Excluded activities and equipment

Excluded activities from the Energy Savings Scheme

  • Activities that reduce production or service levels, including safety levels
  • Activities not implemented in NSW or a jurisdiction with a corresponding scheme
  • Activities that are unlawful to carry out
  • Installing T5 Adaptor kits or retrofitting LED linear lamps
  • Activities undertaken to comply with any statutory requirement
  • Network Service Provider projects that would otherwise have passed a regulatory investment test
  • The purchase or sale of electricity or gaseous fuels from electricity or gas networks where there is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to electricity generation or production of gaseous fuel from a particular energy source
  • Activities that reduce energy consumption by increasing consumption of non-renewable fuels (other than electricity) to provide equivalent goods or services
  • Activities that reduce gas or biogas consumption by flaring gas or biogas instead
  • Activities that reduce eligible fuel consumption by generating electricity from any source where the generating system has a nameplate rating of 30 MW or higher
  • The export of electricity, gas or biogas to the electricity or gas network
  • Fuel switching activities that lead to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions (applicable to clauses 7A, 8.5, 8.6 and 8.7 of the ESS Rule)
  • Activities implemented prior to an ACP's accreditation date
  • Activities that generate energy using native forest bio-materials
  • Solar photovoltaic system installations (unless used for solar irrigation pumping)
  • Solar or heat pump water heater installations (unless it replaces an electric or gas hot water heater or they are installed in a non-residential building)
  • Activities at a site in the ACT where the site is required to report energy consumption under another Framework or Act
  • Activities from unsolicited door-knocking from 12 September 2025
  • Installing or replacing gas fired boilers, gas boosted water heaters, or gas space heaters after 1 July 2026.

Additionality requirements

Additionality means that the activity would not have happened without the financial incentive provided by the scheme. The financial incentive should be the trigger for the project activity.

More information