Registered STC

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 3 October 2026

A registered STC is a certificate that has cleared validation and is recorded in the REC Registry as registered. It is the point at which a creation becomes a certificate you can actually move.

What registration unlocks

Once registered, the STCs can be transferred from the installer or agent’s registry account to a buyer’s account. The buyer pays against that transfer. That payment is settlement. See settled STC.

In practice

Most traders, including Energy Merchants, do their pre-checks before lodgement so the registration step goes through without surprises. Registration does not guarantee that the certificate is beyond question. The regulator can still audit an installation after registration, and a certificate later found invalid is a problem for whoever claimed it. See how STC audits work.

Worked example

A 6.6 kW system in a zone 3 postcode, installed in 2026, creates 6.6 x 1.382 x 5 = 45 STCs, with the zone 3 rating applied. Once validated, those 45 STCs show as registered. At roughly $38 to $40 each at the time of writing, they have a market value of about $1,700 to $1,800.

Common confusion

Registered does not mean paid. It also does not mean the buyer has them. Between registered and settled there is a transfer and a payment.

It is also different from a registered agent, which is a business, not a certificate. See registered agent.

For the full process see STC trading, the assignment form guide and the glossary.