Selling ESCs is a chain of five steps. If you already create STCs, much will feel familiar, but the evidence rules and the registry are different. For the background, see what an ESC is.
1. Become, or work with, an accredited certificate provider
Only an accredited certificate provider can create ESCs. If you are not accredited, you can still do the installation work and assign the right to create certificates to an accredited provider, who then handles the rest and passes on value. Accreditation is run through IPART. Check the current application requirements on its website.
2. Do an approved activity
The work must match an approved method, such as an efficient hot water system or an appliance upgrade. Each method has its own rules for eligible equipment, baseline and evidence. Read the method before the job.
3. Create and register the certificates
You lodge the activity details, evidence and calculation in the scheme registry. IPART reviews, and registers the ESCs if the claim is valid.
4. Agree a sale
Find a buyer, usually a retailer or a trader. Settle the price, volume, settlement date and any fees in writing. Compare more than one quote.
5. Transfer and get paid
Transfer the registered ESCs in the registry against payment. If you are using GST, the invoicing arrangements matter. See our RCTI, GST and ABN guide for how this works with STCs, and check how your buyer handles it.
Common problems
- Claims that do not match the method’s evidence rules.
- Missing customer consent.
- Delays in registry processing that leave certificates in limbo.
From the desk: keep a file per job with everything the method requires. Audit requests can arrive months later.
Choosing between selling and assigning
If you do not hold accreditation, assigning the right to create certificates to an accredited provider is often more practical than doing it yourself. Compare what you would receive per job, and what you would save in admin. For low volumes, assignment tends to win. For high volumes, becoming a provider may pay.
What this means for installers
Energy Merchants focuses on STCs, VEECs and battery STCs rather than ESCs, so use a buyer that handles them. For STCs, VEECs and battery STCs, see pricing, how it works and VEEC trading. The resources hub has the wider guides.