Important Updates

Hi 

The Government’s $1.3 billion Solar Homes Program will see 770,000 Victorian households take advantage of solar power over the next decade, with 5,500 new jobs expected to be created.

We are grateful for industry feedback following the relaunch of the Solar Homes Program on 1 July 2019 and we’ve been working hard to bring you a range of improvements in response to your queries. 

Enhancements to the eligibility application process  

For retailers:

• We’ve listened to your concerns and you can now save draft quotes in the Retailer Portal at any time, even when the monthly allocation is exhausted. This means you can continue with business as usual by uploading your customer's information to the portal at any time. The information will be saved so you can simply log in and press submit on the first of the month.
• We’ve added a password reset button, so you can reset without having to contact the call centre.
• We've changed our approach to property address identification, so all properties including rural addresses will now be recognised in the system. 

For customers:

• We’ve improved the eligibility application process for customers, by allowing more time to complete online identity (ID) verifications and improving on-screen help-guides.
• For applicants who prefer to verify their ID outside of the Portal, we’ve also made the manual ID verification process simpler and more accessible. (Note that if the customer takes this option, it can take up to 14 days to confirm their eligibility). 
• We’ve improved the save and exit function, so customers can get back into the system to retrieve their application if their session times-out or they have internet connection issues.

What’s next?

• We’ll soon be releasing a series of online training videos and hard-copy help-guides which will cover subjects like:

     - The steps involved in a customer application
     - The retailer payment claim process
     - The customer ID verification process
     - The solar provider statement and quoting process.

• For those who don't have access to a computer, we'll explain how customers can submit a paper-based application.
   
• For industry providers wanting further assistance, we will be providing Portal training through the following series of webinars: 

     - Wednesday 24th July @ 7am - Retailer rebate payment 
     - Thursday 25th July @ 3:30pm – Navigating the Solar Homes Portal
     - Tuesday 30 July @ 7am – Customer experience 
     - Wednesday 31 July @ 3:30pm – Installer experience 

When the Portal re-opens on the first of each month, you should:

1. Log in and submit your Solar Provider Statements/quotes (the system will automatically notify the customer)
2. ​Go to the 'Installations' tab in the Portal to check the status of your customers' applications (if your customers are confirmed as eligible, it will show up in this tab)  
3. Call your eligible customers and confirm they're happy to go ahead with your quotes
4. Schedule the customers' installations with accredited installers and complete the installations
5. Submit your payment claim documentation
6. Receive the rebate after your claim has been approved.

Weekly updates:

Solar Victoria is committed to making this process clear and easy throughout the rollout of the 10-year solar homes program. We will continue to work with you and peak industry bodies to enhance our systems and processes in preparation for the next rebate release and future releases.

To support you and address your concerns, we will now provide weekly updates as we streamline our processes to enhance the customer, retailer and installer experience. Please add noreply@team.solar.vic.gov.au to your safe senders’ list to ensure you receive these emails.

If there's any topics you'd like us to cover in future editions of this newsletter please email us at comms@team.solar.vic.gov.au  

We thank you again for your valuable suggestions and we look forward to making things easier for you and your customers.

Kind regards

Solar Victoria