The email lands on a Tuesday afternoon while you’re on a roof or chasing a supplier about a late pallet. The subject line mentions accreditation, compliance or an audit, and your stomach drops. Most installers I know have the same first reaction: panic, then a scramble through phones, group chats and old email threads trying to find photos from a job done months ago.
I’ve spent twenty years on the business side of this trade: sales, supply, admin, certificate trading and building audit-ready processes. The installers who get through a compliance process cleanly are rarely the ones with the best excuses. They’re the ones who can put their hands on the evidence quickly and answer exactly what was asked.
This is the plan I’d follow if a notice landed in my inbox tomorrow.
Step one: confirm who actually sent it
This sounds obvious, but it’s where the confusion starts. For years, installer accreditation sat with the Clean Energy Council (CEC). The CEC’s own accreditation page now says installer accreditation has been handed over to Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) (Clean Energy Council, n.d.-a). SAA’s own material describes it as now running the accreditation process, including applications and the portal installers register through (Solar Accreditation Australia, n.d.-a).
At the same time, the CEC still publishes its Compliance Procedure for Accredited Designers and Installers (Clean Energy Council, 2022). So a worried installer can reasonably ask: who is auditing me?
Before you reply to anything, do three things:
- Check the sender against official channels. Don’t use the phone number or link in the notice itself. Go to the SAA or CEC website directly and use the contact details published there.
- Work out which scheme the notice relates to. An accreditation compliance matter is different from a Clean Energy Regulator (CER) inquiry about the small-scale technology certificates (STCs) created for a job, and different again from a retailer code matter under the New Energy Tech Consumer Code. If you’re unsure where retailer obligations now sit, I’ve covered what replaced the Approved Solar Retailer program.
- Be wary of anything that asks for payment or login details. Compliance notices that look official are an obvious phishing target. Verify first, then respond.
Once you know who sent it and under which scheme, you know whose rules you’re playing by.
The first 48 hours: what to do and what not to do
I’m not going to give you a deadline, because I don’t know what your notice says. Use the dates in your own notice, and if it doesn’t state a timeframe, ask for one in writing. Here’s how I’d spend the first two days.
Do
- Read the whole notice twice. Once to absorb the shock, once to pull out the facts. Note the job address or reference, the date of the install, what’s being alleged or checked, what’s being requested and any due date.
- Write those facts on one page. That page becomes your working brief. Everything you gather from here gets checked against it.
- Book time in your diary to respond. Not “when things quieten down”. Block out a half day. A rushed reply typed on a phone between jobs is how small problems become big ones.
- Tell anyone else involved. If a subbie did the install, or a designer drew up the system, they need to know now so they can pull their own records.
Don’t
- Don’t delete, edit or “tidy up” any job records. Don’t rename files, re-export photos or backfill a form that was never completed. Altering records after you’ve received a notice is a far worse look than a gap.
- Don’t contact the customer to “fix” something before you’ve responded. I understand the instinct. But turning up unannounced to change something on site, before you’ve answered the notice, can look like you’re covering tracks. If rectification is needed, deal with it openly as part of the process.
- Don’t fire off an emotional reply. You’ll want to defend yourself immediately. Write that version if it helps, then don’t send it.
The Compliance Procedure in plain English
The CEC’s Compliance Procedure for Accredited Designers and Installers is dated October 2022 (Clean Energy Council, 2022). Given the handover to SAA, check with SAA whether this is still the version that applies to you, or whether a newer procedure has replaced it. Don’t rely on my summary or anyone else’s; read the current document yourself.
In broad terms, documents like this set out three things:
- What can start a compliance process. That generally includes things like complaints, inspection findings, or information that suggests an accredited person hasn’t met the guidelines, standards or code of conduct that come with accreditation.
- How the process is staged. A procedure of this kind typically moves from notifying the accredited person, to giving them the chance to respond with evidence, to a decision about whether a breach occurred and what follows.
- Where the Code of Conduct fits. Accreditation comes with conduct obligations, not just technical ones. A compliance matter can be about how work was done, how it was documented, or how you behaved as an accredited person.
The SurgePV guide to accreditation gives a broader overview of how accreditation and its obligations hang together, which is useful background if you’ve not looked at this side of things since you first got accredited (SurgePV, 2026). Treat it as context, not as the rulebook.
The practical takeaway: the process is built around giving you a chance to respond. That chance is only worth something if you have evidence.
