Refrigeration runs all day, which is why it has been a target for Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU). Cold rooms and commercial display cabinets are different equipment with different rules, so this page treats them side by side but not as one product.
Cold rooms
Cold room activities have focused on improving how efficiently a room or its refrigeration plant runs, for example through better door seals and curtains, evaporator fan motor upgrades or controls. The Essential Services Commission (ESC) sets what qualifies and how savings are measured. Savings depend on the room’s temperature, hours of operation and the equipment replaced.
Commercial display cabinets
Display cabinet activities have covered replacing older refrigerated display cases with efficient models, and, in some versions, adding doors or other retrofits. Reports in 2026 indicate that the cabinet activity was removed or put under review, with minimum co-payment arrangements mentioned in coverage. Treat that as reported and verify it on the ESC’s site, because quoting a discount on an activity that is no longer open leads to a failed claim.
How the discount works, when an activity is open
The provider estimates the VEECs the job will create and passes some of that value on as a lower price. Roughly:
VEEC count x VEEC price x the share passed on, less provider costs
With VEECs at roughly $85 to $95 in 2026, a large cold room can produce a material discount. The count comes from the activity method, not from a rule of thumb, and it is price-dependent.
What to check before quoting
- Is the activity currently open for new claims?
- Is the exact product or component accepted?
- What baseline evidence is needed, and can you capture it before work starts?
- Who is the accredited provider and what do they need from you?
- What is the minimum customer contribution, if any?
What this means for installers
Refrigeration jobs create large certificate counts and large exposure if the rules change between quote and lodgement. Selling to a trader that locks the rate on lodgement of a complete claim limits one half of that risk, and a compliance check limits the other. See VEEC trading, pricing and how it works. Background: how VEECs work.