The installation deadline for recipients of Australia’s Solar Homes and Communities Program (SHCP) looms large, with less than 5 weeks to go.
Recipients of the of the SHCP rebate, the program active in Australia prior to the Solar Credits scheme, who have not had their solar power systems installed by July 1 risk losing their rebate altogether.
With some solar providers backlogged with installations, coupled with a shortage of critical components, thousands of SHCP recipients are in danger of losing the $8,000 rebate.
According to national solar solutions provider Energy Matters co-founder Max Sylvester, “We’re lucky in that we have secured all the components we need for 1kW systems, our installations are on schedule and in fact we have capacity for some more, but we’re aware of other providers not in the same boat.”
Energy Matters made enquiries to the Government’s SHCP rebate processing team yesterday, which is now operating under the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, regarding the required process to request extensions for as yet uninstalled SHCP approved customers.
“It seems there isn’t much joy for recipients whose systems are not installed by July 1,” said Mr. Sylvester. “It’s our understanding that extensions are not being regularly issued – and if so only under very special circumstances. Any granted extension is likely to be about one week only, and the majority of the system must already be installed.”
“According to the Department, SHCP extensions will only be considered for installations where all major items including solar panels and the inverter are installed and any delay is simply in connection to the grid caused by, for example, delayed electrical inspection, commissioning, or some secondary items required.”
Unofficial estimates at the beginning of May showed around 25,000 SHCP solar power systems still to be installed around Australia. Sourcing of inverters has been a major issue, but according to Mr. Sylvester, the Department views inverter availability as not being a reason to be granted and extension. However, installing a temporary approved inverter, then replacing at a later stage is allowable; although hardly ideal given the extra work and substantial cost involved.
“One of our concerns is that with the shortage of inverters, lesser quality inverters will become commonplace in installations as providers scramble to grab whatever they can get. While these inverters are approved for use in Australia, many of them just don’t stack up to better known brands such as SMA, Fronius and Xantrex, the latter being a relatively new brand to Australia which is already quite popular.”
Given the volume of SHCP solar power system installations still to occur, Mr. Sylvester suggests recipients contact their current provider immediately to get a firm commitment regarding component availability and installation date.
“If people are concerned by what their provider says, they should then consider switching providers. In some cases, recipients can switch even if they have paid a deposit to their provider.”
“Energy Matters still has installation capacity to spare, but available installation slots are running out fast due to our hugely popular free solar power system offer for SHCP rebate recipients. Recipients interested in making the switch to Energy Matters in order to be confident of installation prior to the July 1 deadline should call our SHCP hotline as soon as possible – the number is 1300 665 950.”
