Ecovantage FAQs.

No, we don’t deliver or sell hardware directly to consumers. Ecovantage is a specialist energy certificate and professional services business. Our clients are typically trade service providers, energy performance contractors (EPCs), or commercial businesses who deliver projects to end users. We also engage directly with commercial and industrial (C&I) end users to create and manage the certificates and/or carbon credits for their sites.

Ecovantage’s aim is to help your business do well by taking advantage of all available energy certificates for the products you install.

Our team of Account Managers make sure you have the support you need and will present you with new opportunities in the market. We provide a single point of contact for everything you need, from payment queries and certificate trading, to industry news and scheme changes. We have Account Managers and compliance officers in offices across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

Our team can advise on all Australian energy certificates, schemes, methodologies, auditing standards and rating systems to ensure you can make the most from your projects. We often have opportunities to engage in new projects through our ongoing relationships with federal and local governments, councils and other large organisations.

Yes, Ecovantage is a supplier of Australian RECs, Carbon Credits and White Certificates. We assist in supplying traceable certificates that meet the specifications required by your climate program or organisation’s internal requirements. Ecovantage is able to provide parcels of certificates ranging from small to large, tailoring the size and certificate requirements to your exact needs. Example generation attributes available are: 

• Year of asset commissioning 
• State of generation 
• Year of generation 
• Year of creation 
• Generation source (solar, wind, etc.) 

And another relevant specifications that may be required to meet your climate requirements.

All of them. We create certificates under every Australian scheme, both federal and state based. These include; 

• Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under the ACCU scheme
• Large-Scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) and Small-Scale Technology Certificates (STCs) under the Renewable Energy Target (RET)
• Energy-Savings Certificates (ESCs) and Peak Reduction Certificates (PRCs) under the New South Wales Energy Saving Scheme (ESS) and Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS)
• Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) Program
• Gigajoules (GJs) under the South Australia Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS).

At Ecovantage we are technology-agnostic, and work with a number of industry leading software providers to manage jobs across four platforms:

• • Alitsy
  • ASAP / Runabout
  • Bridge Select
  • Formbay

We offer flexibility in platform choice, so if you have experience using a particular software we are often able to accommodate the use of the same when you work with us.

As an energy certificate specialist we focus on what we do best, whilst working closely with our software partners on improving the ease of use for you and your team.

This is a question that we frequently address in a meeting before engagement to ensure that your certificate option chosen aligns with your internal or external ESG requirements. In Australia there are three primary certificate types: 

1. White Certificates: STCs, VEECs, ESCs and REPS GJs 
   1. These Certificates can be thought of as a rebate mechanism, and do not impact your entity’s ability to claim an energy or emissions reduction on your ESG reporting when treated correctly 
2. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): LGCs, IRECs 
   1. Also known as Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), these certificates represent a unit of renewable energy. To claim the renewable energy benefit the created certificates must be surrendered. In the event that they are sold, the benefit may not be able to be claimed depending on your reporting program. 
3. Carbon Credits: ACCU, Verra VCUs
   1. These credits represent a unit of carbon. To claim the carbon reduction from an upgrade, these most often need to be surrendered. In the event that they are sold, the benefit may not be able to be claimed depending on your reporting program.

Environmental markets are systems where environmental benefits, like carbon reductions or renewable energy generation, are quantified and traded as certificates. These include carbon credits, renewable energy certificates and white certificates.

The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) manages federal schemes like LGCs, STCs, and ACCUs. State schemes like VEECs and ESCs are managed by their respective state government bodies: the Essential Services Commission (VIC) for VEECs, IPART (NSW) for ESCs, and the Essential Services Commission of South Australia for REPS.

Federal schemes - such as for LGCs, STCs, ACCUs - are nationwide, while state schemes - like VEECs in VIC and ESCs in NSW - only apply within their jurisdiction.

Policy changes, technology costs (e.g. solar PV prices), weather, corporate demand, and scheme target updates all influence certificate markets. Changes in eligible activities, methods and technologies to create certificates has an impact on certificate supply and therefore market pricing. Periods of policy change often result in periods of heightened volatility in many environmental markets.

We’re a knowledge-driven business committed to transparency and integrity. We analyse the certificate market daily and publish weekly market updates (subscribe). Our service fees are clearly documented and agreed upon before any work begins.

No. Prices are determined by supply/demand dynamics, although some schemes have price caps or fixed prices - such as the STC clearing house at $40.00 which creates a theoretical market cap.

Yes, however the timing is critical. Under most methods we need to be engaged before project commencement to meet "newness" requirements. Please reach out to us as early as possible - ideally during the planning phase.

For ACCU projects, engage with us before ‘Final Investment Decision’, under the VEU PBA method before site works commence, and under the ESS it must be before the asset is commissioned.

It’s simple - contact us, and we’ll manage the entire process for you from registering your power station to certificate revenue.

There are very few scenarios where incentives can be applied retrospectively. Most upgrades require a set of evidence showing the state of the equipment before the upgrade commenced, in addition to confirmation that the installer was trained under the scheme. If you’re uncertain about the ability for retrospective claiming, contact our team to explore the scenario you’re querying.

Reach out to us via the link below and one of our friendly, locally based, account managers will contact pull within 24 hours.

Each party holds responsibilities under each program to ensure that the information they provide is true and correct. In the event that fraudulent or misleading information is provided, each party involved in the incorrect information provision may be held responsible.