Licence granted
CovaU Pty Ltd was granted a licence on 25 February 2015. The licence can be accessed via the resources tab.
Licence varied
This licence was last varied on 22 June 2022 with effect from 12 September 2022.
11 October 2021
Update in definition of voltage reduction units
We have updated our lighting product application guide to clarify the definition and requirements of voltage reduction units for product category 34 (building based lighting upgrade products).
21 October 2021
Changes to certificate creation form for public lighting upgrade
Following stakeholder feedback, we have made several amendments to the public lighting upgrade (activity 27) certificate creation form:
25 October 2021
Extension for relevant entities to surrender 2021 compliance year certificate liability
Letter from the CEO of the commission
(pdf, 133.35 KB)
25 October 2021
The commission has decided to extend the due date for
In a year where stay-at-home restrictions led to bigger power bills for many Victorians, almost 200,000 homes will save an average of $229 per year thanks to energy efficiency upgrades.
11 November 2021
Following stakeholder feedback, we have made changes to our requirements and product criteria in relation to water heating and space heating activities under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
As we reach the end of another challenging year, we wanted to share some of the approaches the water sector has taken to provide more targeted customer support during the coronavirus pandemic.
Context for this review
In 2021 we foreshadowed with stakeholders that a process would be undertaken to review and update all Victorian energy retail licences. We are now getting that process underway.
We have written to each retailer with a proposal to vary their licences. The changes we are proposing to the licences are predominantly administrative in nature and proposed for one of three reasons:
- to reflect recent changes to the regulation of energy in Victoria,
The second year of economic challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has seen the number of Victorian customers in hardship programs continue to increase, but at a slower rate.
The state’s independent water regulator has adjusted the maximum interest water businesses can charge customers who don’t pay bills on time, up from 2.9 per cent to 5.3 per cent.
Each year the commission sets the maximum interest rate water businesses may charge customers for unpaid bills, based on up-to-date information on borrowing rates.
Pricing director Marcus Crudden said that the commission’s role provides an important protection for customers that may have missed a bill deadline.
… energy efficiency scheme 16 june 2022 the victorian energy regulator has suspended sara corporation pty ltd, trading as australian state energy upgrades (aseu) , from participating as an accredited person in the victorian energy upgrades program for allegedly breaching program rules. aseu must also surrender approximately $3 million dollars’ worth of energy efficient certificates (47,909 certificates) created through its activities under
The state’s independent pricing regulator has released draft guidance for Goulburn-Murray Water as the water business consults with customers on prices to apply from 1 July 2024.
The Essential Service Commission is seeking feedback on its draft guidance paper, which sets out what Goulburn-Murray Water needs to include in its price submission, due in September 2023. The draft paper also outlines how the commission will assess the price submission.
We are aware of instances of large numbers of refrigerated cabinets being dumped on the street or provided to customers who don’t want them.
As the administrator and regulator of the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, the Essential Services Commission considers this behaviour to be completely unacceptable.
On 12 July 2022 the Essential Services Commission initiated the ‘retailer of last resort’ process that transferred customers from failed retailer Power Club Limited (Powerclub), to other retailers in Victoria to provide for the continued supply and sale of electricity services.
Powerclub was suspended from the National Electricity Market by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) effective from 0:00 hours Australian Eastern Standard time on 12 July 2022 for failing to comply with AEMO requirements.
'Cold-call' telemarketing and doorknocking bansFrom 1 August 2024, doorknocking is banned under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program. This follows the ban on 'cold-call' telemarketing that took effect on 1 May 2024. The obligations of accredited persons and scheme participants under the bans are outlined in guidance materials on this page.The video recording and presentation slides from our industry webinar held on 17 April 2024 are also a useful resource. These provide an
This guidance note is no longer in force.
This guidance note is no longer in force.
This guidance was published prior to the Energy Retail Code becoming a code of practice under Part 6 of the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 and is subsequently being restructured. The obligations that are the subject of this guidance note (previously located in clauses 35A and 35C of the Energy Retail Code) can now be found in clauses 77 and 79 of the Energy Retail Code of Practice.
… increased the allowance for bad debts following our careful assessment of information retailers provided us in response to our september draft decision,” he said. the commission’s decision also applies to an additional 140,000 customers in embedded networks, such as those in apartment buildings and caravan parks. last week, the commission launched a new campaign , encouraging customers to call their retailer if they’re worried about energy bills. the campaign highlights the protections
Victoria’s independent economic regulator says the energy industry has supported customers through the coronavirus pandemic to date and hopes this continues into the new year.