When your solar installer has closed down

If the company that installed your solar in Sale has gone out of business, your system is what the industry calls orphaned. Check the company’s status on the ASIC register, gather whatever paperwork you have, and ask Energy Safe Victoria to search for the original Certificate of Electrical Safety if you cannot find it. Then get a currently operating licensed installer to inspect the system and agree to look after it from now on.

Sale Solar is a referral website. A local installer who receives your enquiry will look at the system and quote directly; Sale Solar does not take over warranties or do the work. The about page explains the arrangement.

How common are orphaned solar systems?

They are common. CHOICE puts the figure at roughly 31% of the 1.9 million systems installed nationally, as reported by Energy Matters. The same article cites the Consumer Action Law Centre’s finding that more than 700 solar companies have gone out of business in Australia since 2011.

Being orphaned does not mean the system is faulty. It means nobody is on the hook for the installation work, so any fault becomes your problem to arrange and pay for.

How do I check whether my installer still exists?

Look at your original invoice or contract for the business name and ABN. Search both on the ASIC registers. Energy Matters suggests treating the system as orphaned if the company shows as deregistered or in liquidation, even if nothing has gone wrong yet.

A few other things worth checking:

• whether the business traded under a different name from the one on your invoice
• whether the company was bought by another business that might honour old jobs
• whether the retailer who sold the system was different from the electrician who installed it, since one may still be operating

What warranty is left on an orphaned system?

Warranty	Who gave it	Usually still usable?
Workmanship on the installation	The installer	Generally void once the installer has closed
Panel product and performance	The panel manufacturer	Often yes, if the manufacturer still operates in Australia
Inverter product	The inverter manufacturer	Often yes, within the warranty period and if the brand still supports Australia
Battery product	The battery manufacturer	Often yes, subject to the manufacturer’s conditions

Energy Matters notes that manufacturer claims are harder without the original installer’s paperwork. A manufacturer is likely to ask for proof of purchase, the serial numbers and an assessment from a licensed electrician before it replaces anything. The installer you engage should be willing to lodge or support the claim.

How do I find the original Certificate of Electrical Safety?

Every solar installation in Victoria should have a Certificate of Electrical Safety. If you cannot find yours, Energy Safe will search for it. According to Energy Safe’s certificate page for consumers:

• the search covers electronic certificates raised from July 2019
• Energy Safe runs the search at no fee
• you apply with a form and show you have a legitimate connection to the property, such as a Victorian driver licence showing your name and the property address
• processing can take up to five business days

The law only requires contractors to keep their own copies for three years, so a paper certificate from an older install may simply not exist anymore. Energy Safe says that if it cannot provide a copy or identify the original contractor, you can have another Registered Electrical Contractor check and test the work and issue a certificate for it.

What should a new installer do when taking on an orphaned system?

Book a health check before something fails. For an inspection and fault diagnosis on an unfamiliar system, budget roughly $150 to $300 per visit. A careful installer will:

1. Record every serial number, model and rating on the panels, inverter, isolators and any battery.
2. Test the array and inverter and read the inverter’s fault history.
3. Inspect the roof work, cable runs and isolators against current practice.
4. Tell you plainly what is not compliant and what it would cost to fix.
5. Check whether the inverter is still supported by its manufacturer and approved for connection on the AusNet network.
6. Issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety for any electrical work they do.

Energy Matters also suggests asking any installer quoting on an orphaned system whether they will take on ongoing support and warranty registration, so you are not orphaned again next time. Some installers do this as part of a replacement job. You can send an orphaned system enquiry and ask that question up front.

If the check turns up regular maintenance items rather than faults, a two-yearly solar service keeps it on record from then on.

Should I repair or replace an orphaned inverter?

Energy Matters’ rule of thumb for a supported system is that a repair approaching half the cost of replacement is usually poor value. On an orphaned system the sums are simpler: you are paying either way, and a repaired old inverter with no support may fail again. A like-for-like string inverter replacement typically runs $1,500 to $3,000. The solar inverter replacement page covers choosing between a like-for-like swap and a battery-ready unit, and the solar repairs page deals with faults that do not need a new inverter.

What will an installer refuse to do?

Do not be surprised if some installers turn the job down or attach conditions. A responsible installer may decline to:

• sign a certificate for work they have not tested themselves
• warrant another company’s roof work or wiring
• reconnect equipment that is not compliant or that has been damaged by water or heat
• fit replacement parts that are not approved for use in Australia

An installer who agrees to work on anything without testing it first is the one to be wary of.

What paperwork helps most?

An installer adopting a system works faster with the history in front of them. Look through your files for:

• the original invoice, contract or quote showing the system size and parts
• warranty cards or registration emails for the panels, inverter and any battery
• the Certificate of Electrical Safety, or the result of the Energy Safe search
• any connection approval or meter change letters from the network or your retailer
• the system manual or commissioning sheet, if the installer left one on site

Missing papers do not stop the job. They just mean more time spent on testing and identifying parts.

Orphaned systems around Sale and Wellington Shire

Outside Sale itself, in towns such as Maffra, Stratford or Loch Sport, the installer who takes on your system may have to travel some distance, so it pays to have everything ready before the first visit. Check the ASIC register, find the certificate or apply for the Energy Safe search, and collect the photos listed below. A provider who can see the equipment and paperwork in advance can bring the right test gear and possibly the right parts.

Next step: describe your orphaned system

To find an installer to take on your system, include your suburb, the name of the original installer or retailer from your paperwork, and the year the system went in. Photograph the inverter label, the inverter display, the panel label if you can see it safely from a ladder or the ground, and the meter box. Say whether you have the original Certificate of Electrical Safety, what is wrong (if anything), and whether you would consider a battery-ready replacement if the inverter is near the end of its life.

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