These tools help screen energy and certificate opportunities before a detailed assessment. They are indicative: confirm inputs, current scheme rules, product approvals and project evidence before relying on a result.
Welcome to our Northmore Gordon tools and calculators section
BESS Calculator
Estimate the Peak Reduction Certificate revenue available to your NSW battery project in minutes
STC Calculator
Calculate the number small-scale technology certificates (STCs) for small generation units you could be eligible for with our STC Calculator.
VEEC Calculator
Are you looking to do a Victorian Upgrade? Find out how many VEECs you could be eligible for by using our VEEC calculator.
ESS Approved Products Search
VEU Approved Products Search
Northmore Gordon hosts interactive calculators and approved-product searches. Open those tools for estimates; verify scheme eligibility separately.
What tools and calculators does Northmore Gordon offer?
We provide five primary tools: a BESS Calculator for estimating Peak Reduction Certificate revenue from NSW battery projects; an STC Calculator for determining small-scale technology certificate eligibility; a VEEC Calculator for Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate eligibility; an ESS Approved Products Search to verify NSW Energy Savings Scheme product eligibility; and a VEU Approved Products Search for Victorian Energy Upgrades product eligibility. These tools support preliminary assessment across multiple Australian energy-certificate schemes, allowing users to screen projects quickly before detailed engagement.
How do the certificate calculators help with investment decisions?
Certificate calculators provide early-stage indication of potential certificate revenue, which informs investment-case preparation. However, they should not be treated as final figures. A robust investment case requires verified eligibility assumptions, activity-specific method requirements, evidence responsibilities, and commercial terms including certificate price and quantity shown separately. We recommend preparing investment cases with and without conditional certificate support to ensure management understands the decision if certificates are delayed, reduced or unavailable.
What is the NSW Energy Savings Scheme and how does it work?
The NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS), established in 2009, creates tradeable certificates called Energy Savings Certificates (ESCs) from eligible energy-saving activities in NSW households and businesses. Accredited Certificate Providers create and register ESCs based on megawatt-hour savings from projects. Electricity retailers in NSW purchase these certificates to meet legislated annual energy savings targets, creating a market mechanism for energy efficiency. The scheme requires careful attention to eligible activities, project boundaries, baseline procedures, and measurement and verification requirements before implementation.
What should users consider before relying on calculator results?
Calculator results are indications only and should not be treated as final figures or entitlements. Actual certificate eligibility depends on specific activity requirements, method compliance, evidence standards, and scheme-specific conditions. Before relying on calculated revenue in an investment case, confirm the governing activity and document version, main eligibility assumptions, calculation basis, evidence responsibilities, and commercial treatment of certificates. Contact Northmore Gordon for detailed assessment of your specific project circumstances and applicable requirements.
How do the ESS and VEU Approved Products Searches support project planning?
These searches allow users to verify whether specific products are eligible to create energy savings or efficiency certificates under NSW ESS or Victorian Energy Upgrades schemes. Confirming product eligibility early helps avoid selecting equipment that may be technically sound but ineligible for certificate support. However, product approval is one eligibility layer; the broader activity, premises, method requirements and evidence standards must also be assessed. Using these searches alongside detailed scheme guidance helps identify available pathways for proposed projects.
What is the difference between energy savings and peak demand reduction?
Energy savings represent reductions in total electricity consumption over a period, measured in megawatt-hours. Peak demand reduction focuses on reducing electricity draw during specific high-demand periods, measured in kilowatts at peak times. These are different physical outcomes with different measurement requirements, eligible technologies and certificate schemes. NSW has separate schemes: the Energy Savings Scheme for consumption reductions and the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme for demand reductions. A battery project, for example, might be assessed under PDRS for its ability to reduce peak demand rather than total energy consumption.
When should measurement and verification planning occur?
Measurement planning should begin during project scoping, before equipment selection and installation. Early planning ensures baseline data can be collected, appropriate meters are specified, operating conditions are documented, and monitoring periods cover representative cycles. Waiting until immediately before installation can make planned analysis difficult or impossible. NSW's M&V guide emphasises that baseline measurement procedures must be deemed appropriate by an independent M&V professional before implementation. We offer M&V services including project-boundary selection, baseline modelling, and savings calculation to support both internal performance tracking and certificate-scheme requirements.
How do prescribed activities differ from project-based activities in Victorian Energy Upgrades?
Victorian Energy Upgrades includes standardised prescribed activities with defined equipment requirements, as well as more complex project-based activities that warrant investigation beyond prescribed standards. Project-based activities use either measurement and verification (comparing pre- and post-upgrade energy data) or benchmark rating (using NABERS ratings). Choosing the method early helps identify required evidence before equipment changes. The Victorian Government specifications page is a starting point for discovering current requirements, but exact specifications and the Essential Services Commission's relevant approval scope must be matched to your proposed project before detailed advice is finalised.
What information should be gathered before requesting a detailed assessment?
We recommend preparing a project brief that includes the business problem and decision required; site location, facility boundary, and equipment details; a dated chronology of any prior studies, applications, or commitments; available evidence such as energy bills, interval data, and operating records; and the requested scope and deliverables. This information enables proportionate scoping and identifies gaps early. For projects involving multiple sites or funding pathways, define which sites have reliable data and material energy use, and clarify whether investigations address energy savings, peak demand, renewable energy, or carbon-reporting obligations separately.
How should different forms of project support be assessed together?
A project may involve grants, energy certificates, and financing arrangements, but these should be assessed separately rather than assumed to be compatible. Before combining support streams, check restrictions in each programme, allocation of project costs, and the point at which management must revisit the decision if support is delayed or unavailable. Prepare the investment case with and without conditional contributions so the operating merits of the project remain visible. A useful funding status register should track the exact programme, source, application status, and next action, distinguishing between discovered, assessed, applied, conditionally approved, and actually received support.
