Report misconduct

This page explains how to make a complaint or report misconduct related to energy upgrades that occur under the:

  • Energy Savings Scheme (ESS)
  • Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS). 

This page covers the kinds of issues you can make a complaint about and who you should contact for help.

A complaint lets us know about something that has happened that may have broken the laws that we oversee. 

Complaints can also help us with general information or intelligences about something that has happened, or might happen, in relation to the ESS or PDRS. 

When to make a complaint 

Concerns about quality

If there are issues with the quality of work or an installed product or appliance:

  1. Try to resolve the issue with your installer first.
     
  2. If that doesn’t work, contact the Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP). Their details are on the nomination form you signed.
     
  3. If you can't solve the problem you may need contact NSW Fair Trading or Building Commission NSW.
     
    • NSW Fair Trading helps protect consumers. They make sure products sold in NSW follow regulations and standards. They can help with concerns about the product or the work itself. Their website has more information on your consumer rights. You can also find out how to make or resolve a complaint.
       
    • Building Commission NSW gives licences to tradespeople like electricians and plumbers. They also make sure these workers follow the law. They can help with concerns about unlicensed work.
       
  4. If the ACP does not respond or cannot resolve your concern you can contact us directly.
Conduct of ACPs 

ACPs and their representatives (like installers) must meet minimum requirements of conduct 

The NSW Government will soon ban door-knocking campaigns to promote and sell upgrades under the ESS and PDRS. Visit the NSW Climate and Energy Action page for the latest details.

If you believe an ACP has not complied with these requirements you should contact us directly. For example:

  • the work hasn’t been explained properly
  • the work is incomplete
  • the ACP or installer is not responding
  • you have concerns that an ACP or its representative has fabricated or manipulated evidence (for example, photos of equipment or signatures on forms).
How to make a complaint

Use our online form to submit a complaint.

If you are an ACP who has a complaint you can use this form or raise a case in the TESSA portal.  

Please include as much detail as you can. Useful information includes:

  • what your concern is about
  • the address where the work took place
  • the date of the installation or contact
  • the name of the ACP or installer
  • any documents, emails or photos that help identify the issue
  • details of complaints you have already made to the ACPs or installers, and their response.

We can investigate serious matters, especially where there may be: 

  • a risk to safety
  • a breach of scheme rules
  • suspected manipulation of evidence.

What happens after you contact us

When you submit a complaint or a report of misconduct, here’s what we do:

Stepper group

  1. Check if your complaint fall under our responsibilities

  2. Review the information you’ve provided to understand the issue

  3. Check if you've already contacted the installer or the ACP

    In most cases it’s important to try this first if you haven’t already.

  4. Assess who is best placed to help

    Sometimes it may be another agency or organisation.

    If you provide your contact details, we’ll review your complaint and get in touch if we need more information or have an update.

    If you choose to remain anonymous, we will respect your privacy and treat your matter confidentially. While we will treat anonymous complaints like any other complaint, anonymity can affect our ability to gather further information. Our ability to assess, remediate of investigate these matters may be limited if you do not provide sufficient detail for us to work with. 

More information