Scheme Eligibility Checker | Knowledge Base

Overview

A structured questionnaire that takes a user through a series of questions about a product’s characteristics, testing status, and target market, then produces a summary of applicable schemes, the requirements to qualify for each, the likely certificate entitlement range, and any identified gaps between the product’s current status and what’s needed for registration.

This tool replaces the preliminary scoping conversation that currently happens over email or phone between a manufacturer and EnergyAE. A user should be able to self-serve a first-pass eligibility assessment without involving a consultant.

The eligibility logic is maintained by Alastair and must be updatable without developer involvement when schemes change. See the logic maintenance section below.

User Stories

As a manufacturer new to the AU/NZ market, I want to input my product details and immediately see which schemes I can register for and what I’m missing so I can plan without booking a consultation first.
As an EnergyAE consultant, I want to run the eligibility checker as a first step in a client scoping call so I have a structured output to work from rather than answering from memory.
As a manufacturer client, I want to see a gap analysis showing exactly what testing and documentation I need before I can register so I know what to ask my test lab for.
As a user, I want to save the eligibility result against a product record so I can refer back to it when the scheme pathway planner generates a compliance plan.

Schemes Covered

The checker must cover at minimum the following schemes at launch. Alastair to confirm this list and any additional schemes to include.

Australia:

SRES / STC (Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme) — administered by Clean Energy Regulator
VEU Activity 44 (Victorian Energy Upgrades) — administered by ESC Victoria
ESS HEAB (NSW Energy Savings Scheme — High Efficiency Appliances for Business)
GEMS / MEPS energy labelling (not a certificate scheme but a mandatory compliance requirement for the AU market)

New Zealand:

EECA WHNZ registration — administered by EECA
Watermark plumbing certification (mandatory for sale in AU, analogous to New Zealand certification requirements)

Decision Tree Logic

The checker is a multi-step questionnaire. The branching logic is maintained in a configuration file or admin UI (not hardcoded), so Alastair can update rules without a code deploy. The developer should propose a suitable format for the logic (e.g. JSON decision tree, rules spreadsheet, or admin-editable form builder).

Step 1: Product classification

System type: integral heat pump water heater / split system (remote HP unit + separate tank) / heat pump hot water heat exchanger
Tank volume (litres)
Rated heating capacity (kW)
Refrigerant: R290 / R32 / R744 (CO2) / R134a / R410A / other
Target market: Australia only / New Zealand only / Both

Step 2: Testing status

Has AS/NZS 5125.1 testing been completed? Yes / No / In progress
If yes: which test conditions were covered? (ambient temperatures tested, first hour rating available, Appendix H MEPS test completed)
Has AS/NZS 4234 simulation been run? Yes / No (done by EnergyAE or in-house)
Any existing scheme registrations in AU or NZ?

Step 3: Safety and installation certifications

Watermark certification: yes / no / in progress
Electrical safety certification: yes / no / in progress
Refrigerant safety certification (for flammable refrigerants R290/R32): yes / no / not applicable
Energy labelling (GEMS registration): yes / no / in progress

Step 4: Commercial or residential

Intended application: residential / commercial / both
For commercial: connected load (kW), intended hot water system output (L/day)

Eligibility Output

Results displayed per scheme as a status card:

Per-scheme result card

Scheme name and administering body
Eligibility status: Eligible now / Eligible with gaps / Not eligible / Requires further information
For eligible schemes: estimated certificate range (if calculable from inputs) and indicative dollar value
Required conditions met (green ticks)
Missing requirements / gaps (red crosses with plain English explanation of what’s needed and why)
Link to scheme-specific checklist download
Link to “Add to scheme pathway planner” to convert this result into a compliance plan

Gap explanation examples

“AS/NZS 5125.1 testing is required. Your product has not been tested. Estimated cost: $8,000-$15,000 at an accredited AU laboratory. Estimated lead time: 8-16 weeks.”
“VEU Activity 44 requires Watermark certification. Your product does not have Watermark. Required before VEU registration can proceed.”
“SRES requires a minimum zone energy factor of X. Based on your inputs, your estimated zone energy factor may be below this threshold — simulation required to confirm.”

Logic Maintenance

The eligibility rules must be maintainable by Alastair without developer involvement when scheme requirements change (which happens regularly).

The developer should implement one of the following approaches (propose before building):

Option A: Rules defined in a structured JSON configuration file that Alastair edits via a simple admin UI. Changes take effect immediately without a code deploy.
Option B: Rules defined in a spreadsheet-like admin table in the platform (rows = scheme, columns = required conditions). Alastair can toggle conditions and update descriptions directly.

The rules that are needed are essentially: “for scheme X, the following conditions must all be true for the product to be eligible.” These are AND conditions with some OR conditions for product variants. Alastair to draft the full rules table before the developer builds the logic engine.

Integration

Results can be saved to a product record in the product database
Results feed into the scheme pathway planner (checker output pre-populates the planner’s starting state)
Certificate estimates use the same calculation as the certificate estimator tool (consistent outputs)

Out of Scope (v1)

State-specific variations within schemes (some schemes have state-by-state differences beyond AU vs NZ)
International markets beyond AU/NZ
Automatic eligibility monitoring (re-running checker when product parameters change)
Automated scheme requirement updates (changes to scheme rules require Alastair to update the logic manually)

Data Model (indicative)

eligibility_checks
  check_id
  product_id (nullable, if linked to a product record)
  user_id
  created_at
  input_answers (JSON: all questionnaire responses)
  output_results (JSON array: per scheme — status, gaps, certificate estimate)
  saved_to_product (boolean)

eligibility_rules (admin-managed)
  rule_id
  scheme_id
  condition_field
  condition_operator
  condition_value
  gap_explanation_text
  estimated_cost_range
  estimated_lead_time_weeks
  updated_at
  updated_by

Acceptance Criteria

Questionnaire covers all four steps with correct branching (e.g. commercial questions only appear if commercial application is selected)
Eligibility result is correct for at least 5 known product configurations (Alastair to provide test cases covering: R290 integral residential AU, CO2 split commercial AU+NZ, residential R32 NZ only, untested product AU, fully registered product)
Gap explanations are shown in plain English with cost and lead time estimates
Certificate range estimate is displayed for eligible schemes
Results can be saved to a product record
“Add to pathway planner” link correctly carries inputs to the scheme pathway planner
Eligibility rules are editable by Alastair via admin UI without code deploy
Rule changes take effect immediately after saving (no redeploy required)
Checklist download links are correct for each scheme

Open Questions

Who should have access to the eligibility checker? All logged-in users, or is there a case for making it publicly accessible to drive top-of-funnel engagement? A public version with reduced output detail (no certificate value estimates) and a CTA to register is worth considering.
Should the checker show the eligibility logic that produced the result (i.e. “you are eligible because…”) or just the result? Showing the logic helps users trust the output and self-serve corrections, but risks being confusing for non-expert users.
Alastair to produce the full eligibility rules table before the developer builds the logic engine. This is the single most important pre-build deliverable for this feature.
Should the certificate estimate use the same calculation as the certificate estimator tool (which requires product performance data), or a simplified range estimate based only on product type and capacity? A simplified range is sufficient for this tool’s purpose.