How To Register a Residential HPWH for ESCs

EnergyAE is your specialist partner for registering heat pump water heaters for Energy Savings Certificates (ESCs) under the NSW Energy Savings Scheme (ESS).

About the NSW Energy Savings Scheme

The ESS is a NSW incentive program that issues ESCs to Accredited Certificate Providers (ACPs) who implement approved energy efficiency activities. Electricity retailers are required to surrender ESCs each year to meet their obligations under the scheme. The ESS is administered by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

1 ESC is equivalent to 1 MWh of energy saved over the lifetime of the product. Certificate prices fluctuate based on market dynamics.

Residential heat pump water heaters are eligible under two HEER (Home Energy Efficiency Retrofits) activities:

HEER D17: residential HPWH replacing an electric water heater
HEER D19: residential HPWH replacing a gas water heater

Products must appear on the TESSA Accepted Products List before ESCs can be claimed.

Adding products to the accepted products list

Products are submitted to IPART via the TESSA portal. EnergyAE can compile the technical information, complete the AS/NZS 4234 modelling, write the report, and submit to IPART on the client’s behalf.

Before preparing a submission, download the HEER Water Heater Product Acceptance Guide (V1.1, June 2025) from IPART. This guide specifies all required documents for each HEER activity. The full HEER Method Guide (V4.7, September 2025) contains the energy savings calculation rules. Both should be read before preparing a submission.

Product eligibility requirements

Products submitted under HEER D17 or D19 must meet the eligibility requirements set out in the HEER Water Heater Product Acceptance Guide. Key requirements include compliance with AS/NZS 60335.2.40 (electric heat pumps) and AS/NZS 60335.2.21 (pressure storage water heaters).

From 1 December 2025, HPWHs with an insulated storage volume of 700 litres or less must carry a minimum 5-year warranty against defects to be eligible for ESS incentives. Products without this warranty cannot be accepted after that date.

Products must be capable of delivering all hot water above 45°C. Products with large temperature deadbands are at risk of failing this requirement. Confirm compliance with EnergyAE before progressing the application.

TESSA account and authorised signatory

The client must have a TESSA account before a submission can be lodged. Account registration is at energysustainabilityschemes.nsw.gov.au/registering-account.

IPART requires each TESSA account holder to appoint at least one authorised signatory. The authorised signatory is the person within the client’s organisation who is legally authorised to sign declarations on behalf of the company. Declarations are signed digitally inside TESSA by the authorised signatory user: wet signatures and scanned PDFs are not used. Instructions for adding an authorised signatory are at energysustainabilityschemes.nsw.gov.au/adding-authorised-signatory-user.

Advise clients to set up their TESSA account and appoint an authorised signatory at the start of the project. These steps take time and will delay submission if left until the documentation is ready.

Testing

Manufacturers should liaise with an Accredited Certification Body (ACB), such as SAI Global or IAPMO, to confirm which tests are required for the product.

For heat pump water heaters, required tests typically include:

Heat pump performance testing (AS/NZS 5125.1)
Tank heat loss testing (AS/NZS 4692.1)
Electrical safety testing (AS/NZS 60335.2.40)
Watermark testing (AS 4020)
Energy performance testing (AS/NZS 4234:2021)

EnergyAE provides the energy performance AS/NZS 4234 report based on the results from the other test reports. We recommend Intertek and CVC for component testing services.

The ESS uses the 2021 edition of AS/NZS 4234 for residential HPWH calculations. Confirm the edition with EnergyAE before commissioning testing, as results from an earlier edition may not be accepted.

Certification

Once all testing is complete, results are submitted to the ACB for AS/NZS 2712 certification. Products must be listed on a current AS/NZS 2712 certificate and schedule before submission to IPART.

Declaration forms

ESS submissions require signed declarations, completed digitally in TESSA by the authorised signatory.

ESS Control Declaration: confirms that the product meets the HEER activity requirements and that the information submitted is accurate. This is a standard IPART form completed within TESSA.

Manufacturer Declaration: required when model names differ between submitted documents. For example, if the model name on the AS/NZS 5125.1 test report does not exactly match the name being submitted, a manufacturer declaration is needed to bridge that gap. This is common when test reports were conducted on a prototype or a slightly different variant.

EnergyAE coordinates the preparation of these declarations and will advise which are required for each submission.

Submission

EnergyAE manages the submission process through the TESSA portal. For each product, the submission package typically includes the AS/NZS 4234 report, AS/NZS 5125.1 test report, AS/NZS 4692.1 tank heat loss report, AS/NZS 2712 certificate, tank drawings, TRNSYS simulation files, and the signed declaration forms. TESSA does not accept ZIP files: all documents must be uploaded individually.

For general enquiries about product applications, IPART’s Product Applications Team can be reached at essproducts@ipart.nsw.gov.au.

IPART auditors will contact EnergyAE directly with any questions about the submission. Products are typically added to the accepted products list within 6 to 10 weeks of submission, after which ACPs can begin claiming ESCs for installations.