Knowledge/What earns a certificate/Activity 28, the gas ductwork rebate almost nobody claims
Activity 28, the gas ductwork rebate almost nobody claims
Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) activity 28, also called Part 28, covers pulling out the ductwork on a ducted gas heater and putting in new duct. Flexible duct goes in to AS 4254.1 (category 28A), rigid to AS 4254.2 (28B), with fittings meeting the National Construction Code (NCC) R-values. It's rarely claimed, and the photo rules apply.
- Part
- 28gas heating ductwork
- Category 28A
- AS 4254.1flexible duct, 2021 edition
- Category 28B
- AS 4254.2rigid duct, 2012 edition
- Geo-tagged photos
- Requiredone of activities 1, 3, 6 and 28
What does activity 28 cover?
Take out the ductwork connected to a ducted gas heater, put new duct in to the right part of AS 4254, and make sure the fittings meet the NCC R-values. That's the activity. The regulations list it as Part 28, which is the same thing as activity 28.
It's also one of four activities, with Parts 1, 3 and 6, that carry the geo-tagged photo record-keeping rule that came in from 23 April 2026. So if you claim it, you need the geo-tagged photos.
Which part of AS 4254 covers which duct?
Know this before you quote the work. AS 4254.1:2021 covers flexible duct and AS 4254.2:2012 covers rigid. The two parts were published nine years apart, which is unusual for a standard split in two.
The flexible duct rules changed a lot in the 2021 revision. The changes cover insulation R-value, sag, support spacing and maximum flexible lengths. If you learned your flex duct practice before 2021, that's the part that moved.
We're deliberately leaving out the clause figures. An earlier source we used had the two parts mixed up, and that's exactly how a wrong number ends up on a page like this. Read AS 4254.1:2021 yourself, or work from a manufacturer's guide that cites it.
Missing
figures
What we couldn't find for Part 28
We have the activity, its two categories and the standard each one points to. We don't have a co-payment, an abatement figure, a deemed lifetime or the category detail. The abatement figure is the emissions saving a job is credited with, and the deemed lifetime is how long the scheme assumes the work lasts. Together they set the certificate count. The co-payment table we worked from leaves Part 28 out entirely.
So this page can tell you the activity exists and what the duct has to be installed to. It can't tell you what it pays, and we won't guess.
If you do a fair bit of ductwork replacement, ask your accredited person (AP), the business that creates your certificates, about it directly. Almost nobody claims this activity, so almost nobody has worked out whether it's worth it.
Not sure which activity your job sits under?
Getting the activity and the scenario right is what sets the money, and you need to get it right before you quote, not after you install.
If you're looking at a job and the answer isn't obvious, ask Kevin.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
- Activity 44 and the $10,000 commercial co-paymentThe commercial and industrial heat pump water heater activity, its $10,000 minimum co-payment, and why commercial HVAC upgrades now lean on the VEU.
- There's no Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) rebate for hydronicA hydronic space heating activity was under consultation in April 2026, and it still isn't claimable. Don't quote a rebate that doesn't exist yet.
- Which Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) activities cover HVAC workNobody maps the activity numbers for installers, so here they are. Which one your job sits under, and the one that keeps getting mixed up with lighting.
- Activity 6 categories, 6A to 6H, and their kW bandsEvery Part 6 category with its capacity band, the two that are for business premises only, and the multi-split rule about matching the manufacturer.
Review date: 1 January 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.