Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) recently conducted a survey about electrification. The research indicates that 22 per cent of households are considering buying rooftop solar panels, whilst 27 per cent are interested in installing a home battery. Additionally, 27 per cent are also considering an Electric Vehicle (EV).
The numbers are promising, but half of all surveyed household consumers find the information they need to make decisions about their energy consumption is not widely available. To make it worse, most information they find online is too complicated and confusing.
Growing consumer issues
Millions of Australians have already purchased and installed rooftop solar panels, and many are buying batteries and EVs. Some find the process very confusing, challenging, and even disappointing.
Numerous complaints about consumers’ challenges in getting a good response about energy products and services are causing frustration.
In fact, there is a growing number of consumers that solar providers are letting down due to defective products.
Plug-In
In response to this, the ECA will launch Plug-In, a campaign that will have a dedicated information hub that will contain blogs, videos, fact sheets, and more. The hub’s main goal is to help customers, who are thinking of switching to solar, make the best decisions.
According to ECA CEO Lynne Gallagher, “Australians need to be able to find information that explains the kind of products that meet their individual needs, how to find a reputable supplier and installer, how to use these technologies for their own benefit and what to do if something goes wrong.”
The importance of regulation
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has received a lot of complaints regarding poor customer experience with retail solar panels.
According to Ombudsman Janine Young of New South Wales Electricity and Water, “Complaints about new energy services often involve multiple service providers and require customers to navigate several forums in search of a satisfactory response.”
This is where regulation becomes crucial. If a regulator identifies solar retails that release falsely written statements, it can take action. Doing so will help eliminate such solar retailers and ensure consumers only deal with retailers guaranteed to deliver the highest quality of solar panels and batteries today.
This is also the reason here at Energy Matters, we highly encourage consumers to choose from Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers. These manufacturers are highly likely to honour their warranties and provide higher-quality solar panels on the market.
Hopefully, Plug-In will resolve these complaints and provide better support to consumers who are thinking of getting solar panels and solar batteries for their homes.
Energy Matters has over 17 years of experience in the solar industry and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence.
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