Interest in solar batteries and EVs is growing – but so is consumer confusion

There’s good news and not-so good news to come out of the latest survey by Energy Consumers Australia.

ECA’s research indicates 22 per cent of households are considering purchasing rooftop solar, while 27 per cent may install a home battery. Twenty-seven per cent are also considering buying an electric vehicle.

The numbers bode well for continued uptake of distributed energy generation and for the continued electrification of households and personal transport – the proportion of respondents interested in battery storage and EVs is particularly promising.

But a separate less promising statistic reveals that half of all household consumers surveyed believe information they need to make decisions around their energy use is inaccessible.

Moreover, any information that is available is complex, confusing and often delivered in a way that fails to resonate with the average consumer, according to ECA-funded research.

Dedicated information hub

In response, the ECA is launching a campaign called ‘Plug In’ that features a dedicated information hub with fact sheets, blogs and videos designed to help remove the guesswork for consumers contemplating purchasing or using new energy technology.

“Australians need to be able to find information that explains the kind of products that meet their individual needs, how to find a reputable supplier and installer, how to use these technologies for their own benefit and what to do if something goes wrong,” says ECA CEO Lynne Gallagher.

The ECA created the material following a request from state and federal energy ministers under the Council of Australian Governments energy council.

Stronger measures to protect consumers

The request followed a Clean Energy Regulator review last year that found stronger measures were required to protect consumers and that greater access to reliable information was needed.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in a submission to the review said it had received “a large volume of complaints concerning the consumer experience with retail solar panels,” although the scope of its role meant that it was not able to investigate many of them.

Specific issues included sales representatives making claims about the output of particular systems that could not realistically be achieved, false representations about where panels were manufactured, and underquoting the cost of installation.

Another complaint was suppliers giving misleading information about the true cost of systems over time, relying on rebates, feed-in tariffs or other cost inputs consumers were not eligible for or that had already expired.

Challenging, confusing and disappointing

“We know that millions of Australians have already bought and installed rooftop solar panels, and increasingly are purchasing home batteries and electric vehicles and that these decisions are a huge part of Australia’s push towards a cleaner and better energy system,” Gallagher said.

“But we also know that for some who have gone through it, the process has been challenging, confusing and even disappointing.’

State electricity and water ombudsman offices are unable to investigate complaints but have been calling for the power to do so.

“Complaints about new energy services often involve multiple service providers and require customers to navigate several forums in search of a satisfactory response,” New South Wales Electricity and Water Ombudsman Janine Young said.

“Increasingly, aspects of complaints involving energy products and services are out of EWON’s jurisdiction causing increased customer detriment and frustration,” she said.

“We’re proactively working with our state-based energy ombudsman peers to ensure we influence reforms and regulation so that complaints raised by energy customers affecting their supply can obtain dispute resolution from their energy ombudsman – reform needs to happen now.”