Energy savings schemes
Energy savings scheme applications — VEU and NSW ESS
Victorian Energy Upgrades and the NSW Energy Savings Scheme both turn on getting a product recognised through the right route, with evidence measured under the right method. We work out which applies and prepare the application.
Two schemes, two very different processes
Victorian Energy Upgrades (formerly VEET)
Administered by the Essential Services Commission under the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target regulations and the VEU specifications. Manufacturers apply through the VEU Registry using the application form for the relevant category, with supporting evidence. Approved products appear on the Register of Products — and only products with approved status support VEEC creation. Products already listed under GEMS or approved by AEMO generally need materially less documentation, which is often the fastest route in.
NSW Energy Savings Scheme (IPART)
Administered by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal. Accredited Certificate Providers create Energy Savings Certificates using prescribed methods; products are recognised through one of three routes depending on category — the IPART Accepted Products List via the TESSA portal for water heaters, lighting and chimney dampers; the CEC Approved Batteries List for solar batteries; and the Energy Rating Registration Database for everything else.
Other schemes
South Australia's Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme is administered by ESCOSA and is activity-based rather than operating a product register in the way Victoria does; targets for the 2026–2030 period were gazetted in December 2025. The NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme runs alongside the ESS, and the ACT operates its own Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme.
What we do
- Determine which scheme, activity definition and recognition route actually fit your product — the most common cause of a wasted application
- Check GEMS registration status first, since several routes depend on it
- Review test evidence against the method the activity definition names, and confirm the laboratory's accreditation is acceptable
- Scope and coordinate additional testing where the data does not fit
- Prepare and lodge the application through the VEU Registry or TESSA
- Resolve assessor queries and manage the application through to approval
- Monitor rule and activity changes that affect products already listed
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as GEMS registration?
No, and the distinction matters. GEMS registration is a legal precondition of supply — without it a regulated product cannot lawfully be sold. Scheme listing is an incentive eligibility mechanism: it does not authorise supply, it authorises certificate creation. A product can be GEMS registered and still ineligible for the VEU or the ESS. It cannot be scheme eligible while its GEMS registration has lapsed.
Isn't it still called VEET?
The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target is the legislative scheme; Victorian Energy Upgrades is the program name it operates under, administered by the Essential Services Commission. People use both names, and searches for “VEET product registration” and “VEU product registration” land in the same place.
How does a product get recognised in NSW?
Three different routes, depending on what the product is. Water heaters, lighting and chimney dampers go on the IPART Accepted Products List, applied for through the TESSA portal. Solar batteries are recognised through the CEC Approved Batteries List — NSW defers to the CEC. Everything else is recognised through the Energy Rating Registration Database, which is the GEMS register. Knowing which route applies is the first job.
Does IPART or the ESC test our product?
No. Both assess documents. They rely on test reports from accredited laboratories and on performance data measured under the method the scheme's activity definition names. That is why applications fail on evidence quality far more often than on product performance.
What changed recently?
Both schemes moved in 2026. New ESS and PDRS Rules commenced in NSW on 1 July 2026, changing several air conditioning and battery activities and removing the PDRS heat pump water heater activity. In Victoria a new fee structure took effect on 1 January 2026, a ceiling insulation activity was added in July 2026, and evidence requirements were tightened across several activities in April 2026. We confirm the current activity definition before an application is prepared rather than working from last year's.
Want to learn more?
Speak to a Chartered Professional Engineer about your product, your target market and the approval pathway that actually applies to it.
Talk to an engineer
Want your product supporting certificate creation?
Tell us the product and the states you are targeting. We will identify the route, check your evidence against it and tell you what is missing.