Stacking means claiming two incentives on one installation. It works in Victoria because the VEEC scheme and the federal SRES are separate, with separate rules, and some products qualify for both.
Where stacking applies
| Job | STCs | VEECs | Stack? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat pump water heater | Yes, if on the CER list | Yes, if on the ESC product list and the activity applies | Yes |
| Solar hot water | Yes | Check the activity | Possibly |
| Rooftop solar PV | Yes | Generally not | No |
| Home battery | Yes (federal program) | Not under the same program | No |
The tests are product and activity: a model has to appear on each list, and the installation has to meet the conditions for each activity. Rules change, so check both the CER and the Essential Services Commission (ESC) pages before you quote. See the full same-job guide.
Who claims what
- STCs: registered through the CER Registry by the installer or agent, with the owner’s assignment of rights. A trader buys them. See the STC assignment form.
- VEECs: created in the Victorian Energy Upgrades registry by an accredited person for the activity, with the customer’s acknowledgement.
Being a CEC-accredited installer does not automatically make you an accredited person for VEECs. Check what you need for the activity.
Evidence that overlaps and evidence that does not
Shared: customer details, product model and serial, installation date, photos, compliance records, details of the system replaced. Separate: the STC assignment, the VEEC customer acknowledgement, and the activity-specific records each scheme asks for. Collect the shared evidence once, in one folder, and use it twice. See the hot water checklist.
Common traps
- Different serial or date formats on the two claims.
- One claim lodged and cleared before the other, with a mismatch found later.
- Quote shows only one of the discounts, so the customer thinks the price is higher than it is.
- A product accepted in one scheme but not on the other’s list.
- An audit by one scheme discovering an error that affects the other.
Getting paid on both
STCs trade at roughly $38 to $40 spot and VEECs at roughly $85 to $95 in 2026, at the time of writing, so the two together are a meaningful share of the customer’s price. A trader that settles both, from one pack, simplifies the work: see pricing and VEEC trading.
What this means for installers
Before each quote, check the model against both lists, confirm accreditation and decide who creates each certificate. Then build a single evidence pack. See the hot water STCs page, the VEEC pillar and start trading.