What being a NETCC Approved Seller means for you

A code with teeth, not a badge

Most logos on a solar website are marketing. The New Energy Tech Approved Seller mark is different in one important way: it is backed by a code of conduct that was authorised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, designed jointly by peak industry and consumer bodies, and enforced by an independent Code Administrator who can sanction and remove signatories who breach it.

In other words, it is not a claim we make about ourselves. It is a set of obligations we have signed up to, with someone outside the business empowered to hold us to them.

Why the code exists

Australia's solar boom produced world-leading uptake and, alongside it, a long tail of poor practice: high-pressure door-to-door selling, quotes that omitted key terms, systems that never performed as promised, and retailers who vanished when warranty claims arrived. The consumer bodies and the industry both recognised that trust was being spent faster than it was being earned.

The New Energy Tech Consumer Code - NETCC - was the response: a single standard covering the complete customer journey, from the first advertisement to the resolution of a complaint years later. It replaced the Clean Energy Council's Approved Solar Retailer program, which Zero 4 Energy joined in 2021, and carried its principles into a broader, ACCC-authorised framework.

What we have committed to

The Code sets standards across the whole relationship, not just the sale. In practical terms, as an Approved Seller we are obliged to:

Market honestly. No misleading claims about savings, rebates, or performance, and no high-pressure tactics. Our estimates say they are estimates, and our design tool shows its assumptions rather than burying them.

Quote properly. A written quote must include the specifics - system components, performance expectations, price, what is and is not included - so you can compare it fairly against others. It is why we publish packages but not prices: a compliant quote is site-specific by definition.

Contract fairly. Clear terms, a cooling-off period, and no unfair contract terms. Our Terms and Conditions of Trade are written to the Code.

Install to standard and honour warranties. Accredited installers, compliant products, and warranties that are actually delivered on - including coordinating manufacturer claims rather than leaving you to chase them. Our Warranty Policy sets out the timeframes.

Handle complaints properly. A published complaints process with defined response times, and an escalation path to the Code Administrator if we cannot resolve it. Our Complaints Policy is exactly that.

What it means when you are comparing retailers

Any retailer can say they are reputable. Ask instead whether they are on the NETCC register, then check it yourself - the register is public at newenergytech.org.au. A retailer who is not signed up is not necessarily a bad operator, but they have chosen not to be accountable to an external standard, and you have fewer avenues if something goes wrong.

It also matters for the incentives you are counting on. Some government programs and finance products require the retailer to be an Approved Seller, precisely because the code provides the consumer protection those schemes want attached to public money.

Our own history with it

Zero 4 Energy became a CEC Approved Solar Retailer in 2021, under the program NETCC later superseded, and is now a New Energy Tech Approved Seller under the current code. The commitments have been part of how we operate for years; the badge on this site simply reflects the current administrator of them.

If you ever believe we have fallen short of the Code, our complaints process is free to use, and the Code Administrator sits behind it as an independent escalation. That accountability is the point.