Safety audit for your solar system

About the safety audit

We may choose your solar panel (PV) or hot water installation for an audit, typically within six months of installation. Audits help ensure systems installed under our program meet high standards of safety and quality.

Audits are carried out by independent, qualified technicians from TechSafe Australia(opens in a new window). These checks help identify areas for improvement across the solar industry and, where needed, allow us to follow up with your retailer if issues are found.

Our safety and quality audits are different to a Certificate of Electrical Safety. They assess how your entire system has been designed and installed, and how it operates overall – not just whether the electrical work meets minimum safety requirements.

Other system checks include:

• A Certificate of Electrical Safety which must be issued by a licensed electrical inspector before your system can be connected to the energy network.
• On-site inspections by WorkSafe Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria. For this extra level of safety, it is important your installer scans your QR code on the day of your installation and before work starts. For more information, see Consumer protection.
• Post-installation audits by the Clean Energy Regulator which may happen 12 to 18 months after installation.

How installations are selected for an audit

Not all Solar Homes Program installations will be audited. Every year we select a sample of installations to be audited as part of our commitment to safety and quality.

We select installations based on different factors to ensure a range of systems across Victoria are audited.

Benefits of an audit

Safety is our top priority. We encourage you to agree to this free safety and quality check so you can be assured your system has been installed to the highest standards of quality and safety.

Your participation in an audit is voluntary and will also help ensure retailers and installers in our program maintain high standards. If you choose to take part, a TechSafe representative will ask you to sign a consent form when they first schedule a time with you, or on the day.

To ensure the electrical safety of your system, the auditor will check that:

• only products on our product lists have been installed and are covered by manufacturer warranties
• systems have been designed appropriately with correct sizing, aspect and shading tolerances, and that they are operating as expected
• installers’ accreditations, licences and required installation documentation are correct.

To see what they will look for in your installation, go to Solar PV audit checklist and Hot water audit checklist.

Systems found to be faulty or not installed correctly

The auditor will speak with you about the findings. The retailer of your system is responsible for correcting any faults where it is found to be unsafe or has the potential to become unsafe.

We will continue to monitor the installation until any issues detected have been resolved. There will be no cost to you.

We will also inform regulatory agencies, including Energy Safe Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria and the Clean Energy Council. For hot water installations, we will notify the Victorian Building Authority.

Your information and data

We will use the information collected as part of the audit to assess the safety and quality of your installation. This information will be shared with government regulators and relevant third parties so that action can be taken, if required. This information will also inform education and training for the solar industry to ensure the safety and quality of installations.

The records from this inspection will be confidential. We collect, use and disclose your personal information for the purpose of administering the Solar Homes Program and may not be able to do so without this information. We will handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and our Privacy statement.

More information

If you have any questions or feedback about these audits, please email quality.assurance@team.solar.vic.gov.au.