Easier To Claim Solar Panel Rebate In Victoria

It’s been a while since Solar Victoria has been in the headlines, after dominating Industry News for the majority of 2019. The hype and demand of Solar Victoria’s Panel Rebate has dwindled, notably more after the rebate amount decreased from $2,225 to $1,888 on January 1^st.

As the popularity of the solar panel rebate has settled, it has given Solar Victoria the opportunity and resources to make some much-needed changes to the application process for customers.

One of the many issues customers criticised Solar Victoria for during the peak of the rebate’s demand was the difficulty in applying. The struggle was around the face recognition identity verification on smartphones, which even tech-savvy applicants found challenging to do, let alone the older demographic.

“One customer stated that to be able to take a picture to match her passport photo in the application process she was required to take her glasses off but then had to somehow fit her face in the outline on the smartphone screen when she was practically blind.

After the image wasn’t accepted, she was prompted to have her image certified by a doctor, police officer or chemist etc. For this certified person to be approved as someone to sign off on her proof of identity, they also needed to upload their proof of identity.

Another stated, “The process was more difficult than securing a mortgage”.

Solar Victoria soon to simplify the application process

Due to these and more disaster stories, Solar Victoria will undergo significant updates to simplify the process. The new process will mean applicants will no longer need to scan and upload photos of documents or complete the facial recognition process. Instead, customers will be able to simply enter the details from any two of the following acceptable forms of identification;

• Driver’s licence
• Medicare card
• Passport (Australian or foreign with a valid visa)
• Australian Birth certificate or
• ImmiCard

“We’ve simplified our identity verification process to make it quicker and easier to get a rebate”  Solar Victoria

Other changes will include the introduction of a one-time password which will ensure applications remain secure and to prevent them from being submitted by third parties; the update will consist of a unique code being sent via SMS to the customer’s phone.

Dates for these changes have not been confirmed however Solar Victoria has stated that the portal will be unavailable between Friday, February 28th and Monday, March 2^nd for what we hope is the implementation of these updates.

Learn more about the Solar Victoria Rebate and how to apply!