In this article
The ACCC reauthorised the New Energy Tech Consumer Code on 28 August 2026. Five years, out to September 2031.
If you have never heard of it, that is the problem in a sentence. It is the rulebook sitting behind your solar contract, and its own independent review earlier this month found that hardly any consumers know it exists, which caps how much good it can do.
So here is the short version, and the one part that catches people out.
NETCC status and the WA battery scheme
For vendors taking part in the WA Residential Battery Scheme, NETCC Approved Seller status is an accreditation requirement. The WA Government says vendors must hold that status to qualify for scheme accreditation from 1 October 2025.
This requirement concerns participation in that scheme. Electrical licensing, installer accreditation and the equipment and VPP conditions are separate checks. Check the scheme accreditation, your installer and the proposed equipment separately rather than treating a retailer logo as confirmation of the whole offer.
Before you agree, check the retailer named on your contract in the official Approved Seller register. If you are relying on a scheme rebate or loan, confirm the vendor and proposed system also meet the scheme's current conditions.
WHAT IT BUYS YOU
Not a warranty. It is a conduct code, and it governs how a retailer is allowed to sell to you:
- Contracts in plain language you can read without a lawyer
- Real disclosure at quote stage: the product, the performance estimate, the pricing, and any extra charges
- Refund provisions if your system never gets connected
- Cancellation and refund rights in specified circumstances, subject to the applicable fee provisions
- Advertising that is not misleading, and rules on unsolicited selling
That performance-estimate clause is the one we would point at. A quote has to tell you what the system is expected to produce, on a stated basis. It is the difference between a number you can hold someone to and a number someone made up in your kitchen.
The gap: buying through your builder
Here is the part almost nobody knows, and we would rather tell you than sell you.
Check who is contracting to supply the solar or battery system. NETCC commitments apply to a participating seller’s transaction with its customer. A builder’s use of an Approved Seller does not by itself make your separate building contract a NETCC agreement.
Ask who is responsible for the design, equipment, installation and aftercare, and which agreement records those obligations. Your building-contract and Australian Consumer Law rights remain separate.
Check the register, not the certificate
Check the business named on your contract in the official Approved Seller register before you agree. Check scheme accreditation separately if you are relying on a rebate or loan.
The updated Code starts on 1 December 2026
The program is moving to an updated Code on 1 December 2026. That date is separate from the WA scheme's existing retailer-accreditation requirement. If your purchase or installation crosses the changeover, ask how the requirements applying at each stage will be met.
NETCC's transition information explains the changeover. The Code requirements applying to later sales, installation or support conduct are not determined by the contract-signing date alone.
Read the detail of the December update.
Your papers, from the first offer to handover
A few clear questions can make the offer easier to compare and leave you with useful records once the system is working.
Before you agree
- Check the business named on the offer and contract. Look up the relevant retailer in the official Approved Seller register.
- Check the equipment included in the quote. Ask for the site-specific layout and performance estimate, with its assumptions and limitations. If the design and estimate are agreed as initial contract deliverables, have that arrangement, any design fee and the applicable cancellation terms explained in the quote before agreeing.
- Get the complete installed price in writing. Check equipment, labour, metering, any gateway or switchboard work, and the costs that sit outside the offer. Keep any rebate or finance conditions separate and clear.
- Ask about design charges, deposits, refundability and cancellation terms. Have the retailer identify which rights apply to this agreement; a particular Code cancellation provision is not a general cooling-off promise.
Before installation starts
- Keep the contract and any amendments accepted by both parties. Electronic acceptance can be used; keep your own copy.
- If equipment, placement, price or performance changes, ask for the revised scope and the effect on the offer before agreeing to the change.
- Confirm that the installation team has the agreed version, including equipment you are keeping and any backup scope.
At handover
- Keep the installed equipment record: models, serial numbers, ratings, commissioning date and locations, alongside the final layout and relevant compliance documents.
- Before the system is activated, ask for the operating and safety information needed for your installed system. Have your operating responsibilities and any monitoring or backup included in the agreement explained in a suitable way, including the limits.
- Keep manufacturer documents, warranty terms, accepted variations and your support contact together. Clarify who to contact about an existing component, a new product or the installation work.
- If something is missing or unclear, ask while the installation is fresh. Keep your own copy of the papers and correspondence.