The document checklist
Every notice is different, so start with what’s actually requested. But in my experience, the evidence almost always comes from the same handful of places. Pull together everything for the job in question, even items they haven’t asked for yet, so you’re not scrambling if a follow-up request arrives.
Design records
- System design documents, including the array layout and string configuration
- The single-line diagram
- Equipment list with make and model of panels, inverter and any battery
- Who the designer was and their accreditation details at the time
The CEC’s advice on documentation sets out the kinds of records a system is expected to have (Clean Energy Council, n.d.-b). If you’ve never read it, read it now. It’s the closest thing to a list of what an assessor expects to see.
Installation photos
The CER expects photo evidence taken on site at the time of installation, with location and time information, and photos taken after the installer has left site are not a substitute (Clean Energy Regulator, n.d.-a). For battery installs, the CER has published a separate photo guide covering what needs to be captured (Clean Energy Regulator, n.d.-b).
Find the original files, not screenshots or photos pasted into a PDF. Re-exported images often lose the metadata that proves when and where they were taken. If you want a deeper look at capturing photos properly in the first place, I’ve written about job photo capture for solar installers.
Signed declarations and certificates
- The designer and installer written statements for the job
- The certificate of electrical compliance (whatever your state calls it), with a date that lines up with the install
- The STC assignment paperwork, if the customer assigned their right to create certificates
- Commissioning records and test results
The CER’s page on creating STCs lays out the paperwork that has to exist for certificates to be validly created (Clean Energy Regulator, n.d.-c). A quick reminder while we’re here: STCs are tradeable certificates that liable entities surrender under the Renewable Energy Target, not a government handout. I explain why that distinction matters in STCs are not a rebate.
Your accreditation and licence records
- Accreditation number and status on the install date
- Electrical licence details
- Evidence your training and CPD were current (see my piece on accreditation renewal and CPD requirements)
If a subbie did the work
This is where a lot of businesses come unstuck. The job was yours, but the photos are on a subcontractor’s phone and the paperwork is in their ute. Contact them in writing, explain what’s needed and by when, and ask for originals.
If you’re constantly chasing subbies for evidence after the fact, that’s a process problem worth fixing. One approach is to tie payment to receiving the photo pack and sign-off, which I cover in managing solar subcontractors.
Writing the response
Once you have the evidence, the response itself is mostly discipline. Here’s the structure I’d use.
Stay factual
State what happened on the job, when, and who did it. No adjectives, no opinions about the customer, no complaints about the process. Assessors read a lot of responses, and the ones that stick to facts are easier to resolve.
Answer only what was asked
If the notice asks about labelling, answer about labelling. Don’t volunteer an essay on the whole job, and don’t argue points that weren’t raised. Every extra claim is something that can be checked.
Attach evidence in the order requested
If the notice lists items one to six, number your attachments one to six and refer to them by number in your reply. Name files clearly: job reference, item number, short description. It sounds trivial, but a well-organised pack signals a well-run business.
Own any gaps honestly
If a photo is missing or a form wasn’t signed, say so plainly. Explain what you’ve done since to make sure it doesn’t happen again. A straightforward admission with a credible fix tends to land better than a gap you’ve tried to paper over.
Ask for clarification in writing
If something in the notice is unclear, email and ask. Don’t guess at what they mean, and don’t rely on a phone conversation you can’t later point to.
Keep a copy of everything
Save the notice, your reply, every attachment and every follow-up in one folder. Note the date and method you sent it. If this matter comes up again, or a related complaint arises, you’ll want the full trail.
What happens next
I’m not going to guess at penalties, because outcomes depend on what’s found and on the rules of whichever body is running the process. The Compliance Procedure is the place to read about how decisions and consequences are handled (Clean Energy Council, 2022).
What I can say from watching businesses go through compliance matters over the years: the outcome is shaped heavily by two things. The quality of the evidence, and how cooperative and organised the installer is during the process.
If the matter started with a customer complaint, it’s worth understanding the wider complaint pathways too. The CER publishes information on how complaints about rooftop solar, batteries and solar water heaters are handled (Clean Energy Regulator, n.d.-d), and energy.gov.au outlines dispute resolution options for consumers (Australian Government, n.d.). If rectification work comes out of it, run it as a proper job with its own records; I’ve written about managing defect rectification.
