarm actions | |
| System connection diagram | |
| Site inspection checklist | |
| Installer | Testing/commissioning |
| Declaration of compliance | |
| Certificate of electrical safety (where applicable) |
Complaint Handling Procedure
One of the most crucial roles of the CEC approved solar retailer is to scrutinize the reasons for any complaints made by the complainant and hand over the outcome as quickly as possible. It is also cardinal to make these complaint procedures accessible to both customers and staff. The customers’ discontent is inevitable when they discover the product or the installation of the solar equipment, not as per they wish. Hence, they seek to lodge a complaint to the retailer to make a plea for further investigation of their fault.
Usually, a retailer has to produce feedback within 21 days to the customers, and they must complete the investigation within 45 days of the receipt of the complaint. You will be delighted to hear that the Cyanergy Pty Ltd takes your complaint seriously within 2 working days of receipt of the complaint and comes up with the resolution of the investigation within 10 working days.
The above-detailed information encapsulates that the Cyanergy has all the qualities of a CEC approved solar retailer and Cyanergy is strict to maintain it. From efficient and accredited manpower to top-notch self-made LED and solar equipment are the main reasons that this company is dominating the solar industry in full swing. We also have more plans to roll out as we progress further to make your life easier by setting up the right solar equipment at an affordable cost.
