How the schemes work for businesses

The Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) and Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) encourage businesses to upgrade equipment to save energy or reduce peak demand. The schemes provide incentives to Accredited Certificate Provides (ACPs) to provide you with energy efficient or peak demand reducing equipment at reduced cost. This equipment then helps make NSW's energy more affordable, reliable, and sustainable. 

These lower costs are only available from ACPs and the installers they use. An ACP's ability to create and sell certificates based on the energy savings or peak demand reductions you gain from the new equipment enables them to pass on the reduced costs.

Upgrading your business under the schemes helps you because it leads to:

  • lower costs to install an upgrade
  • reduced energy costs
  • a more reliable network.

More information about how you can save energy in your business is available at the Energy website.

Information about eligible activities is available on the Activities for businesses page.

How to get involved

As a business, there are 3 ways to get involved:

  • work with an ACP to get incentives for energy savings or peak demand reduction projects
  • get accredited as an ACP by IPART and create your own certificates for:
    • energy savings projects under the ESS or
    • peak demand reduction projects under the PDRS
  • become an Auditor under the schemes.

Work with an existing ACP to get an incentive

The schemes can help make projects more affordable because ACPs may be able to offer you a discount from the sale of certificates they create from your project. Work with an ACP to check if your project is eligible.

If you go ahead with a project, you will be asked to assign the energy savings or peak demand reduction capacity from the project to the ACP by signing a nomination form so they can create certificates.

Some activities require you to pay a minimum payment towards the costs of the installation. See the Activities for business page or talk to your ACP to find out what minimum payment applies to your upgrade.

A list of ACPs that can help you implement projects is available on the List of ACPs for businesses page. The NSW Government Energy website also includes lists of accredited businesses by region.

Like any decision to engage a contractor, you should consider what is right for you – see our Things you should consider page for more information.

Get accredited as an ACP

To become an ACP in the schemes, you must apply to IPART. More information is available on the following pages:

Become an Auditor for the schemes

Auditors help ensure ACPs and Scheme Participants comply with the ESS and PDRS requirements and obligations. They are typically engaged directly by ACPs and Scheme Participants, however IPART can also engage auditors to audit ACPs and Scheme Participants.

Current members of the Audit Services Panel can complete audits under both the ESS and the PDRS. To become a member of the Audit Services Panel you must meet certain requirements. More information on how to become an Audit Services Panel member, including auditor requirements, is provided on our Join the audit panel page.