NETCC Updates - February 2023 🇦🇺

Background

As of February 2023, the Clean Energy Council (CEC) updated the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC) (previously the Australian Solar Retailor, ASR). This is a voluntary code of conduct designed by peak industry bodies that sets the standard for solar, battery storage, EV chargers and more.

OpenSolar always endeavours to stay as up to date as possible with new regulations to ensure installers using the platform are compliant with CEC standards. With the transition to the NETCC, there were a few changes to the ways solar professionals should be quoting their customers. This article outlines some easy changes you can make in your OpenSolar account to be up to date with these standards.

1. Component suppliers in the proposal

[Clause 9 j. iii.] The proposal must display the name and contact details of the supplier(s) should your customer wish to pursue warranty claims in the future.

There are two ways you can go about this. The first way is to have all of your suppliers as standard text in your proposal template. This requires the least amount of ongoing work so you don't have insert the supplier details every time you create a quote. To do this:

1. Go to control > purchase experience > proposal template > edit > proposal content > scroll down to the disclaimers section. You can insert this wherever you like - in the example below we put it in the "system quotation" disclaimer.
2. Insert a table or some free text that states that products you sell and the supplier name and contact information. We inserted a table like so:
   
   
3. Then click "save". This information will be embedded in your proposal template, and you'll only need to update it when you change suppliers later on. Here is how it displays on the quote:

The second option you have for including your suppliers in the proposal is by manually inserting this information for every quote you create. This might be preferred if you are constantly switching suppliers. To set this up:

1. Go to control > purchase experience > proposal template > edit > proposal content > add the placeholder "project-specific proposal content" to one of the content blocks of disclaimer blocks. In this example, we added it to content block #3:
   Note: In the case that you add it to a content block like we have done, you need to make sure that you have switched on that content block in the proposal settings section above. 
   
   
2. On the online proposal page, click the tab on the left that says "customise proposal" > click on "project specific proposal content" > insert the supplier information here, like so:

It should then appear on your proposal in the dedicated section where you inserted that placeholder. For example, in the template we used:

2. Unsolicited sales

[Clause 9 o.] For unsolicited sales, the cover page of your proposal must state that your customer is entitled to a 10 day cooling off period. If you are engaging in unsolicited sales, we recommend you:

1. Go to control > purchase experience > proposal template > duplicate your usual default template and retitle it "Unsolicited sales proposal template"
2. Edit this template
3. Go to the cover page template > cover page message and enter some text that covers you for this clause. For example, add the following:
   "Under Australian Consumer Law, for any unsolicited sale, you have a 10-day cooling off period where you may change your mind and cancel the contract."

2. Portability

[Clause 9 l.] Your solar proposal must have a note detailing that "The solar system(s) quoted in this proposal are not intended to be portable." All new proposal templates will have this included automatically. If you need to add this to an existing proposal template, follow these instructions:

1. Go to control > purchase experience > proposal template
2. Edit your proposal template > proposal content > scroll down and paste the above sentence into one of the disclaimer sections. You may put this wherever you see fit.

3.  Maintenance & End-of-life costs

[Clause 15.] 

This is a requirement for retailers that typically sell PPAs to their customers, however, if you are suggesting a favourable return on investment in your proposal, it is important to mention if your financial projections include maintenance & end-of-life costs. 

Suggested solution: update your T&Cs/contract to reflect whether you have accounted for maintenance and end-of-life costs. You may also use payment option supplementary terms and conditions if you wish to only include this for PPA options.