Ouch! In the true spirit of hard-hitting investigative journalism.

Matt Smith of the Sunday Mail, perhaps responding to a self-righteous, cranky competitor or perhaps this was his own revelation, writes that “sneaky solar companies are trying to cash in on the state’s 100 million dollar home battery scheme”. Except that there is nothing sneaky about public Facebook ads and posts, blog posts on the website and email mailouts. Far from it.

Governments like to announce good stuff, often long before they nut out the details.  The problem arises when businesses that invest lots in gaining and KEEPING customers, especially in regional Australia, then must watch the competition, the opportunists, ramp up their efforts to “cash in”. Just Google “SA home battery scheme”, you’ll see plenty of companies looking for signups on the back of a scheme that NO-ONE has been given a tick for yet.

“Cash in” is far from the truth anyway, the real “casher-inners” are the public, after all, isn’t that what the scheme is all about? For crying out loud, even the government will tell you that.

From our point of view, we’re about PROTECTING the markets and customer base that we have WORKED DARN HARD to build, instead of watching it disappear because of some scheme, promoted too soon, offering massive handouts, which favours both big sales companies that have no idea about the technology and people close to the decision makers that help set the rules.

Young Matty, whilst almost naming a regional SA company, refers in the headline to “scammers” and I assume “zapped” refers to the fire and brimstone reaction sought from Dan (the minister, not the solar man). Is this the tail wagging the dog?

Someone trying to drum up business isn’t necessarily a scammer. Asking for a 100% refundable deposit is hardly a scam. Wait until the scheme has been running for a while, you’re liable to find real scammers then, if you deign to look.

If 40,000 households will benefit, let’s ask, “how many small businesses which are CEC Accredited and compliant, will lose customers and installations because they haven’t been able to compete with the marketing machines of the big sales companies or can’t afford the addition hoops placed in their path.” Who would YOU rather deal with, an accredited RETAILER or an accredited INSTALLER? They aren’t always one and the same. A CEC Retailer is mooted to be a government requirement, which may exclude CEC Installers, we just don’t get it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence

Thank you so much to the people that have signed up in the spirit of our offer, it has been significant and heartening for us. After all, we just want to dodge the “tyre kickers”. We wanted and still do want your support. When the scheme does kick off we want to have a solid list of people that we can begin looking after, STRAIGHT AWAY.

We DON’T want to lose PEOPLE to interstaters and big sales companies that DON’T have their local community’s best interests at heart.

Our motto, “Locals making a world of difference” is not just lip service, it is something we believe in. We want to be here when you need us and we want to strengthen our community and we WANT to push the world back from climate change. We think we’re on the right track.

If you aren’t happy

If you aren’t happy with having paid us a deposit please contact us as soon as you like and we’ll refund it.
https://danthesolarman.com.au/contact-us/

If you are happy

If you trust us enough to let it ride, do that. We’ll be in touch when we know more, worse comes to worst, we’ll refund every cent that you’ve paid.

In conclusion “The Sunday Mail understands information sessions are scheduled to happen over the next few weeks”. Wow, they know as much as anyone else.
When?
What batteries?
Who can supply?
An CEC Accredited Retailer can participate but a CEC Accredited System Designer or Installer cannot? The latter will be the people INSTALLING the equipment but they won’t allowed to sell it? What the heck! Talk about making it up as you go.

As a favour, please like our Facebook Page (if you haven’t already) and if you know (or don’t) Minister Dan Van Holst Pellekaan, put in a good word! https://www.danvhp.com.au/contact/

Something like, “Hey Dan, we love and trust SA Regional Solar. THIS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF COMPANY THAT NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED!”

Oh, and you can still show your support for us as your trusted supplier of all things solar.
https://danthesolarman.com.au/sa-home-battery-scheme/

Best regards from Dan and the SA Regional Solar Team.