What to do when your solar installer goes out of business in Perth

Solar installer insolvency is not rare — the Australian solar industry has seen many companies collapse, often taking workmanship warranties with them. If your Perth installer has gone out of business, here's what to do in a logical order.

Step 1 — Locate your installation records

Before contacting anyone, gather everything you have:

• NCN (Network Connection Notice) approval: Western Power reference number. Usually on a printed approval document or emailed PDF. Call Western Power on 13 10 87 to request records if you can't find it — they maintain NCN records by address.
• ESC (Certificate of Compliance – Electrical Work) / REC: The electrical certificate issued by the installer's licensed electrician. If lost, contact Energy Safety WA — certificates are registered by address.
• CEC Design and Installation Certificate: The Clean Energy Council keeps records. Contact CEC at info@cleanenergycouncil.org.au with your installation address and approximate date.
• Inverter serial number: On the unit itself. Photograph it.
• Panel serial numbers: Difficult to access once installed, but sometimes on the original installation paperwork. If not, note the brand and model from the inverter's string data or from panels visible at the roof edge.
• Workmanship warranty: Usually in the original sales contract or quote. If you have emails from the installer, search for warranty terms there.

If you have none of these documents, the most important thing to request is the NCN from Western Power and the ESC from Energy Safety WA — these confirm what was installed and when.

Step 2 — Understand which warranties survive insolvency

Panel product warranty (manufacturer warranty): This runs with the manufacturer, not the installer. Longi, Jinko, REC, Canadian Solar, and most panel brands maintain Australian warranty service through local distributors. If your installer is gone, contact the panel manufacturer directly with your panel model and serial numbers. They will direct you to their current Australian service agent.

Panel performance warranty: Same — manufacturer, not installer. Typically 25–30 years and transferable.

Inverter warranty: Same as panels — runs with the manufacturer (SolarEdge, Fronius, SMA, Sungrow, Goodwe, etc.). Register your inverter warranty online with the manufacturer if you haven't already (some require registration to activate the full warranty period). Use the serial number to register or claim.

Workmanship warranty: This is the problem. The workmanship warranty (typically 5–10 years) is issued by the installer. If the installer is insolvent, the workmanship warranty is generally void — it's an unsecured creditor claim.

Step 3 — Try to claim through the CEC

The Clean Energy Council's Consumer Complaints Process may help even after installer insolvency:

1. CEC accreditation requirement: CEC-accredited installers are required to have professional indemnity insurance (PI) and public liability insurance as conditions of their accreditation. If the installation caused a defect, a claim against the installer's insurer may survive the company's insolvency — insurers don't disappear when the company does.

2. Contact CEC: Lodge a complaint at cleanenergycouncil.org.au/complaints. Provide the installation address, approximate date, and the nature of the defect. CEC can investigate and may be able to identify the relevant insurer.

3. CEC's role is limited: CEC can mediate and sanction accredited installers, but can't directly compensate homeowners. They can, however, help identify insurance paths.

Step 4 — Consumer Protection WA

Consumer Protection WA (part of DMIRS) handles WA's consumer law remedies:

• Phone: 1300 30 40 54
• Online complaint: consumerprotection.wa.gov.au

Consumer Protection can:

• Advise on WA consumer law rights
• Help you understand insolvency processes (if the installer is in liquidation, you're an unsecured creditor)
• Provide guidance on insurance claim paths
• Assist with disputes involving the workmanship warranty

If the installer entered formal insolvency (liquidation, administration), you may be able to lodge a proof of debt with the administrator/liquidator. For small warranty claims, the recovery is typically low — but it establishes your claim.

Step 5 — Find a CEC-accredited installer to assess and repair

You will need a new CEC-accredited installer to:

• Inspect and assess any faults
• Perform any repairs or replacements
• Re-certify any electrical work they do (new ESC issued for new work)

Use the CEC installer search at cleanenergycouncil.org.au/installer-search. Search by postcode and look for installers with "Solar" accreditation who are active (green tick).

What to tell the new installer:

• That you need an inspection of an existing system where the original installer is no longer operating
• The approximate age of the system and any symptoms (error codes, reduced output, physical damage)
• That you need them to document any findings in writing for a potential warranty or insurance claim against the panel/inverter manufacturers

The new installer's labour is not covered under any surviving warranty — you'll pay for the inspection and any workmanship on repairs. However, if the repair involves replacing a panel or inverter, the manufacturer may supply the replacement equipment free under their product warranty.

Step 6 — Manufacturer warranty claims direct

Panel manufacturers: Most major brands have Australian service contacts. Find the current service agent via the manufacturer's website:

• Longi: longi-solar.com/au → service section
• Jinko: jinkosolar.com → support
• REC: recgroup.com → support → AU
• Canadian Solar: canadiansolar.com → support
• JA Solar: jasolar.com → support

Call or email with: panel model, serial number(s), installation address, installation date (approximate), description of the defect. They will advise whether replacement is warranted and arrange supply through their service agent.

Inverter manufacturers:

• SolarEdge: solaredge.com/au
• Fronius: fronius.com/au → service
• SMA: sma-australia.com.au
• Sungrow: sungrowpower.com/au
• Goodwe: goodwe.com → support

Most inverter manufacturers have local Australian service networks and will process warranty claims directly with the homeowner.

Step 7 — Notifying Western Power

If your system has a fault that may affect grid connection (e.g. inverter failure, damaged wiring), the appropriate response is:

1. If the inverter has failed, the system will typically cease exporting automatically (inverters fail safe — they stop operating rather than continue exporting in a fault state)
2. Contact Western Power (13 10 87) if you believe there may be a safety issue on the grid-connection side of the meter
3. Do not attempt repairs yourself on the inverter-to-switchboard wiring

Your panel and inverter warranties survive installer insolvency — those run with the manufacturers. Your workmanship warranty is the loss; the path to recourse there is through the CEC's complaint process and potentially the installer's insurer. For ongoing servicing, find a new CEC-accredited installer and get manufacturer components replaced under the product warranty where applicable.