The administrator of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code has set 1 December 2026 as the date the updated code takes effect. The announcement, published on 24 September 2026, follows the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's final determination of 28 August 2026, which authorised the amended code for five years to 19 September 2031.
The ACCC determination authorised the current, unamended code to continue until 19 December 2026. That date is an outer limit, not a start date. The NETCC has chosen to move every signatory to the updated code on 1 December, within that window. The earlier record of the determination has been corrected to reflect the 1 December commencement.
Staying in is the default
Every Approved Seller is treated as accepting the updated code unless it opts out. According to the NETCC's transition page (opens in a new tab), an opt-out form will be available to Approved Sellers for 14 days, from 19 October to 2 November 2026. A seller that does not complete the form in that window is taken to have agreed to be bound.
A seller that opts out is resigned from the program on 30 November 2026. From then it must stop using the Approved Seller badge and any reference to being a signatory, and it may be eligible for a pro-rata refund of its annual fee. It remains bound by the current code until the resignation takes effect.
Sellers that stay in are expected to comply from 1 December 2026, and will be asked to formally agree to the updated code at their next annual renewal. Applications lodged before 1 December are assessed against the current code, and an approved applicant must still meet the updated code from the start date. The NETCC Sales and Installation Agreement is being revised to match.
What the updated code changes
The NETCC describes three main changes, and states that they do not alter the fundamental nature of the code.
- Misleading claims. The commitment not to make false or misleading claims now covers all statements, not only those made in advertising and promotions. A statement in a site visit, a phone call or a follow-up email is held to the same standard as a published advertisement.
- Quoting disclosures. Quotes for bespoke designs or initial contract deliverables must state any fees that apply and the circumstances in which those fees are refundable.
- Refunds and termination. Some types of non-refundable fees may be deducted from a refund owed to a customer.
The second and third changes work as a pair. A fee for design work carried out before a contract proceeds can be kept on termination only where the quote has disclosed it and said when it is refundable. For a buyer, the practical effect is that the terms governing an early exit are set out on the quote rather than discovered later.
Why it matters more in Western Australia
Approved Seller status is a condition of accreditation under the WA Residential Battery Scheme, and has been since 1 October 2025. A seller that opts out of the updated code in October is no longer an Approved Seller from 30 November, which puts its scheme accreditation at risk. For WA battery retailers the opt-out is therefore not a practical choice, and the work between now and 1 December is a document review: quote templates, fee schedules, refund and cancellation terms, and the scripts and material sales staff use.
PSW Energy and Perth Solar Warehouse each hold a NETCC Approved Seller certificate, and both will continue under the updated code.
Checking a seller's standing after 1 December
A seller's current standing is shown on the NETCC register, not on a certificate or website badge. Resignations for sellers that opt out take effect on 30 November, so the register is the reliable check for any quote accepted from 1 December onward. The ACCC's determination and its conditions are published on the ACCC authorisations register (opens in a new tab) under application AA1000702.
