The Clean Energy Regulator has just announced Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) as the new installer and designer accreditation administrator! This means that the CEC is no longer the accreditation scheme operator, and the SAA accreditation scheme is now in effect. SAA is an independent, not-for-profit organisation founded by the Smart Energy Council and Masters Electricians Australia. It has been set up specifically to administer accreditation throughout Australia and will still be backed by the CER.

What does this mean for you?

Every accredited installer and designer will need to transfer over their CEC accreditation to the SAA by the 29th of May 2024 to maintain their accreditation. Failure to transfer by this date means you will no longer be accredited, and therefore not eligible to claim STCs. There is no fee to transfer your accreditation, but an accreditation renewal fee will still be due on expiry of your current CEC accreditation. Click here to begin your transfer on the new SAA website.

If you’re not yet accredited, but have finished or are close to finishing your training, you’ll be applying for accreditation with SAA instead of the CEC.

Training Units and CPD

As previously advised, there has been no announced changes to the accreditation requirements, including the relevant training units. However, there has been a change in the CPD Structure, with 20 points being awarded for core courses (rather than 30 points). The minimum requirement of 60 points for core units will remain, meaning that you will need to do one additional core course per year to maintain your accreditation. All current CPD courses will still be recognised and the SAA has also announced that there will be new pathways for CPD points such as submitting best practice case studies.

GSES will continue to provide updates on the new administrator as more information is made available to us. If you have any questions, we recommend reaching out directly to the SAA. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates!