Both the Western Australian and Federal Government have recently announced schemes designed to promote the uptake of battery storage systems.
The WA Residential Battery Scheme will offer a rebate and no interest loan component and the Federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program will offer a subsidy off the up-front cost of a battery system. Both schemes will be operational by 1 July 2025.
More information on the WA Battery Scheme is available on Energy Policy WA website WA Residential Battery Scheme.
Consumers hoping to participate in the scheme can receive updates by completing an expression of interest form on the official WA Residential Battery Scheme page.
What to know
- Solar and battery installers have already been promoting or marketing the WA Battery Scheme, and are making claims or statements such as “Beat the backlog – Get a quote now” and “Lock in a low battery price now and beat the installation backlog”.
- No approved providers or products have been officially shortlisted. Consumers are urged to avoid signing up with any solar companies before 1 July 2025 as they may not be eligible for the WA Residential Battery Scheme, which will not be applied retrospectively.
- Visit the Consumer Protection website for more Information on consumer guarantees, warranties and contracts.
Unsolicited sales
- Marketers asking consumers to submit their address or postcode are using high pressure tactics to secure your personal
details and may be from a company trying to sell your information. - If you get a call and you don’t remember specifically asking a solar company to contact you, they may have bought your information as a lead from a third party.
- Exercise caution when sharing personal information online, especially when dealing with unsolicited communications about the WA Residential Battery scheme.
- Visit the Consumer Protection website for advice on unsolicited approaches and key questions to ask if you are approached by a solar company.
Be scam aware
- Consumers should be wary of phrases like “register now” or “don’t miss out” as these are common red flags used by scammers to create a false sense of urgency.
- Look at the company’s social media profile for reviews, likes and comments and check if the business includes a fixed location in the profile. The scheme eligibility criteria and requirements state that retailers and installers must have a Western Australian address for their business.
- Check if the company’s social media page is new or has a history of changing its name, by viewing the page transparency information in the ‘About’ section.
- Independently research the company details and contact them directly using the number on their official website to confirm they are a genuine business. Be mindful that scammers steal real business ABNs and some will even speak with you on the phone to answer your questions about a product or service.
- Search the address of the business via Google Maps and check the street view. Reverse Google image search photos of the premises to check they aren’t from stock photo libraries.
- Look for appropriate caveats including a no obligation quotation, and do not respond to advertisements seeking a deposit to secure a rebate.
- Do not pay via bank transfer. Use secure payment options like credit card or PayPal, which offer better protection and allow for chargebacks in case of issues.
- Do not provide personal identification documents as these scams can also be used to steal your identity.
- The appearance of the State Government logo on non-government websites or registration forms should be treated with extreme caution. Using this logo without permission is potentially a misleading representation under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
- For more information on avoiding scams download the Spotting Scams factsheet on the WA ScamNet website
- Concerns regarding potentially misleading advertising about the battery scheme, or suspected scams, can be reported to
Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54, by email at consumer@demirs.wa.gov.au and via the WA ScamNet website.
Questions to ask solar suppliers
If approached by a solar company about the WA Residential Battery Scheme, consumers are urged to ask the following questions:
- Ask for the Electrical Contractor's Licence number of the individual or company that will be installing your solar or battery. For more information see: Obtaining an Electrical Contractor’s Licence.
- Ask for their ABN and check online to see if they are trading under multiple names.
- Ask how long the company has been established under its current name.
- Ask if the company’s advertised experience reflects the years in operation. (A company operating for two years but advertising 20 years’ experience is a red flag.)
- Ask for the company address. The company should have a WA address. A post office box, residential address or small office may indicate that a third party contractor is doing the actual installation, as most operations would require a warehouse for storage.
- Ask if the company is using contract installers and ask for their electrical contractor’s licence number. The person selling you the system isn’t as important as the person who is going to be installing the battery.
- Ask about the specifics of the warranty. A 25 year workmanship warranty only guarantees the installation quality and does not guarantee that the equipment will last that long. Ask about the warranties for the equipment (inverters and batteries) that will be installed, and if the warranty covers the replacement of defective equipment.
- Ask if there are any additional fees (such as call out fees) involved if you need to have your system fixed or replaced under the manufacturer’s warranty. If the company doesn’t have an office in Australia, the importer may be responsible for the warranties.
- Ask for a detailed breakdown of the quote. Discounts applied by the company should be separated from government rebates, and the labour cost and equipment costs should be detailed separately.
- Ask about the installer’s accreditation. Check whether the installer is accredited at Solar Accreditation Australia. More information is available at Installers | Clean Energy Council.
- Ask about the approval/accreditation of the system components. Check accreditation with the Clean Energy Regulator (CER).
Other tips
Be aware that some websites may offer multiple quotes from different installers. Some of these are legitimate and recommend qualified companies. Other websites suggest multiple installers that are all operated by the same company. Check the companies against each other to see if they have overlapping information like ABN, address, or electrical licence number.