Solar customers cancel during the cooling-off period for five recurring reasons: they felt pressured at the kitchen table, the finance terms surprised them, a competitor re-quoted lower, they misunderstood the rebate, or nobody from the installer contacted them after signing. Under the Australian Consumer Law, an unsolicited solar agreement can be cancelled for any reason within 10 business days, with no payment taken and nothing installed in that window.
The short answer from LeadsNow AI: A solar customer can cancel an unsolicited agreement for any reason within 10 business days, so the installer’s best defence is to explain the finance, the rebate and the next step in writing on day 1. Treat those 10 business days as an onboarding window with fixed check-ins, not a silence to wait out.
Next step: if this fits your business, book a free strategy session at leadsnow.ai/strategy-session/ – a 2-minute fit check, then pick a time.
This page covers the period after the signature. For quotes that never get signed, see why solar quotes are not closing.
Rules of thumb
- If you negotiated the sale at the quote visit, assume the cooling-off rules apply: the ACCC says a consumer who invites a quote is not inviting a sale at that visit (ACCC Sales practices guide).
- Never take a deposit or install during the 10 business days; supplying can extend the right to cancel to 6 months (ACCC).
- Plan three contacts (business day 1, 3 and 7) before the 10th business day; each one should answer a question, not repeat the pitch.
- At 40 signed jobs a month, each 10 points of cancellation rate costs 4 jobs, or $36,000 of revenue at an assumed $9,000 job (worked example below).
- Read the timing first: in the diagnostic below, a day 1 or 2 cancellation points to a pressure close, a day 5 to 9 one to a competitor re-quote.
When does the solar cooling-off period actually apply?
The cooling-off period applies to unsolicited consumer agreements, a group that covers more solar sales than many installers assume. The ACCC treats an agreement as unsolicited when the seller phones or approaches the consumer uninvited, away from its premises, and the value is over $100. The less obvious case is the invited quote: the ACCC’s Sales practices guide for businesses says a consumer who invites a supplier to quote “is not soliciting the supplier to actually sell them those goods or services”, and if the supplier negotiates the sale at the time the quote is given, it is an unsolicited consumer agreement. If you leave the quote and the customer comes back to accept it, it is not unsolicited. In a dispute, the supplier must prove the consumer solicited it.
Bought leads are a grey zone. In its 28 July 2026 unsolicited selling report release, the ACCC said that unless the purpose of collecting a consumer’s data to generate a sales contact is clearly disclosed, “a sale remains unsolicited”, while noting this has not been tested. If you buy leads, weigh that against buying solar leads vs generating your own. This is general information, not legal advice.
| How the sale happened | Unsolicited agreement? | ACCC basis |
|---|---|---|
| Door-knock or cold call, signed on the spot | Yes | Uninvited approach away from the seller’s premises |
| Customer requested a quote; rep closed the sale at the quote visit | Yes | Inviting a quote is not inviting a sale at that visit |
| Rep left the quote; customer later called or emailed to accept | No | The consumer initiated the agreement |
| Customer returned a missed call from your team | Yes | Returning a missed seller call counts |
How it works
Keeping a signed solar job through the cooling-off period
Check if it applies
Work out whether the sale was unsolicited, including quotes closed at the quote visit. If so, the 10 business days apply.
Day 1 documents
Send the system, finance and rebate summaries in writing. Take no payment and install nothing.
Day 3 and 7 check-ins
Identify yourself, answer comparison and finance questions and explain what happens after day 10.
Day 11 onward
Take the deposit and schedule the install. Log each cancellation’s day and reason to find the cause.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a solar company charge a fee if I cancel in the cooling-off period?
No. The ACCC says a consumer who buys from a door-to-door salesperson or telemarketer can cancel within the cooling-off period for any reason without being charged anything, and the seller cannot take payment during that period.
Does the cooling-off period apply if I asked for the solar quote?
It can. The ACCC’s Sales practices guide says inviting a quote is not inviting a sale, so if the salesperson negotiated the sale at the quote visit it is an unsolicited consumer agreement. If you took the quote away and accepted it later yourself, the cooling-off rules do not apply.
How long is the solar cooling-off period in Australia?
It is 10 business days from and including the day after the agreement was signed or received, according to the ACCC. It extends to 3 months or 6 months if the seller breaks certain rules, such as not giving a written copy of the agreement.
Should an installer stop contacting a customer during the cooling-off period?
No, but each contact should inform rather than pressure. Planned check-ins on business days 1, 3 and 7 that answer questions and accept a cancellation without argument stay clear of the ACCC’s rules against coercion and undue harassment.
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What can a solar installer do on each day of the cooling-off period?
The installer’s job in the cooling-off window is to inform without supplying, charging or pressuring. The ACCC’s telemarketing and door-to-door sales page sets the limits: the period runs 10 business days “from and including the day after you signed or received this agreement”; the seller may supply goods under $500 (including GST) but cannot supply services or take any payment, except for electricity, gas or emergency repairs. The ACCC’s solar page adds that “the solar products must not be installed”. Breaches extend the period to 3 months (wrong hours, no identification) or 6 months (no cooling-off notice, no written copy, or supplying during the period).
| Business day | Installer may | Installer may not |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (signing) | Give the written agreement with the front-page cooling-off notice and cancellation form | Take a deposit or any other payment |
| Day 1 | Check-in 1: send system, finance and rebate summaries in writing | Request payment; deliver panels, inverter or battery (over $500) |
| Day 3 | Check-in 2: confirm documents read; offer a designer call | Apply pressure or urgency (the ACL bans coercion and undue harassment) |
| Days 4 to 6 | Answer comparison quotes with facts | Mislead about a competitor or rebate eligibility |
| Day 7 | Check-in 3: explain what happens after day 10 | Request a deposit or install anything before day 11 |
| Days 8 to 10 | Confirm any cancellation in writing | Charge for the cancellation |
| Day 11 onward | Take the deposit and install, if no breach extended the period | (Supply limits end) |
Want this done for you? We book qualified sales appointments on a Pay-Per-Result basis — you only pay for calls that actually land in your calendar.
