• Energy Saving Scheme program expansion and compliance updates from the Safeguard Forum

New South Wales Energy Saving Scheme Safeguard Forum

This week the NSW Government held the Safeguard Forum in Sydney with the theme of ‘Driving Success in Our Expanding Schemes’. The forum was centred around the future of the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) and Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) and their compliance requirements.

Kelly Kwan, Executive Director of Regulation and Compliance at IPART, discussed the increasing complexity of the activities within the program as the ‘rats and mice’ technologies begin to reach saturation. She recounted how the scheme has grown significantly in recent years beyond its initial focus on lighting. This shift has brought more frequent rule changes, and additional challenges for industry to ensure they are able to adjust to the volume of changes.

To support compliance, IPART is working with the NSW Building Commission to release new resources, including fact sheets and FAQs. Increased transparency around activity requirements has been a long-standing industry request, and Ecovantage welcomes this initiative to bring transparency to the industry.

The battery activity was a primary topic as we’re just over a month out from its launch. The department is optimistic about activity uptake, forecasting it to fulfil the PDRS targets for the coming years. Ensuring all installation and safety standards are met is paramount to the activities success, and as such the NSW Building Commission will be starting with a high number of field inspections from 1 November 2024.

At Ecovantage, we consistently analyse market activity, policy changes, consultation releases, and creation rates in conjunction with wider landscape activity. This allows us to keep our clients at the forefront of all relevant changes, and to leverage the advantage that this presents. Thank you for your continued support, and please reach out if you have any general or project-specific questions.

Bianca Gustini | Business Development Manager, Energy & Carbon Services
Bianca specialises in Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS) and the NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS).