Most VEU activities that involve a product depend on a register. If the exact model is not on it, the VEEC cannot be created. This page covers how products get there and how you check.
What the register is
The VEU Register of Products is maintained by the Essential Services Commission (ESC). It lists products meeting the requirements of specific activities. For appliances, the register is built with reference to the GEMS register and the ESC’s product criteria. For glazing, the regulations say VEECs cannot be created unless the products are on the register by the time certificates are created.
How a product gets listed
The application is normally made by the product’s manufacturer, importer or supplier. In outline:
- Identify the activity and read its product requirements in the specifications and activity guide.
- Gather evidence: test reports, ratings, standards compliance, labelling.
- Apply through the ESC’s process for that activity.
- The ESC assesses it and, if approved, lists the model.
Timing varies and requirements differ by activity, so use the current ESC guidance rather than the summary above. Where an activity says a product must be on the register, an unlisted model will not do, even if it is physically better.
Finding eligible heat pumps
For heat pump hot water, check the register for the activity that matches the job (activities 1 or 3 for replacing electric resistance or gas/LPG, and 44 for commercial systems), and confirm the model also meets other conditions for a federal small-scale claim if you want both. Our pages on heat pump VEECs in Victoria and how many VEECs a heat pump creates cover the claim side.
What this means for installers
- Check the register before you order, on the install date and before you create certificates. Listings change.
- Match the full model code, including variant suffixes.
- Save a dated copy of the listing in the job file.
- If a supplier says “it is eligible”, ask for the register entry.
Why listings change
Products can be added, updated or removed as standards and activity specifications change. A model that was eligible when you quoted may not be when you install. That is why the register check belongs in three places in your workflow: at quote, at install, and at certificate creation.
For homeowners
Ask your installer for the register listing of the model quoted. A missing listing means no discount, regardless of what the brochure says.
Selling the certificates
Once the product is verified and the job is complete, how VEECs work takes you from creation to payment, and the VEEC trading pillar explains settlement. Rates are on /pricing/. When you are ready, start trading.
Confirm application steps and fees with the ESC, as processes are updated regularly.