Terms & Conditions

Last updated on 14/7/2023

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1. Standard Test Condition (STC) Rating: The Standard Test Condition rating (STC) assumes a standard set of optimal operating conditions (25°C cell temperature, 1000W/m², and an air mass of 1.5). The STC rating is most often used by manufacturers to classify the power output of PV modules. To calculate the system's energy production for any future year, the expected degradation in system performance is included (See "PV degradation" in the warranty section below).
2. Energy Output Calculation: Energy Output is calculated based on historical solar irradiance at the given location. A typical meteorological year is selected using statistical methods. Factors including panel tilt, orientation (azimuth), and system efficiency are taken into account.
3. System Efficiency: System efficiency is estimated to account for losses caused by a variety of factors. These factors include intermittent shading, cable losses, dirt, scheduled downtime, manufacturer tolerances, inverter efficiency for DC to AC (this does not affect off-grid DC-only systems), battery round trip efficiency, and other factors.
4. Summer vs. Winter Production and STC Details: Solar production varies throughout the year. The best months for production tend to be during summer while the lowest production occurs during winter. Fortunately, homeowners use less energy during the colder months. When calculating your production, Smart Solar uses averages throughout the year while considering an average/estimated amount of rainy days. The STC’s, or otherwise known as Small Scale Technology Certificates mentioned on your agreement, is a federal government-funded renewable energy incentive. This incentive provides an out-of-pocket discount to the consumer, meaning the STC’s have been discounted off the price of your solar system; you will not be entitled to any other government-based financial incentives. Smart Solar will complete all of the paperwork to claim the STC rebate; however, you will be required to sign the STC assignment form on the day of completion of works, meaning the same day of the initial commissioning/testing of your solar inverter. If this document is not signed within 7 days of completion of works, you will be invoiced for the STC incentive amount shown on your agreement and have 7 days to either make payment or sign the required paperwork for release.
5. Payment Plans, Finance & Payment Terms: If you require a payment plan, we can provide this through various methods; Smart Solar takes no responsibility for the agreement between yourself and these providers. If self-funding the purchase of your new solar system, Smart Solar requires the deposit paid within 7 days prior to installation and the balance to be paid in full on the day of completion of our works, meaning the day the initial commissioning/testing of your solar inverter. Upon receipt of payment, your final paperwork will be lodged with your metering provider, and a copy sent via email or text to you if requested; this is known as an EWR. Your meter changes will not take place until this is lodged, so prompt payment is advised in order for no delays to occur. By accepting these terms, you understand that payment is required prior to your metering work being completed by your metering provider; in QLD, this is Energex or Ergon; in NSW, this is organised by you and your retailer. If you have taken on a payment plan option, Smart Solar requires a job completion or job satisfaction form to be signed on the day of completion of our works, meaning the day the initial commissioning/testing of your solar inverter installation. Once this has been signed, your final paperwork will be lodged with your energy provider; this is known as an EWR. Your meter changes will not take place until this is lodged, so prompt signing of job completion forms is advised in order for no delays to occur. By accepting these terms, you understand that payment is required prior to your metering work being completed by your metering provider; in QLD, this is Energex or Ergon; in NSW, this is organised by you and your retailer. Should your installation have minor issues, such as monitoring, Wi-Fi connection issues, broken/cracked tiles, you are entitled to withhold a maximum of 10 percent of the final payment until the issue is repaired or fixed. Failure to make payment within 7 days of the solar system being installed can incur further charges and will be sent to a debt collection agency after 14 days at the expense of the customer.
6. Monitoring and Wi-Fi Setup: Many solar systems installed by Smart Solar have a monitoring component. If you would like our installation team to complete the initial installation/setup of your inverter to your home WiFi, your WLAN signal will need to be strong enough at the inverter location; in some cases, a WiFi extender may be needed. If this is the case, you will be required to supply the WiFi extender, or Smart Solar can supply at a cost of $99, configured and installed. If you have a complicated home network, including a home server, expert IT assistance may be required at your own expense. Return visits to connect or reconnect your inverter/monitoring device to your WiFi after the day of completion of works will incur a callout fee of $99.
7. Metering & Your Energy Provider (Queensland): Upon installation, your meter will require to be programmed or upgraded.
   1. Metering is not managed by Smart Solar; we submit the electrical work request (EWR) paperwork to either Energex or Ergon Energy depending on your provider.
   2. Smart Solar requires the balance owing to be paid in full on the day of completion of our works, meaning the day the initial commissioning/testing of your solar inverter.
   3. Once payment has been received or a signed completion form for either Humm, Brighte, or Plenti has been signed, your final paperwork (EWR) will be lodged with Energex or Ergon, and a copy sent via email or text to you; this will happen within 5 business days.
   4. You then need to call your retailer and provide the EWR number; this is very important for a timely meter change.
   5. Once you have completed the above, your meter change should take effect within 21 days depending on backlog; however, Smart Solar has no control over this process and will not be held liable for any delays. Payment also cannot be held back whilst waiting for this process to finalize; failure to make payment will see your file sent to a collection agency for collection.
8. Warranty: Smart Solar provides a 10-year total system warranty, meaning Smart Solar guarantees the operation and performance of your system for this time; your warranty rights follow the same stringent guidelines which are applied under Australian Consumer Law. Your warranty will be broken down into different sections below to cover the different parts and services performed when installing a solar system on your home or commercial premise.
   • Workmanship Warranty: Smart Solar provides a 10-year workmanship warranty on all solar installations; this covers the actual installation, not the components used in the installation of your solar system; these will be covered below.
