Rooftop solar panels cost Ricky Barone thousands, but never worked. Now he wants them released
Ricky Barone installed a solar system on his roof in 2014 to make the most of North Queensland’s sunshine and save money on his electricity bill.
Key points:
- Ricky Barone has been told the installation is a fire hazard but the retailer will not uninstall it
- A number of regulatory agencies receive complaints about diesel retailers, manufacturers and installers
- Some of the main issues raised were related to price, quality and high-pressure sales
Since its installation, however, it has cost thousands of dollars and years without sleep.
It was only this year that a so-called solar doctor inspected his roof panels did Mackay’s man realize the potential danger he was in.
“He [the solar inspector] basically saying it was badly installed and there was a high chance it could catch fire,” Barone said.
“I’m very disturbed and I haven’t slept well thinking about it.”
Mr Barone said it was a two year wait to get the solar system installed by a local company, so he instead turned to a company based in Melbourne.
He said the problems started after about six months and then he had trouble getting spare parts, like when the inverter failed after 18 months.
On one occasion, a neighbor called Mr Barone to warn him of a fire.
“They blew up the meter box,” he said.
“It should have clicked from day one… we have nothing but problems with it.
“The system never worked… we tried and saved some money to do some other renovations, but we couldn’t yet.”
Mr Barone said he wanted the company to uninstall it but the ABC understood the company had not sold diesel in years.
“They kept saying someone would call, and they never did,” Barone said.
“They have a complaint site and there are a lot of people on the same boat.”
The company has been contacted by the ABC for comment.
What is a solar doctor?
Jemal Solo started his own solar inspection business in Mackay because he says no one is advocating for homeowners with solar installations.
“We hold installers and manufacturers accountable for their products and workmanship,” said Mr Solo.
“We took this because we saw no one was dealing with this … and when it comes to retirees that’s when you really get annoyed that people are buying this to save money.”
Mr Solo, who has installed the solar panels and carried out inspections for the Clean Energy Regulator, said installers have a five-year disability liability period to repair their work.
“It’s really your fault if you find out six years later it wasn’t installed properly,” he said.
“The problem is there is no feedback … no one checks the work of the installer.
“Solar retailers don’t really care as long as they get paid.”
Brian Richardson of the Queensland Office of Electrical Safety said there were instances where interstate companies came to Queensland without proper permits.
Who can consumers turn to?
Australia does not have a national authority responsible for electrical safety.
Mr Barone said he had referred his case to the Fair Trade Queensland Office and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
He’s not alone.
The Office of Fair Trading handles about 350 complaints a year involving solar products.
The Queensland Energy and Water Ombudsman (EWOQ) handles complaints about solar bills and meters.
Jane Pires of EWOQ said in the 2021–22 financial year, it received 142 complaints about solar billing errors, an increase of 92 percent from the previous year.
It passed 153 cases related to installations and 17 related to solar guarantees to the Fair Trade Office.
Delia Ricard, vice chair of ACCC, said her organization also received many complaints regarding consumer experiences with retail solar panels and their installation.
“If the local regulator is small, we will likely refer it to Queensland Fair Trading,” he said.
“If this is a larger national issue or a more systematic issue, we can take enforcement or regulatory action.
“The Clean Energy Council and new technology code are designed to raise the bar when it comes to solar system manufacturing and installation.
“Even though they are a voluntary code, in most states where there is a rebate, you can only get a rebate if the system is purchased from someone who is under the code.”
There are currently no state or territory requirements for electricians to have extra qualifications for solar power.
The scheme introduced 22 years ago by the federal government aims to address this but will be phased out by 2030.
The Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme run by the Clean Energy Regulator provides financial incentives for households and businesses to install solar systems approved by the Clean Energy Council.
The scheme’s general manager, Matthew Power, said he had consulted with states and territories to embed some aspects of the scheme into normal state and territorial electrical codes.
“The Commonwealth Scheme sets obligations above and beyond existing state and territory requirements,” Power said.
“The system needs to be installed by a Clean Energy Council accredited installer who has undertaken additional qualification and training on top of their normal electrical license.”
Complaints of ‘poor workmanship’
Ms Ricard said some of the main issues that arose at the ACCC desk involved misinterpretation of price and quality, as well as unsolicited high pressure selling.
“There are a lot of issues that people complain to us about, including poor workmanship,” he said.
Ricard said regulators were investigating cases where retailers had gone out of business.
Jemal Solo agrees he has seen too many “come and go” retailers.
“Usually what happens is that the manufacturer disappears and the homeowner doesn’t know who the installer is,” he said.
“Thirty per cent of the cases we handle, the manufacturer has pulled out of Australia, so here you are years later with a piece of paper with a warranty that means nothing.”
That comforted Ricky Barone a bit.
“I just want my solar system to take off.”
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