Knowledge/What earns a certificate/The eleven Part 6 scenarios, and why they set the money
The eleven Part 6 scenarios, and why they set the money
In Part 6, the scenario is set by what you take out, not what you put in. There are eleven, from a hard-wired resistance heater through to scenario (xi), where nothing comes out at all. Scenarios (i) to (x) carry a deemed lifetime (how long the scheme assumes the new system lasts) of 12 years, and (xi) carries 15.
- Scenarios
- (i) to (xi)set by what comes out
- Deemed life, (i) to (x)
- 12 yearswith decommissioning
- Deemed life, (xi)
- 15 yearsno decommissioning
- Gas to electric
- Eligiblescenarios (vii) to (x)
What are the eleven Part 6 scenarios?
Each one describes what's being decommissioned, meaning taken out. Where a row says "as (i)", it's the same old heater plus whatever else is listed.
| Scenario | What comes out |
|---|---|
| (i) | Hard-wired resistance electric room heater only, as the main heating |
| (ii) | As (i), plus a refrigerative air conditioner. At a home it can't be in a bedroom. At a business it can't be in a room under 20 m². |
| (iii) | Central electric resistance heating for a space of at least 100 m², or a slab heater only |
| (iv) | As (iii), plus a refrigerative air conditioner |
| (v) | Ducted reverse cycle air conditioner as the main heating |
| (vi) | Non-ducted reverse cycle air conditioner |
| (vii) | Ducted gas heater only, as the main heating |
| (viii) | Ducted gas heater plus a refrigerative air conditioner |
| (ix) | Non-ducted gas heater only |
| (x) | Non-ducted gas heater plus a refrigerative air conditioner |
| (xi) | Nothing comes out. No decommissioning |
Is gas to electric still eligible?
Yes. It gets questioned, so here it is plainly. Swapping gas space heating for electric is eligible. Scenarios (vii) to (x) are the gas ones. They cover ducted and non-ducted gas heaters, with or without an existing refrigerative air conditioner.
That's the conversion work the scheme has been pushing, and it's been a big part of the certificate value in Victorian HVAC.
Which scenarios have a capacity cap?
Four scenarios carry a capacity input cap, in two pairs, and they're the ones replacing electric resistance heating. In plain terms, there's a ceiling on how much of the new system's capacity counts in the calculation.
| Scenarios | Maximum capacity input |
|---|---|
| (i) and (ii) | 2.4 kW |
| (iii) and (iv) | 15 kW |
So on a scenario (i) job, a much bigger system doesn't grow the claim to match. Worth knowing before a customer asks you to size up and you both assume the rebate follows.
Why doesn't scenario (xi)'s longer lifetime pay more?
Scenario (xi) is the one where nothing comes out. It carries the longer deemed lifetime of 15 years, against 12 for every other scenario. That sounds like an advantage. It isn't.
The scheme pays for taking an inefficient system out. If nothing comes out, there are far fewer emissions saved to count, so the job earns far fewer certificates. On a reverse cycle job, whether you decommission or not is most of the value.
Read the installation limits page alongside this one. A ducted job at a home is blocked if the address has had even one prior upgrade, whether or not anything comes out. Taking the old unit out gives you more room on non-ducted jobs and on non-residential ducted jobs.
Check
the
version
The Specifications change often
Everything on this page comes from VEU Specifications 2018 version 25.0, which took effect 21 July 2026. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) put out six versions between September 2025 and July 2026, so this document changes several times a year.
We checked on 24 September 2026 and found no sign of a version 26.0. The latest archived copy was v25, and the Essential Services Commission (ESC) hadn't announced a Specifications change since 30 July 2026. But the energy.vic.gov.au site wouldn't let us read it, so we couldn't confirm that there directly.
Before you rely on a scenario or a cap for a quote, open the current Specifications and check the version number on the cover.
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
- The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) efficiency floors, by categoryMinimum heating and cooling efficiency ratings for every Part 6 category, on GEMS Cold Zone figures, and why a GEMS 2013 registration rules a unit out.
- The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) refrigerant rule and its 15 kW cut-offBelow 15 kW cooling, the refrigerant's global warming potential (GWP) must be under 700. R32 passes, R410A doesn't. At 15 kW or more, the rule doesn't apply.
- How many upgrades one address can ever claimOnce an address has had enough upgrades, Schedule 4 blocks any more claims there. The limit changes with the job type and whether the old unit came out.
- Seven activities that no longer earn certificatesGas space heating, evaporative coolers, underfloor insulation and four more, with the date each one stopped and the rule change that ended it.
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.