No, installers are employed by individual accredited businesses. However the ESC takes negative installer behaviour seriously and will follow up any reports of improper behaviour
In most cases, the energy efficient appliance or product will need to be actually installed by the accredited business to be eligible for VEECs, even if you’re just replacing your light globes or shower rose.
Before signing the VEEC assignment form, the consumer holds the right to a given number of VEECs but does not hold the VEECs themselves. Only an accredited business can bring VEECs into existence by creating them, and to do that, it needs the consumer to assign the rights to those VEECs over to it after an installation has taken place. Assigning the right to the VEECs to the accredited business is what the consumer does in exchange for the benefit or discount the business is offering.
If you’re concerned about getting the most out of the value of VEECs, speak to a range of participating businesses and find out what sort of incentives are available.
The Calculators on this website give an indication of how many VEECs can be created by a given energy efficient installation.
If a business contacts you, you can check to see if they are on the Register of Participants, which means that they have been accredited by the ESC.
If an installer contacts you at your house or business, ask to see their ID which should feature their name, the name of the accredited businesses they work for, and the business address. Be aware however, that the Energy Saver Incentive is not the only program in Victoria offering energy efficiency products and services to consumers. Other programs, such as those within local councils, also offer energy-saving light globes or showerhead exchange programs.
Remember, you do not have to let anyone into your house or business if you feel uncomfortable.
Search the Register of Participants for a list of businesses accredited through the scheme.
You need to become an Accredited Person to claim VEECs. This can be a lengthy and time consuming process with a considerable amount of paperwork is involved. This is why most householders use a business already accredited by the ESC and assign their rights to create VEECs to that business, so the accredited business can perform all the necessary paperwork instead
The VEET scheme is not a rebate scheme, so what you may have downloaded is a VEEC assignment form. The good news is that under the VEET scheme the paperwork is not your responsibility, an accredited business will take care of that for you. All you need to do is make sure you understand the benefit that business is offering you, and sign the VEEC assignment form when the business presents it to you following the installation. So discard the form you’ve downloaded and contact the accredited business you’re dealing with for clarification.
VEET is not a rebate scheme. The money that leads to discounts under the VEET scheme does not come from the government, nor is it a fixed amount.
For an explanation of how the discount comes about, navigate to the How the Scheme Works section of this website. Alternatively, for information about how consumers can benefit from the scheme, head to the Energy Consumers page.
The VEET scheme is completely voluntary and there is no requirement for a consumer to participate.
The VEET scheme works by allowing accredited businesses to create certificates when they help you make selected energy efficiency improvements to your premises. Each certificate – known as a Victorian energy efficiency certificate, or VEEC – represents one tonne of greenhouse gas abated and the money the accredited business makes from selling its certificates can go towards a discount on the product or appliance installed for you. Each year large energy retailers are required to purchase a set number of VEECs to fulfil their obligations under the scheme and then surrender those certificates to the ESC. The energy retailers may pass on to consumers all or part of the cost of meeting this obligation.
The scheme, marketed to the public as the Energy Saver Incentive, commenced on 1 January 2009 and is legislated to continue in three-year phases until 1 January 2030.
The VEET scheme creates opportunities for you to upgrade selected products and appliances at a lower cost. With more energy efficient products, your energy use should drop, potentially leading to savings on your energy bills.