March 2025
VEU Updates
Since our last newsletter there has been some changes to the VEU scheme and activities:
Co-Payment & Warranty Changes
Water heating (activities 1, 3, 44) & space heating/cooling (activity 6) must now include a 5-year warranty (effective 31 March 2025).
New minimum co-payments commenced on 1 February 2025:
For more details on these changes and how they may impact you, updates-veu-program/changes-water-heating-space-heating-and-cooling-cold-room-induction-cooktop-and-low-flow-shower-rose
Further updates to Activity 44 issued 18 Feb:
- Partial decommission upgrades (only decommissioning some of the electrical capacity) are not eligible under activity scenarios 44A(i) and (ii). These upgrades may be eligible under activity scenario 44A(iii) where accredited persons and installers are able to satisfy the installation requirements of the product, including those stated in Table 44.3 of the VEU Specifications. For example, the product must be installed as modelled, except that an existing storage tank may be used as storage in place of a modelled component if evidence is provided to the commission as set out in the table.
- Modification upgrades (decommissioning the whole heater and installing a new registered heat pump product and an additional finishing tank) are not eligible under any scenarios under activity 44.
For more information:
NSW ESS News Update: Key Proposals for Energy Efficiency Reforms
NSW Climate and Energy Action department has proposed several amendments to the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) to enhance energy efficiency regulations. Below are the key changes under consideration:
- Commercial Lighting Upgrades proposed to be discontinued by end of year (six months after the amended rule is gazetted)
- Heat Pump Hot Water Systems (Activities D17, D19, F16, and F17) must offer customers a minimum five-year whole-of-system product warranty
- Refrigerated Display Cabinet Eligibility – Integral Refrigerated Display Cabinets replacing existing units under F1.2 will no longer be eligible for ESS incentives.
- NABERS Baseline Method will be extended to include schools and retail stores
- Doubling Natural Gas Certificate Conversion Factor making more ESCs for all electrification activities.
Certificate conversion factors proposal:
For more information: nsw-plans-and-progress/regulation-and-policy/energy-security-safeguard/energy-savings-scheme
The department has encouraged written submissions on these proposed changes until Friday, 4 April 2025.
Metimur works with Energy Efficiency Council providing industry feedback to these consultation.
National Roadmap for Bidirectional EV Charging
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), in collaboration with RACE for 2030 and enX Consulting, has released a National Roadmap for Bidirectional Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging. This roadmap outlines the steps needed to enable large-scale adoption of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology in Australia.
Statements in the report include:
“bidirectional charging has the potential to become one of the largest forms of flexible energy storage in Australia”
“technology’s benefits in reducing electricity bills, coinciding with Cornwall Insight’s findings that V2G could reduce UK EV driver electricity costs by around 70%.”
“Another crucial element of V2G technology is the flexibility and stability it can grant the grid. This is even more important with the gradual withdrawal of coal-fired power plants”
“ARENA CEO Darren Miller believes the battery capacity of Australia’s EV fleet is projected to outstrip all other forms of energy storage in the NEM”
“With estimates suggesting 1.5 million EVs on Australian roads by 2030, even 10% of those adopting V2G could meet 37% of the NEM’s total storage needs”
“it could save Australians up to AU$5 billion in total by reducing the need for large-scale battery storage investments.”
What is Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Technology?
V2G technology allows electric vehicles (EVs) to both draw power from and supply electricity back to the grid. This enables EVs to function as mobile energy storage units, helping stabilize the power grid and reducing energy costs for consumers.
More here: australias-arena-releases-national-roadmap-for-v2g-technology.
Certificate spot prices update
Here are the CORE markets spot price graphs from start of the week, with some quick comments on the recent developments:
- VIC VEECs spot price dipped below $108 first weeks of Feb , but has recovered since to now trading around $110:
- NSW ESC spot reacted after the ESS proposal was released last week, see above news item. Spot price jumped up to $16.40 but then fell back to $15.25:
- NSW PRC spot has been trading steadily above $2.50 last few weeks, with last trade at high of $2.62:
A reminder that we have our filterable table of all the rebate activities we can assist with across the country, from Solar VEECs and Solar VIC to NSW PRC, ESCs and federal STCs and we try to keep it up date as new activities are announced while others expire:
Please let us know if you notice any rebates missing from the table.
Stay Connected! For more information and updates, visit our website or contact us at info@metimur.com.
View our past newsletters here: https://metimurenergy.com.au/news/
Thank you for being a part of the Metimur community. Taking the pain out of certificate creation and maximising returns!
Best Regards,
The Metimur Team