To create Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates, you need to be an accredited person under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program. Accreditation is granted by the Essential Services Commission (ESC), and it is not a formality. The ESC wants to know you are a fit and proper person, that you can do the work competently, and that you keep records that will stand up to an audit.
If you already install heat pumps, air conditioners or lighting in Victoria, there are two routes: become accredited yourself, or deliver work for an accredited person who creates the certificates. Which one suits you depends on volume, appetite for compliance and how much of the VEEC value you want to keep. This article walks through the accreditation route, and what to weigh before you start. The scheme’s rules change, so read the ESC’s current guidance alongside this.
Accredited person or installer: which are you
The program separates two roles, and mixing them up is the commonest early mistake.
| Accredited person | Installer working for one | |
|---|---|---|
| Creates VEECs | Yes | No |
| Responsible to the ESC | Yes, for all activities under its accreditation | For its own work, and under the accredited person’s oversight |
| Sells certificates | Yes | Typically receives a discount or payment from the accredited person |
| Records and audit | Full responsibility | Supports the accredited person |
For a small business, delivering for an accredited person can be the lower-risk path. You take payment or a margin and leave the certificate administration to someone else. For a business doing volume, becoming accredited lets you keep the certificate value and control the customer relationship. See our piece on VEEC prices to judge how much that value is.
The accreditation process, step by step
The ESC’s published process runs along these lines. Always confirm against the current Application Guide for Accredited Persons.
- Open a VEU Registry account. This is where applications, certificate creation and transfers all happen.
- Read the guidance. The ESC publishes an Application Guide and an Obligations and Program Guide for accredited persons. Read both. They set out what you will be held to.
- Choose your activities. Accreditation is for specific prescribed activities, such as water heating, space heating and cooling, or lighting. Apply only for those you will deliver.
- Complete the online accreditation form. In the registry, under the accreditation section. You will need business details, ownership and management information, and evidence for each test.
- Pass the fit and proper test. The ESC considers the people who control the business: history of compliance, any relevant convictions or enforcement action, and financial standing.
- Pass the competent and capable test. You need to show you have the systems, people and training to deliver the activities correctly.
- Pay the fee. At the time of writing the ESC has published a $3,000 accreditation fee. Check the current figure.
- Wait for the decision. The ESC assesses the application and may request more information.
The fit and proper test and the competent and capable test are not one-off hurdles. Accredited persons are assessed against them each year to stay accredited.
What the ESC expects you to prove
Applicants should be ready with:
- Trade licences and registrations for the people doing the work, matched to the activity and to Victorian electrical, gas and building rules
- Training and supervision arrangements, so that staff know what to do on site and who signs off
- Record-keeping systems that can show what was done, when, by whom, and which VEECs were created for it
- Compliance with the VEU code of conduct, which is now built into the accreditation forms
- Safety obligations under Victorian legislation, including the Electricity Safety Act 1998, Gas Safety Act 1997, Building Act 1993 and Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
The ESC says that activities must be undertaken in accordance with those laws, and that accredited persons must keep records that substantiate the activity and the certificates created.
A realistic cost model
Accreditation costs more than the fee. Estimate:
- Application fee (reported at $3,000)
- Time to prepare the application: perhaps 15 to 30 hours for a small business
- Systems for records, photos and certificate tracking
- Ongoing admin: perhaps half a day a week for a business doing steady volume
Suppose a business delivers 30 jobs a month at an average of 12 VEECs each. That is 360 certificates, and at about $90 each, $32,400 a month of certificate value. Set against that, the fee and admin are small. At 3 jobs a month, 36 certificates and $3,240, the maths looks different, and working under an accredited person may be better.
From the desk: Before you apply, run a trial. Pick five recent jobs and see if you could prove each one to an auditor today: dated photos, product details, who was on site, licences, customer consent. If you cannot, fix the process first. Applying with weak records is the quickest way to a refusal, or a hard audit in your first year.
After accreditation
Once approved, you can create VEECs for the activities you are accredited for. Then the work shifts to selling them: finding a buyer, checking the contract terms, and making sure your records match what you transfer. Our VEEC trading page explains the sale, and our answer on what a VEEC is covers the basics. For the day-to-day obligations, read VEU compliance for installers.
Common reasons applications stall
Most delays come from the same few gaps. Ownership structures that are unclear or have changed since the ABN was registered. Staff licences that do not match the activities applied for. A management chart that does not show who is accountable for compliance. Records that exist in people’s heads rather than systems. Fix these before you lodge, and assume the ESC will ask a follow-up question on anything you leave vague.
Also think about people. The fit and proper test looks at those who control the business, so a director’s history matters. If there is anything that might raise a question, such as past compliance action, disclose it plainly and show what has changed. Concealment is worse than the underlying fact.
Keeping accreditation
Accreditation is not permanent. You will be reassessed each year, and audits can happen at any time. Build the habits that make that easy: a single place for job records, a named compliance person, a short monthly review of a sample of jobs against the ESC’s requirements, and a plan for updating training when the guide changes. The ESC publishes updates to forms and guidance, and the Obligations and Program Guide has been revised more than once in 2026, so subscribe to its updates.
What to do next
- Read the ESC’s page on how to become an accredited person and the current Application Guide
- Decide between accreditation and working under an accredited person using your monthly volume
- Audit five recent jobs against the evidence standard above
- Check the partner program and the resources hub if you want a settlement partner lined up before your first certificates are created