Webinar - Introduction to Certificates and Carbon Credits with Measurement and Verification (M&V)

About this update

This dated news record has been reorganised for clear reading and connected to current guidance.

Publication date: March 17, 2021.

Status note: Present-tense statements, market figures, deadlines and program details in the archived record belong to its publication date. Check current official sources before making a decision.

What this article reported

Northmore Gordon is a carbon and energy consultancy in Australia and South East Asia. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a clear trend with many Australian businesses developing roadmaps and strategies for moving to a carbon-neutral operation. Industrial clients are looking at more fuel substitution projects to cleaner and renewable fuels and commercial sites looking at gas electrification and gas efficiency projects.

In this webinar series, we will discuss various Australian State and Federal government programs that allow businesses to access funding from the creation of energy efficiency certificates and carbon credits for energy efficiency and carbon abatement projects. The funding from these programs will reduce and net system cost, strengthen the business case and help accelerate a carbon-neutral environment for Australia. We will provide numerous case studies Northmore Gordon has been a part of and we will focus on methodologies using a Measurement and Verification (M&V) approach under international protocols.

Who should attend?

Energy managers, project developers, project managers, sales engineers, Sale and BDM who work on energy efficiency projects in the built environment or industrial sectors, or anyone else who is passionate about carbon neutrality, sustainability and energy efficiency or simply wants to learn more about government certificate and carbon credit programs.

Webinar cost:

Free to public

Webinar Agendas:

Series One (45 min) - NSW Energy Savings Scheme:

  • Introduction to Northmore Gordon (2 min)

  • Project Drivers: Bottom line, Carbon Strategy, Risk reduction (3 min)

  • Government Programs Overview, VEECs, ESCs, ACCUs, LGCs (5 min)

  • NSW Energy Savings Scheme - ESCs overview (5 min)

  • Project Impact Assessment with Measurement and Verification (10 min)

  • Installation of High-Efficiency Appliances for Businesses (5 min)

  • Case studies (5 min)

  • How each scheme calculates GHG and Carbon Emissions (3 min)

  • Project size and minimum threshold guide (2 min)

  • Q&A (5 min)

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Series Two (45 min) - Victorian Energy Upgrades:

  • Introduction to Northmore Gordon (2 min)

  • Project Drivers: Bottom line, Carbon Strategy, Risk reduction (3 min)

  • Government Programs Overview, VEECs, ESCs, ACCUs, LGCs (5 min)

  • Victorian Energy Upgrades - VEECs overview (5 min)

  • Project-based Activities and multi-site arrangement (10 min)

  • Deemed activities - gas efficiency etc. (5 min)

  • Case Studies (5 min)

  • How each scheme calculates GHG and Carbon Emissions (3 min)

  • Project size and minimum threshold guide (2 min)

  • Q&A (5 min)

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Series Three (45 min) - Nationwide Emissions Reduction Fund:

  • Introduction to Northmore Gordon (2 min)

  • Project Drivers: Bottom line, Carbon Strategy, Risk reduction (3 min)

  • Government Programs Overview, VEECs, ESCs, ACCUs, LGCs (5 min)

  • Emissions Reduction Fund - ACCUs (5 min)

  • Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency + Industrial Equipment Upgrade (5 min)

  • Wastewater Treatment Method and Alternative Waste Treatment Method (5 min)

  • Other methods (5 min)

  • Case Studies (5 min)

  • How each scheme calculates GHG and Carbon Emissions (3 min)

  • Project size and minimum threshold guide (2 min)

  • Q&A (5 min)

Click here to watch

About the Presenters:

Alan Wuyi Wang, CMVP, CEM, B.Eng Elec (Hons), Principal Consultant, Northmore Gordon
Alan is an Electrical Engineer with over 7 years of experience in the energy field, specialising in industrial and large commercial energy efficiency, process engineering, carbon strategy, renewable electricity, bioenergy and cogeneration projects. Alan has demonstrated expertise in multi-stakeholder project management, regulatory compliance of certificates and carbon credits including VEECs, ESCs, ACCUs, STCs and LGCs.

Alan has Delivered Measurement and Verification projects for large industrial and commercial customers for creation of VEECs and ESCs under the Victorian Energy Upgrades and NSW Energy Savings Scheme, notably the first Measurement and Verification project in Victoria that has VEECs granted.

Patrick Blain, CMVP, MIEAust, BE (Mech. & Manuf.) (Hons), General Manager, Certificate Operations

Patrick has a background in project management and project engineering working across heavy industrial, Healthcare, Building Services, and Infrastructure sectors. Patrick has over 10 years of experience, with specialist knowledge in quality assurance, compliance, and energy efficiency systems.

Patrick has been delivering value for customers by monetising the energy-saving and carbon value of efficiency upgrades through accessing environmentally attributed certificates across the Federal Renewable Energy Target, Emissions Reduction Fund, NSW Energy Savings Scheme, and the Victorian Energy Upgrades Program, Patrick is also a Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP) and a Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia.

How to use this information now

For current use, confirm the applicable scheme rules, regulator notices, market date and reporting period. Keep historical prices or forecasts separate from present quotes and verified outcomes.

Separate source-reported facts from forecasts, targets and commentary. For a current project, retain the official source, version, effective date, assumptions and decision record in the evidence file.

What are the three main certificate and carbon credit schemes covered in the webinar series?