   • Inverter Warranty: Inverter warranty periods vary from inverter to inverter; however, Smart Solar has worked hard to partner with reputable and sustainable manufacturers who stand behind the products they manufacture. Inverter warranties vary depending on brand; this will be listed on page one of this agreement in the inverter section. If your inverter fails within the first 5 years, Smart Solar will provide the labour side of the replacement free of charge; the inverter replacement itself will fall under manufacturer guidelines, and replacement is at the discretion of the manufacturer. Smart Solar will not be held liable for any loss of production or savings due to inverter failure or underperformance.
   • Solar Panel Warranty:
     • Performance Warranty: Most solar panel companies will provide a linear warranty, which is simply a performance warranty; this is to guarantee the loss due to degradation of the solar panels over time. Solar panel loss should be less than 2.5 percent in year one and also should be less than 20 percent at the end of the 25th year, unless stipulated on the manufacturer’s specification sheet for the panel installed on your home; all panels are warranted to be working at 80 percent efficiency at the end of year 25.
     • Structural/Workmanship Warranty: Solar panels also have a warranty which covers the structural component of the solar panel; this covers defects due to faulty workmanship or faulty materials. Most solar panel manufacturers offer a 12-year structural or workmanship warranty; this will be noted on page one of this agreement under the panel section.
   • Rail Warranty: Rail is the aluminium framework Smart Solar uses to fix the solar panels to your roof; due to different roof types—tile, steel, Colorbond, tin, & Klip-Lok—we use many different brands; however, all brands used by Smart Solar come with a minimum 10-year manufacturer’s warranty.
   • Battery Warranty: Smart Solar only partners with the top manufacturers in the industry; this includes Tesla, LG, Sonnen, Sungrow, BYD, and Samsung. These battery/storage solutions are covered by extensive manufacturer’s warranties and are mostly guaranteed to perform for 10 years; for exact specifications, please check the manufacturer’s website.
   • Balance of System Warranty: All components apart from the inverter, solar panel, battery/storage systems, and rail come with a minimum 10-year warranty.
9. Warranty Exclusions: Smart Solar does not repair or replace products under warranty if the following has been deemed to have occurred:
   1. Exposure to unsuitable environmental conditions, including lightning, over-voltage issues, and/or storm damage.
   2. Damage caused by building movement, tree branches, or any other form of physical damage.
   3. Unauthorised or unusual/abnormal usage of any component used to install the solar system.
   4. Material or workmanship not provided by Smart Solar.
10. Warranty Claims & Dispute Resolution: If you have a concern about any aspect of your experience with Smart Solar, please call 1300 776 037 during the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday QLD time or email energy@smartsolarau.co; we will respond within 2 business days. Our first step is to fault find over the phone; if this can’t be resolved, we will have an electrician attend the property within 7 days. If you are not happy with your response, please email energy@smartsolarau.co; this will go straight to all managers and company shareholders. If still not resolved, contact the Office of Fair Trading on 13 74 68. Smart Solar will always endeavour to take care of you, our client. However, should a dispute arise that cannot be resolved in a fashion acceptable to both parties, it is to be decided by mutually binding arbitration, governed under the Law of the State of Queensland. This is designed to protect you as a consumer and us as a business from lengthy, costly legal battles because only the lawyers win in that case. It is also a much fairer and faster process for all parties.
11. Electricity Rates & Feed-In Tariffs: Electricity rates and feed-in tariffs can fluctuate from time to time; we highly recommend shopping around for the best deal AFTER your meter work has been completed by your retailer. To find the best rate, use the link below, then select your state, to see the best feed-in tariff deals from the different retailers in your area: https://wattever.com.au/retailer-solar-feedin-tariffs-by-state-and-territory/.
12. Maintaining Your Solar System: Smart Solar recommends cleaning your solar panels every 18-24 months; during this check, any faults detected can be relayed to Smart Solar for rectification. We will make sure that the system is not only operational, but safe and performing at the standard required; we can also determine early points of failure and perform preventative maintenance if required. Having your solar system professionally cleaned is not mandatory; however, if you were to have panel failure, most manufacturers want to see that the system has been checked and cleaned regularly; the better you look after something, the longer it will last, especially in the tough climate that is Australia.
13. Providing Spare Roof Tiles: All tradespeople and labourers working on behalf of or for Smart Solar have extensive training and take the utmost care with your property and work with the goal to have no tiles break; however, on occasion, the breaking of roof tiles is unavoidable. Where no spare tiles are available, we will temporarily repair any damaged tiles and relocate damaged tiles to a section of the roof where the tiles are easily accessed. Smart Solar will not be held liable for additional site visits to replace tiles where spare tiles were not provided at the time works/installation were undertaken.
14. Variations: At Smart Solar, we aim to get everything right the first time; however, we are human, and sometimes mistakes can happen, and we will need to make changes to a roof design or electrical plan either before or on the day of installation. If this happens and we need to increase the price of your system, we will not do this unless agreed by you. If you do not accept the new price, we will happily cancel this agreement and refund if required at no penalty to you.
15. Roof Layout Adjustment: The Customer acknowledges that the Clean Energy Council approved solar installer ("Installer") may need to make adjustments to the proposed roof layout on the day of installation for various reasons, including but not limited to safety, shading, structural integrity, and optimal energy generation.
16. Homeowner Permission & Consumer Rights: You agree that you are a registered homeowner at the address listed above and are permitted to make the decision to install a solar system on the property. You understand that as the homeowner, you are required to be present for the installation of your solar system and will be required to sign a job commencement form, a job completion form, and any other relevant paperwork. As with all agreements, you have the right to a 10-business-day cooling-off period. Smart Solar is in the business of helping clients save money by switching to solar, and we look forward to working with you to help you achieve this outcome.

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