In March 2021, we issued a warning and required National Carbon Bank of Australia and Ecocare Carbon Solutions to undergo an independent audit, after they were found to have breached the rules of the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
National Carbon Bank of Australia and Ecocare Carbon Solutions compliance breach 2021
In March 2021, we found that National Carbon Bank of Australia and Ecocare Carbon Solutions had breached the rules of the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Both providers had created Victorian energy efficiency certificates for activities, undertaken by subcontractors, that did not fully meet our compliance requirements.
We issued a warning and required them to undergo an independent audit.
Breaches
The breaches of the rules included:
- overstating the number of energy-efficient lamps installed
- overstating the level of pre-upgrade energy use (used to measure the energy savings gained).
After a seven-month investigation, the companies could not provide evidence to prove the level of greenhouse gas abatement being claimed at sites across regional Victoria.
National Carbon Bank of Australia
We determined that National Carbon Bank of Australia must:
- surrender the 10,922 claimed certificates to ensure there is no impact on the certificate market from the non-compliant activities
- engage an independent auditor to determine the validity of 43 activities pending registration
- engage an independent auditor to review its internal processes and procedures to ensure this does not happen again
- engage an independent auditor to review its certificate creations following the review of its processes and procedures.
Ecocare Carbon Solutions
We determined that Ecocare Carbon Solutions must:
- surrender the 17,144 claimed certificates to ensure there is no impact on the certificate market from the non-compliant activities
- engage an independent auditor to review its internal processes and procedures to ensure this does not happen again
- engage an independent auditor to reviews its certificate creations based on the revised processes and procedures implemented.
Steps taken
The commission will also be referring the matter to Victoria Police and Energy Safe Victoria.
Read more about how we regulate the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.