An Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP) is a business accredited under the NSW Energy Savings Scheme and Peak Demand Reduction Scheme to create certificates. Most installers do not hold the accreditation themselves; they work with an ACP. The commercial terms between the two are the part that is not published, and they vary.
What ACPs charge
There is no standard price, and none should be quoted as typical here. Common structures include:
| Structure | How it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Share of certificate value | The ACP keeps a percentage of what the certificates sell for | The percentage on top of other deductions |
| Per-certificate fee | A fixed dollar amount per ESC or PRC | It matters most when prices fall |
| Flat fee per job | One charge per activity | Small jobs where the fee is a large share |
| Rate-based purchase | The ACP buys the certificates at a rate and keeps the difference | The rate versus market |
Ask what is deducted for the registry, audit support, data entry and any rejected jobs. Ask whether the fee is charged on rejected or unpaid jobs. Compare quotes on the dollars you receive per job, not the headline percentage.
How the payment chain works
- You complete the job and supply evidence to the ACP.
- The ACP checks, records the activity and creates the certificates.
- The certificates are registered and sold, to a retailer or a trader.
- The ACP pays you, less its fee.
Where the time goes is covered in NSW ESC payment time. Common causes of delay are batch cycles (certificates created weekly or monthly), missing evidence, registry processing, and buyer terms of net 30 days or more. Some ACPs pay on creation, some on sale. Ask which, and ask whether they pay before or after audit.
Timing compared with STCs
Federal STCs are a faster market: established partners with a trader can be paid in about a day. NSW certificates have a longer chain with more parties, so build the delay into your cash flow. See how long should STC payment take for the federal benchmark.
What to ask before you sign
- Fees in dollars for a typical job, and every deduction.
- Payment trigger and the days between that trigger and cash.
- What happens if a certificate is later reversed after audit.
- Who holds the evidence and for how long.
- Whether the ACP can take the activity you actually install.
- Whether you can leave with your jobs and records.
What this means for installers
The ACP relationship is a cash-flow decision as much as a compliance one. A provider that is fast and clean can be worth a higher fee. A cheap one that pays slowly can cost you more in finance. If volume grows, look at becoming an ACP, which brings its own obligations.
Energy Merchants buys STCs, battery STCs and VEECs rather than NSW certificates; see STC trading and pricing for the federal side. More on the NSW system in what is an ACP and selling ESCs.