Residents in Armadale have been recognised by the Climate Council as one of the state’s top three suburbs on the solar power journey.
In a report released last month, Armadale was listed as the WA suburb with the second highest number of solar panels installed, which would receive great benefit from next month’s State Government Residential Battery Scheme (RBS).
Armadale has a total of 16,700 rooftop solar panels installed, following only Mandurah who has 19,200 installed.
From July 1, in conjunction with the Federal Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, WA residents can receive an increased rebate on home battery purchases.
A home battery stores unused solar energy to reduce the amount of single use on the grid energy that needs to be purchased by a home owner.
Climate Council Fellow and energy expert Andrew Stock said transitioning to renewable energy in the home will help with the State and nation’s transition process in the coming years.
“Household, community, and grid-scale battery storage plays a vital role in Australia’s renewable energy transition,” he said.
“States are already making headway in these areas, but we must go further and faster to ensure more Australians can reap the benefits.
“Installing more batteries means more gigawatts of renewable energy we can store. The return on investment for communities are lower bills, less climate pollution from polluting coal and gas, and a more resilient grid.”
However, in an announcement from Consumer Protection at the end of last month, 1300 solar business have been “put on notice” as a warning to ensure they do not mislead customers, and only share government provided information about the RBS.
Despite the RBS only being in an ‘expression of interest’ stage, a solar battery trader was allegedly reported for falsely claiming the scheme was open and using the State Government logo to coax customers into sharing personal information through questionnaires.
Retailers, promoters and installers have all been warned by Consumer Protection that customers are to register their interest solely through the WA government website as no providers have yet been approved for the scheme.
Commissioner of Consumer Protection Owen Kelly said all businesses promoting the RBS must comply with the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
“My communication to these businesses emphasised their duty to not mislead consumers by falsely suggesting their company is approved or accredited under the scheme, or that registering with them offers any special eligibility or preference,” he said.
“Potentially misleading consumers and a possible breach of the ACL is the use of the State Government logo on unofficial websites or registration forms.
“I further instructed these businesses to fully comply with the ACL rules on unsolicited sales, which grants consumers a 10-day cooling off period before any payment or work can occur if contracts are entered into on an unsolicited basis, such as via door- knocking or cold calls.
“I’ve also reminded them to take on a workload they can realistically manage to ensure timely completion and allow consumers to exit contracts without penalty if the business fails to meet its promises, or if the business ends up not being an approved retailer or supplier for the purposes of the scheme.”
Mr Kelly also said customers should avoid websites who ask for postcodes to determine rebate eligibility as this is not a criterion for the scheme and should be careful about sharing information with companies online as it could be an attempt to harbor and sell personal data.
The RBS is a way to encourage households and businesses to purchase renewable energy as the state transitions from coal-fired plants, which are set to close after 2029.
