In Victoria, the regulator that decides whether you can legally install solar is not the Clean Energy Regulator or the accreditation body. It is Energy Safe Victoria (ESV). The other bodies decide whether the system can create certificates and whether a rebate applies. A Victorian crew needs all of them lined up, and a mismatch between ESV paperwork and a certificate claim is one of the commoner reasons a claim stalls.
This guide covers the Victorian stack: the electrical licence, contractor registration, the Certificate of Electrical Safety, accreditation and Solar Victoria. We do not quote fees or deadlines, because they change; each section names where to check. For the national picture, see the state-by-state licensing guide.
Layer one: the electrical licence
Solar PV and battery work involves electrical wiring, and in Victoria that work must be done by a licensed electrician. The licence is issued to the individual by ESV. A person who holds a restricted licence may not be able to do the full scope of solar work, so check the licence class against the job. Electricians moving from another state can apply for recognition of their interstate licence rather than starting again, but that has to be in place before the first job.
Layer two: Registered Electrical Contractor
A business that contracts directly with customers to carry out electrical work needs to be registered as an electrical contractor with ESV. A licensed electrician working as an employee of a registered contractor does not need their own registration, but a sole trader or company that sells and installs does. If you sell solar and subcontract the install, the contractor you use must be registered, and you should confirm it on ESV’s public register before the job.
Layer three: Certificate of Electrical Safety
After prescribed electrical work, the contractor must provide a Certificate of Electrical Safety (CoES), give a copy to the customer and lodge it with ESV within the deadline ESV sets. Solar installations are within the scheme. ESV can audit installations, and a CoES with errors can lead to a failed audit.
For certificate claims, the CoES is one of the documents that proves the install. The details on the CoES must agree with the claim: address, system size, installation date and product details. A claim that gives one date and a CoES that gives another invites questions. See how STC audits work.
Layer four: accreditation for STCs
To create STCs, the system must be installed or designed by a person with current accreditation for the system type, managed by Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA), which took over from the Clean Energy Council. For batteries, the accredited installer is also a condition of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. The SAA definition and the electricians answer explain the difference between licence and accreditation.
Layer five: Solar Victoria
Jobs that include a Solar Victoria rebate need the installer and retailer to be authorised by Solar Victoria. The household income cap for the rebate fell to $150,000 on 1 July 2026. See Solar Victoria installer approval and the income cap. The rebate is separate from certificates, but the evidence on a job often overlaps.
Layer six: VEU for hot water and efficiency work
Heat pump hot water jobs can also create VEECs under Victorian Energy Upgrades, run by the Essential Services Commission. That needs an accredited person under the program and a plumbing licence for the water side. See how heat pump VEECs work in Victoria and our Victorian heat pump guide.
What it means for the certificate claim
Victoria sits in two STC zones. Melbourne, Geelong, Hobart and Launceston are zone 4 with a rating of 1.185, which is lower than the 1.382 of zone 3 cities such as Sydney and Brisbane. For a 6.6 kW system with five-year deeming:
| Location | Calculation | STCs | Value at $38 to $40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne (zone 4) | 6.6 x 1.185 x 5 | 39 | $1,482 to $1,560 |
| Sydney (zone 3) | 6.6 x 1.382 x 5 | 45 | $1,710 to $1,800 |
A Melbourne job is worth six fewer certificates than the same system in Sydney, about $230. Victorian crews feel the zone difference directly, and the Victorian rebate and income cap are part of why quotes can look so different between states. Use the STC calculator for your postcode.
From the desk: the paperwork trap in Victoria is date mismatch. The install date on the CoES, the photos, the assignment form and the claim should all agree. If the CoES is lodged later with a different date, correct the claim before it reaches the registry. Our compliance desk checks dates across documents before lodging.
A Victorian job checklist
- Electrician’s licence is current and suits the work
- Contractor is registered with ESV
- Accredited installer is on the job, and supervision rules are met
- Products are approved and the battery is on the approved list if relevant
- CoES is issued, lodged and matches the claim
- Solar Victoria authorisation is in place if a rebate applies
- Photos, serials and assignment form are complete
- Claim is lodged within a day
Interstate crews
If you work for a company based in another state, treat Victoria as a separate regulatory environment. Apply for licence recognition early, confirm contractor registration and learn ESV’s lodgement process before the first Victorian job.
Working across the border
Victorian crews often take jobs in southern NSW, and NSW crews take jobs in northern Victoria. A licence from one state does not automatically cover work in the other, so check recognition before the first job. Keep the CoES for Victorian work and the relevant certificate for NSW work separate, and put the right state’s template on the right job. Our answer on the SAA accreditation requirements explains the national layer that sits on top of whichever state paperwork you use.
A note on audits
ESV audits electrical installations and the CER audits certificate claims, and they look for different things. A job that passes one can fail the other. Treat the two as separate quality gates: the installation must be safe and compliant on site, and the claim must be consistent and evidenced in the registry. A single set of well-named photos serves both purposes, which is why a standard photo routine pays for itself. See what the CER audit expects for the registry side.
What to do next
- Check each person’s licence class on ESV’s public register and their accreditation with SAA.
- Make the CoES part of your commissioning checklist.
- Read the Victorian hot water guide if you also install heat pumps.
- For help with certificates, see STC trading, the pricing page and the pillar for installers at /installers/.