Habits that make the next audit easy
The best time to prepare for an audit is on the day of the install. Here are the habits I’d build into every job:
- Capture photos on site, every time. Same shot list, same order, from setup through to commissioning. Original files, location and time on.
- Store them against the job, not on someone’s phone. If the evidence lives in a subbie’s camera roll, you don’t really have it.
- Keep signed declarations together with the photos. One job, one file. Design, photos, certificates, test results, assignment paperwork.
- Keep records for as long as they can be asked for. CER guidance points to keeping supporting documents for a number of years after certificates are created; check the current CER requirements and build your retention around the longest period that applies.
- Track accreditation and licence expiry dates. A diary reminder a couple of months out beats finding out you lapsed when an assessor asks.
- Spot-check your own jobs. Pull a random job file each month and see if you could answer a notice from it in an hour. I’ve covered how to do this in spot-checking install quality.
This is exactly the problem I’m building CurrentFlow to solve. The idea is that job photos get captured on site and attached straight to the job file, with subcontractor sign-offs and declarations stored alongside them, so pulling together a response pack is a matter of minutes rather than days of hunting through phones and inboxes. It won’t replace your obligations under any compliance procedure, but it’s designed to make the evidence side faster and more consistent.
If that sounds useful, you can join the early-access waitlist at currentflow.com.au. Either way, get your job files in order before the next notice arrives, not after.
References
Australian Government. (n.d.). Dispute resolution. energy.gov.au. https://www.energy.gov.au/solar/solar-retailers-and-installation/dispute-resolution
Clean Energy Council. (2022). Compliance procedure for accredited designers and installers [PDF]. https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/approved-solar-retailers/Compliance-Procedure-for-Accredited-Designers-Installers-October-22.pdf
Clean Energy Council. (n.d.-a). Accreditation: Installers. https://cleanenergycouncil.org.au/industry-programs/accreditation
Clean Energy Council. (n.d.-b). Advice on documentation [PDF]. https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/accreditation/CEC-Advice-on-Documentation-V1.pdf
Clean Energy Regulator. (n.d.-a). Rooftop solar installers and designers. https://cer.gov.au/schemes/renewable-energy-target/renewable-energy-target-participants-and-industry/rooftop-solar-installers-and-designers
Clean Energy Regulator. (n.d.-b). Solar battery photo guide. https://cer.gov.au/document/solar-battery-photo-guide
Clean Energy Regulator. (n.d.-c). Create small-scale technology certificates. https://cer.gov.au/schemes/renewable-energy-target/small-scale-renewable-energy-scheme/small-scale-technology-certificates/create-small-scale-technology-certificates
Clean Energy Regulator. (n.d.-d). Rooftop solar, solar battery and solar water heater complaints information. https://cer.gov.au/schemes/renewable-energy-target/small-scale-renewable-energy-scheme/small-scale-renewable-energy-systems/rooftop-solar/rooftop-solar-solar-battery-and-solar-water-heater-complaints-information
Solar Accreditation Australia. (n.d.-a). Applications. https://saaustralia.com.au/applications/
SurgePV. (2026). CEC accreditation for solar installers: Complete guide 2026. https://www.surgepv.com/solar-compliance/australia/guides/cec-accreditation
FAQ
Does the Clean Energy Council still run installer accreditation?
The CEC’s accreditation page says installer accreditation has been handed over to Solar Accreditation Australia. The CEC still publishes its Compliance Procedure, though, so if you get a notice, confirm the sender and the scheme through the official website before you reply.
How long do I have to respond to an audit notice?
Use the dates in your own notice. If it doesn’t give a timeframe or you can’t meet it, ask the sender in writing for clarification or more time. Don’t assume a deadline that isn’t stated.
Should I contact the customer after getting a notice?
Not to “fix” anything quietly before you’ve responded. Changing work on site before you’ve answered can look like you’re covering tracks. If rectification is needed, handle it openly as part of the process and keep records of it.
What if my subcontractor has the photos?
Ask for the original files in writing straight away, and keep that request with your response folder. For future jobs, make receiving the full photo pack and sign-off a condition of payment, so the evidence is always in your job file and not only on their phone.
What if some evidence is missing?
Say so plainly in your response, explain why if you know, and set out what you’ve changed to stop it happening again. An honest gap with a credible fix is easier to deal with than a gap someone has tried to cover up.