Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) Update | Commercial Lighting Amendments | 1 Nov 2018
- Government Scheme Updates
- October 11, 2018
- Northmore Gordon

NSW Energy Savings Scheme Update
ESS Commercial Lighting Requirement Changes – Effective November 1, 2018
A summary for the ESSThe NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) provides financial incentives to install, improve or replace energy savings equipment and appliances in NSW households and businesses. The ESS was established in 2009. Financial incentives are in the form of tradeable certificates, called energy savings certificates (ESCs). Generally, householders and businesses who fund energy savings activities transfer the right to create ESCs to Accredited Certificate Providers (ACPs) in return for a discount on the cost of the energy savings activity. The MWh savings from the project determines the number of ESCs that can be created. The ESS works by allowing ACPs to create and register ESCs for energy savings that are supported with appropriate evidence. ESCs are then purchased each year by mainly electricity retailers operating in NSW to meet their share of a legislated annual energy savings target. More Rule change effective from November 1, 2018. Any existing activities must be registered with IPARTIndependent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal More prior to the 1st of November in order to claim the existing ESCAn energy savings certificate (ESC) is a tradeable certificate created under Division 7 of Part 9 of the Electricity Supply Act 1995. Each ESC represents one notional megawatt hour (MWh) of energy. More quantities.
- There is now a cap on the Nominal Lamp Power (NLP) for High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamp i.e. Mercury Vapor Lamp, Metal Halide Lamp for use in indoor spaces at 400W. Lamps with a higher NLP can only be claimed at 400W. Outdoor fittings on the external faces of buildings can be claimed at the full wattage.
- The table below shows how the asset lifetime values have been manipulated to stimulate growth in underserved areas. A discount rate has been applied to most metro installs to promote more regional installs. While car parks and certain types of factories have been bumped up to stimulate more installs in metro and regional areas.