Renewable energy

National Solar Schools Program

National Solar Schools Program

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Claim Form Instructions

If you need assistance completing the Claim Form, please call our National Solar Schools Hotline on 1800 703 831 quoting your Project ID and school name.

You need Adobe Reader Version 7.0.5 or above to use the Claim Form. It has been tested in Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Please note that the NSSP grants management system does not recognise data from forms other than the official NSSP Claim Form. The official Claim Form will have the Australian Government logo and your school's pre-populated details on it.

Claims that are submitted on a form other than the official NSSP Claim Form will be rejected. This will delay processing your school's claim.

Please ensure you SAVE your Claim Form to your computer.

Field-by-field breakdown of the Claim Form

Project ID (page 1) - this field is already completed. You cannot enter data in this field.

School Details - these fields are already completed. You cannot enter data in these fields:

If these details are incorrect, please email the National Solar Schools Team.

Authorised Person Details (page 1)

This is the person legally empowered to sign contracts on behalf of your school. Please ensure the details you enter are correct as they will be inserted into the National Solar Schools Funding Agreement. In particular, please ensure the email address is correct as the agreement will be emailed to this address.

Project items and activities (page 2)

Solar power system details

We need to know certain things about the solar power system you are installing (if you are not installing a solar power system, leave this section blank). If you are installing a solar power system, you must choose an answer for three checkbox options at the top of this section. You cannot complete any part of the 'solar power system details' section, until you check three boxes. You cannot submit the Claim Form if these questions are left unanswered. The three questions are:

You must answer these questions to allow entry against other questions in the solar power system section on page 3. Schools are required to connect to a grid if there is one available. If you choose 'stand alone' rather than 'grid connected' we may ask for evidence that your school cannot connect to a grid.

We also need the following details for the solar power system installation:

The designer and installer/supervisor may be the same person.

The installer/supervisor must be either a Clean Energy Council accredited installer or an accredited designer who supervises installation by an electrician.

Your accredited designer and installer/supervisor can give you their accreditation numbers. Your electrician can give you their licence number.

An accreditation number is issued to an individual. Do not enter a company name for the designer, installer or electrician.

For the PV panels being installed we need to know:

If you are extending an existing system, we also need the capacity of the existing PV panels (watts). The total capacity installed (watts) will be calculated automatically when you have entered the capacity of each panel and the number of panels.

For the inverter being installed we need to know:

If you are extending an existing system, we also need the capacity of the existing inverter (watts). If the existing inverter has sufficient capacity to handle additional panels you may not be installing an inverter.

Other project item details (page 3)

If you are installing a:

*You must enter both these figures for your claim to be approved.

The last item in this section is the expected start date. Please enter the date you are going to begin your project. You cannot submit the Claim Form until you have entered an expected start date.

Project budget for on-ground works (pages 3-6)

This is where you enter the cost of each project component.

Enter dollar amounts against the items that make up your project. You need to enter amounts from detailed quotes, that is, quotes that give separate amounts for the cost of the item, delivery and installation (for major items). For example, if you enter one amount against rainwater tanks and do not include separate amounts for installation and delivery, your claim will not be approved.

This does not apply to energy efficiency and safety items - for these items the cost of the item, installation and delivery may be included as one amount.

If you enter dollar amounts against major items you have not identified as part of your project description, you will be asked to resubmit your claim. For example, if you enter dollar amounts for a wind turbine but you have not entered the number of watts of the wind turbine, your claim will not be approved. We will not pay for any items that are not entered in the project budget section, so make sure you have entered all the relevant dollar amounts.

The project budget section has three columns. Enter amounts in the right hand column and the other two columns will calculate automatically.

Cost EX GST $ GST Applicable $ Total Including GST $
3. AUTOMATICALLY CALCULATED
The cost excluding GST amount will be automatically calculated. You cannot enter data in this column. 		2. AUTOMATICALLY CALCULATED
The GST amount is automatically calculated as 1/11th of the amount in the column to the right. You can overtype the GST amount if all or part of the item attracts no GST.		1. ENTER FIRST
Enter the cost of the item including the GST. The 'GST Applicable' and the 'Cost EX GST' amounts in the columns to the left will be automatically calculated.

If the total project cost is greater than the National Solar Schools funding amount payable, your school will be expected to meet these costs. If you submit a project budget that is less than the National Solar Schools maximum funding amount, you cannot claim this amount at a later date. You can lodge only one valid claim.

All costs entered must be reasonable. We will query any amount we consider unreasonable or that doesn't display value for money. We may ask for your quotes.

If you are unsure whether an item is eligible for funding, please refer to Part 5 of the National Solar Schools Program Guidelines. If you need further clarification, please email the National Solar Schools Team.

Budget items (pages 3-6)

IMPORTANT: Please ensure you provide a breakdown of the budget components, in particular, installation and delivery costs.

Solar power systems (pages 3-4)

Please note: If your quote does not itemise delivery and installation costs, please contact your supplier and ask for this breakdown.

Other renewable power system (page 4)

Solar or heat pump hot water system (page 4)

Rainwater Tanks (page 5)

Other energy efficiency measures (page 5)

These items are only eligible for funding if installed on existing buildings (not new buildings). See Part 5 of the National Solar Schools Program Guidelines for conditions relating to each of these energy efficiency items.

Safety items (page 6)

Safety items are only eligible for funding if they are directly related to items funded by National Solar Schools, for example:

Project description and notes/other necessary items (page 6)

  1. Please write a brief description of your project (100 words or less).
  2. You may also include notes that will assist us to assess your claim, for example, explaining the approach you are taking or the cost of items.
  3. You must also give details of other necessary items (if you have entered an amount against "Other necessary items"), for example, required permits or local government development application fees. Other necessary items are only eligible for funding if they are directly related to the project funded by the National Solar Schools Program.

Project Summary (page 6)

All amounts in this section are automatically calculated. You cannot enter amounts in this section. The project summary displays the following totals:

Total project budget (Cost EX GST, GST Applicable and Total Including GST). These amounts are totals of the amounts you have entered against all the project budget fields.

National Solar Schools Program maximum funding amount (displays Cost EX GST only). This is the amount (GST exclusive) your school is eligible for and is calculated automatically, depending on whether:

National Solar Schools funding amount payable (Cost EX GST, GST Applicable and Total Including GST). This is the amount of funding payable to your school. The Total Including GST is what we pay you.

Your school's contribution. If your total project budget is less than or equal to the funding amount payable, this amount is zero. If your total project budget is greater than the funding amount payable, this is the amount your school is expected to contribute to the project.

Troubleshooting

IMPORTANT: Please note that the Claim Form defaults to the lowest amount your school is eligible for until you have entered figures against the solar power system section, in particular, the number of kW being installed.

IMPORTANT: Please enter all your project items and funding amounts before querying the amount of money available to your school.

The Claim Form will not submit if you do not enter data in fields that are mandatory. If you get an error message while trying to submit, the fields that require entry will be outlined in red. Please check the whole form carefully to ensure you have entered data against all the fields that require entry.

Some fields are linked together, for example:

If you get an error message when trying to submit your Claim Form, this is most likely to do with your internet configuration. When you hit the submit button on the claim form, the website where the claim form is being sent is trying to download a confirmation page to your computer.

Your proxy server or firewall may be configured to not accept such a response. To fix this and allow you to submit the claim form, your IT officer needs to reconfigure your proxy server or firewall to allow unlimited access to this website: http://smartforms.business.gov.au

If the proxy server or firewall has been reconfigured and you are still having issues submitting your claim form, please email us.

If you are unsure whether we will fund an item, please email the National Solar Schools Team at nationalsolarschools@environment.gov.au.

Contact us

National Solar Schools Program
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601

National Solar Schools Program

Grants of up to $50 000 (GST exclusive) to install solar and other renewable power systems, solar hot water systems, rainwater tanks and a range of energy efficiency measures including:

  • Energy efficiency lighting
  • Skylights
  • Ceiling fans
  • Insulation
  • Sensors
  • Shade awnings
  • Automatic doors
  • External window fittings (eg double glazing and shutters).

For more information read the Program guidelines

Rainwater tank