The webinar covers three Australian government programs: the NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESCs) which creates Energy Savings Certificates from eligible energy-saving activities in New South Wales; Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEECs) which issues Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates for eligible improvements under Victoria's scheme; and the Emissions Reduction Fund (ACCUs) which awards Australian Carbon Credit Units for eligible abatement activities nationally. Each scheme has distinct eligibility criteria, calculation methods and evidence requirements that affect project viability and timing.

Why should a business separate engineering savings from scheme-recognised savings and certificate quantities?

An engineering estimate shows modelled expectations before implementation; a verified energy result demonstrates what actually occurred under agreed measurement and verification conditions; and a certificate result is the quantity a scheme formally accepts or issues. Treating these as the same creates confusion about what was forecast versus verified, and what financial benefit will actually be received. Our advice emphasises keeping these quantities distinct in project files and investment cases so management understands the actual decision and the evidence supporting each claim.

What does Project Impact Assessment with Measurement and Verification (PIAM&V) mean under the NSW Energy Savings Scheme?

PIAM&V is a project-based calculation method that compares modelled pre-project consumption with modelled or measured post-commissioning consumption. It requires an independent Measurement and Verification professional to deem the baseline procedures appropriate and provide written reasoning before the implementation date. This method is distinct from prescribed calculation methods and must be chosen early so meaningful baseline data can still be collected. The rule version and implementation date matter; recent amendments exclude certain gas-fired equipment from PIAM&V eligibility.

How does Measurement and Verification address the problem that electricity bills can fall for reasons unrelated to equipment improvements?

M&V solves this by establishing a counterfactual—what energy use would have been without the intervention under comparable conditions—and separating that from actual post-project consumption. Bills can fall because production declined, operating hours shortened, weather changed or prices changed. M&V requires choosing the measurement period, operating variables and data quality needed to explain the specific effect being claimed. Our M&V services include project-boundary selection, baseline modelling, savings calculation and reporting to establish credible evidence of what actually changed.

What information should be prepared before applying for Victorian Energy Upgrades certificates?

Prepare a screening file documenting the site address and premises use, existing and proposed equipment, project stage and intended dates, available energy data, any prior incentives or certificate arrangements, and the proposed provider's relevant scope. Before relying on a contribution in an investment case, obtain the governing activity and document version, main eligibility assumptions, calculation basis, evidence responsibilities and commercial treatment of certificates shown separately. The correct pathway choice—prescribed activities, measurement and verification, or benchmark rating—is a technical and procedural assessment that should be made early to identify what evidence must exist before equipment changes.

What does Northmore Gordon mean by 'capture value' in its project delivery approach?

Capture Value is the third stage of our six-stage delivery model, where the business identifies what funding or certificate value could support an approved project. This stage assesses grants, environmental certificates and financing pathways separately, recognising that eligible certificates can contribute revenue but that certificate quantity, eligibility, verification cost and sale price are independent variables. Our advice is to compare a base case without unconfirmed proceeds with an incentive scenario, and to avoid promising a certificate price or payback based on historical cases, since each project's circumstances differ.

What are the key differences between the three webinar series in scope and focus?

Series One focuses on the NSW Energy Savings Scheme and Project Impact Assessment with Measurement and Verification for energy-saving activities; Series Two covers Victorian Energy Upgrades including project-based activities and deemed activities such as gas efficiency; Series Three addresses the Emissions Reduction Fund with focus on Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency, Industrial Equipment Upgrade, Wastewater Treatment and Alternative Waste Treatment methods. Each series includes case studies, threshold guidance and how each scheme calculates greenhouse gas and carbon emissions, allowing attendees to understand scheme-specific requirements rather than treating all programs as equivalent.

Why is it important to establish project timing and dates clearly before pursuing certificate eligibility?

Different schemes have specific entry requirements tied to project stage. For ACCU projects, the Clean Energy Regulator's newness guidance identifies certain investment and asset commitments made before registration as potentially significant, with method-specific exceptions. For the NSW Energy Savings Scheme, baseline measurement procedures must be deemed appropriate before the implementation date. Raising funding and measurement questions while a project is still being scoped preserves evidence and funding options. We recommend using separate dates for feasibility approval, investment decision, purchase commitment, installation, commissioning and normal operation to identify which rule requirements actually apply.

How should environmental certificates be treated differently from energy savings and maintenance benefits in a project assessment?

Environmental certificates, energy savings, tariff benefits and maintenance benefits serve different accounting and financial purposes and should be tracked separately in opportunity registers and investment cases. Eligible certificates can contribute revenue, but certificate quantity, eligibility, verification cost and sale price are independent variables that must be kept distinct. An investment case should show certificate value, quantity assumptions and commercial treatment as separate benefit lines so management can understand the decision and see which benefits depend on unconfirmed scheme requirements versus guaranteed operational improvements. This separation prevents double-counting and makes the true project merit visible.

What makes Alan Wuyi Wang and Patrick Blain qualified to present this webinar series?

Alan Wuyi Wang is an electrical engineer with over 7 years in the energy field, specialising in industrial and large commercial energy efficiency, carbon strategy and renewable energy, with expertise in regulatory compliance of VEECs, ESCs, ACCUs, STCs and LGCs; he delivered Victoria's first Measurement and Verification project to have VEECs granted. Patrick Blain has over 10 years in project management across heavy industrial, healthcare and infrastructure sectors with specialist knowledge in quality assurance and energy efficiency systems; he has monetised energy and carbon value through multiple schemes and holds CMVP and Member of Engineers Australia credentials. Their combined technical depth and scheme delivery experience ensures the webinar content reflects both regulatory requirements and practical implementation.

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