Simply Energy fixes Giani’s solar feed-in tariff
Giani earns money from his energy provider by selling excess electricity back to the energy grid. The solar feed-in tariff determines how much he is paid by his provider. Unfortunately Giani’s feed-in tariff was changed without notice. When Giani spoke with Simply Energy, he had a bad experience with the call centre and found it difficult to find someone that was able to answer his query. With Ajust’s help, Giani was able to reach the right people at Simply Energy and have his issue resolved.
Solar feed-in tariff agreed
Giani is an accomplished architectural photographer. Earlier in the year, he photographed a building that had a curious feature - the roof tiles glistened. As it turns out, the roof tiles actually had solar panels embedded in them. The roof produced electricity that could be sold to the grid under the feed-in tariff.
As it turned out, the timing was perfect because Giani had a leaky roof at his house. Each time it rained, the leak seemed to get a bit worse - so it was time to do something about it. Captivated by this new solar technology, Giani decided to install the solar roof system at his own home. He was delighted that form finally met function - he didn’t want to install traditional solar panels as he thought they were pretty ugly.
Giani knew that his new solar system would produce more energy than he needed, so he contacted his energy provider about a plan that would allow him to sell the excess energy back to the grid. Simply Energy had a plan that perfectly suited his needs.
The plan that Giani signed up to included a solar feed-in tariff. The solar feed-in tariff is the amount that is paid for excess energy that is sold back to the energy grid. Think of this as the opposite of buying electricity - when your solar system produces more energy than your house uses, the spare energy can be automatically sold back to the energy grid. You’ll find a bit more information about this in the 'just a bit more' section.
No more leaky roof
The installation of the roof was incredible to watch - the solar tiles are designed to replace traditional roof tiles, so the roof framing doesn’t actually need to change at all. The tiles slot in one by one, forming a circuit of panels that look just like a traditional roof.
Giani had a lot of fun capturing progress over the two days - the tiles didn’t change the shape of the roof at all, but it certainly made the house look much more modern. He now had a brand new roof with a bonus feature of energy production.
Fast forward a few months and everything was swell - Giani was producing energy from what looked like ceramic roof tiles. As expected, Giani’s roof was actually producing electricity in excess of his needs. Because he had yet to invest in a battery, the excess electricity was being sold back to the energy grid thanks to the feed-in tariff. The amount that he was being paid for the excess energy was important as it helped Giani pay off the loan he took out to install the new roof.
Unexpected change to tariff
One day out of the blue, Giani received a notification from Simply Energy stating that they had made a change to his solar feed-in tariff. This change meant he was getting paid less than he expected for the excess electricity that the roof was generating.
Giani was stressed by the financial burden presented by this unexpected change. When he contacted Simply Energy to seek a resolution, he had a bad experience with the call centre. Unfortunately this is a familiar problem for people when trying to resolve issues with their provider. Even after he was transferred between different departments, no one seemed to have a clear answer to Giani’s problem.
Excess electricity generated by small-scale solar and wind systems can be sold to the energy grid by the way of feed-in tariffs. This means that you are paid an agreed amount per unit of energy that your system sends to the grid.
To receive a feed-in tariff, the system must be connected to the electricity grid within the National Energy Market (NEM).
To learn more, you can visit the Australian government’s page about electricity feed-in tariffs.
Tariff corrected and bill reissued
Giani was feeling a bit flat about his situation. Luckily, his friend told him about Ajust - a resolution platform that helps consumers resolve issues with their providers. Giani thought it was too good to be true and decided to try it out.
Ajust’s technology guided Giani through the process of submitting the information required to have his issue resolved. Once he had provided all of the information, Ajust sent his complaint to the right people at Simply Energy. Giani was particularly impressed by the clear communication he received from Ajust - he knew exactly what was due to happen next.
After 6 days, Simply Energy had resolved Giani’s issues - they apologised for the inconvenience, reinstated his feed-in tariff and reissued his bill with the correct amounts.
Giani left a 5-star review about his experience: “With Ajust’s help, I have been contacted by the correct personnel from Simply Energy and had my problem resolved.”
Now that Giani’s issue has been resolved, he’s back out there photographing amazing landscaped and architecture. We’re curious to know what he’ll be inspired by next!
Editor’s note: We’re always excited to share the experiences of consumers that have used Ajust. This Consumer Story is based on a real complaint made through our platform. But we’ve changed some details to protect the consumer's personal information and make the story more enjoyable for our readers.
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