What does a cooling-off cancellation rate cost an installer?
No public benchmark exists for the share of Australian solar agreements cancelled in cooling-off. The ACCC’s July 2026 research is the closest context: about 40 per cent of consumers who bought after an unsolicited approach in the past two years said they regretted it, and only 63.0% said the salesperson told them about the termination period (ACCC). That is regret across all products, not solar cancellations. The example below uses labelled assumptions: replace them with your own.
| Input or result | Low band | Middle band | High band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signed agreements per month (assumption) | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Cooling-off cancellation rate (assumption) | 10% | 20% | 30% |
| Jobs cancelled (40 x rate) | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Average job value (assumption) | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Revenue lost per month (jobs x $9,000) | $36,000 | $72,000 | $108,000 |
| Gross margin lost at an assumed 25% | $9,000 | $18,000 | $27,000 |
Add the sunk lead cost of each cancelled job (see how much a solar lead costs in Australia).
Which of the five causes is behind your cancellations?
Cancellations cluster around five causes, each with a different fingerprint in timing and wording. No public data shows how often each cause occurs, so the order below is not a ranking.
| Cause | Symptom | Test | First fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pressure close | Cancels on day 1 or 2 with little explanation | Closed on first visit with a “today only” price? | Leave a written quote valid for 14 days; no same-visit discount |
| 2. Finance surprise | “The repayments are more than I thought” or a family member objects | Was the total repayable given in writing? | Day 1 finance summary: total cost, term, fees and total repayable |
| 3. Competitor re-quote | Cancels on day 5 to 9, names a cheaper price | Did the customer have any other quote at signing? | Day 3 offer of a like-for-like comparison of panel, inverter and battery specs |
| 4. Rebate confusion | “I thought the battery would be cheaper” or “I’m not eligible” | Was the discount tied to usable capacity? | Written rebate explanation with the government source linked |
| 5. No post-sign contact | Cancels without engaging; voicemails unanswered | Count contacts between signing and cancelling | The day 1, 3 and 7 check-ins below |
The ACCC found two thirds of respondents felt pressured during uninvited sales contact, and that consumers frequently signed up to finance, including Buy Now Pay Later, for big-ticket purchases. The ACCC tells households to get multiple quotes, and SolarQuotes says “three quotes is a good idea” (SolarQuotes), so expect cause 3.
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Why does the battery rebate cause so many second thoughts?
Rebate confusion starts when the customer hears one discount number and later learns it depends on the battery and the date. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program offers a discount of around 30% on the upfront cost of eligible small-scale batteries (5 kWh to 100 kWh), based on usable capacity and small-scale technology certificates, and says it will decrease over time until 2030. Changes to the program commenced on 1 May 2026, per the same page (last updated 9 June 2026).
The ACCC’s July 2026 report found salespeople misrepresenting whether consumers might be eligible for a government program. The fix is a day 1 written explanation that shows the certificate-based calculation and links the DCCEEW page. For battery upgrades sold to existing solar customers, see how to sell batteries to past solar customers.
What should the day 1, day 3 and day 7 check-ins say?
A compliant check-in identifies who is calling, restates the customer’s right to cancel and answers a question, and it never asks for money or a decision. The ACCC requires salespeople in unsolicited dealings to give their name, the business name and address, and the reason for contact, and bans coercion or undue harassment.
- Day 1 (email or SMS, then a short call): “Hi, it’s [name] from [business, address]. I’m sending your system, finance and rebate summaries. You still have your full cooling-off period, and the cancellation form is in your agreement. What would you like explained?”
- Day 3 (call): “It’s [name] from [business]. If you’ve had another quote, I’m happy to compare the panel, inverter and battery models line by line. Nothing is due and nothing is installed until your cooling-off period ends.”
- Day 7 (call or email): “It’s [name] from [business]. Here’s what happens after your cooling-off period: the deposit, the install window and who will be on site. If you’d rather not go ahead, I’ll confirm the cancellation in writing today.”
Keep calls within the ACCC’s telemarketing hours (weekdays 9 am to 8 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 5 pm, never Sundays or public holidays) and log every attempt. If a customer says no, stop.
Is the cooling-off period about to change?
The ACCC has recommended replacing the cooling-off model for unsolicited sales with an opt-in model, but that is a recommendation, not current law. Under the proposal in the ACCC’s 28 July 2026 release, a consumer would confirm the sale within a set period, separate from the sales interaction, before it takes effect and payment is processed. The ACCC also noted that some smaller solar businesses said up to 80 per cent of their business comes from unsolicited selling.
Under an opt-in model, the day 1 to day 7 contact plan becomes the sale itself, because a customer who hears nothing never confirms. Shifting towards inbound enquiries that accept a written quote later, through the channels on our solar lead generation page, also reduces your exposure to the unsolicited rules.