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Renewables, Climate and Future Industries Tasmania

Vendor Participation Policy

Suspension or removal of vendors from the Energy Saver Loan Scheme

All suppliers, retailers, and installers seeking to participate in the Tasmanian Government Energy Saver Loan Scheme must undertake an onboarding process and become an Accredited Vendor.

Accreditation is managed by the Scheme’s loan provider (Brighte Capital Pty Ltd).

The Tasmanian Government has absolute discretion in relation to:

  1. the implementation and operation of Scheme matters and may discontinue, suspend or modify the Scheme at any time
  2. the right to require the suspension or removal of a supplier, retailer, or installer from the Scheme at any time
  3. the eligibility criteria for any financial incentives being delivered by means of the Scheme.

The Tasmanian Government may exercise its right to suspend or remove a supplier, retailer, and/or installer from the Scheme at any time including but not limited to the reasons outlined below.

Compliance Requirements

  • The retailer and/or installer(s) have been placed on probation, been suspended, or are no longer accredited by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) as per their compliance procedure.
  • The retailer and/or installer(s) (including staff) have been suspended or disqualified from holding the relevant licence, including electrical licence(s), required by Tasmanian law to perform the work that is within the scope of the Scheme.
  • The retailer and/or installer(s) fail to meet any compliance requirements related to the sale or installation of products within the scope of the Scheme, whether required by Consumer, Building and Occupational Services, its agents or subcontractors, CEC-suggested relevant standards, Australian Consumer Law, or other relevant authorities. This includes instances of a retailer and/or installer(s) failing to submit certificates of electrical compliance to TechSafe when required (refer to the CBOS website for more information).
  • The retailer and/or installers(s) (including staff) are the subject(s) of any disciplinary or legal action relating to violence against women.

Agreement deviation

  • The system installed does not meet the specification s or technical requirements of the Scheme without an approved Tasmanian Government exemption.
  • The retailer and/or installer(s) are found to be in breach of the Scheme’s Vendor Agreement, Scheme Guidelines, Deed, Terms and Conditions, and/or any Scheme reporting requirement.

Trading practices

  • Evidence of any false, incorrect or wilfully misleading information communicated to consumers by retailers and/or installers about the Scheme and its products, including information contrary to any of the Scheme Guidelines provided to the retailer and/or installer(s) as part of the onboarding process.
  • The retailer and/or installer(s) has been identified to be practising door-knocking sales tactics, including using their staff members or any third-party agencies or subcontractors for those practises.
  • The retailer and/or installer(s) have been reported for abuse, harassment or misconduct by any stakeholder of the Scheme or other Tasmanian Government program.

Procedure for removal

If the Tasmanian Government becomes aware of an issue related to one of the reasons outlined in the table, the retailer and/or installer(s) will be contacted by either the loans provider or by Tasmanian Government program officers via email or phone to discuss it.

Depending on the nature of the issue, it may be escalated and referred to the Clean Energy Council, Tasmanian Government regulators, or relevant authorities to manage.

In the meantime, the loans provider or the Tasmanian Government may decide immediately to remove the retailer and/or installer(s) from the Scheme until further notice. In that event, a Tasmanian Government program officer will provide a formal written warning to the retailer and/or installer(s) which outlines the issue, as well as the actions that the retailer and/or installer(s) should take to resolve or rectify it.

Any relevant regulatory authorities will be notified about the issue, as well as the removal of the retailer and/or installer(s) from the Scheme until further notice.

If the issue is capable of being rectified, then the retailer and/or installer(s) must implement any available corrective measures per the timelines specified in the warning email, and evidence of its rectification may need to be provided to confirm to the Tasmanian Government’s satisfaction that they have rectified the issue.

Please note that the removal of retailer and/or installer(s) from the Scheme includes removal from the Scheme’s marketplace (and website), and that no further loan applications submitted to the loan provider by the retailer and/or installer(s) will be accepted under the Scheme. All applications applied or approved prior to the date of the retailer and/or installer(s) removal will be allowed to be completed. Consumers will be notified about their removal and its consequences.

If the issue is rectified, and the retailer and/or installer(s) meets all the necessary eligibility criteria to be re-accredited with the Scheme, then they will need to re-apply for participation in the Scheme with the loans provider, and the Tasmanian Government will need to approve their participation as an Accredited Vendor.

Contact

Email: esls@recfit.tas.gov.au

October 2022