Knowledge/Rebates and VEU/Geo-tagged photos, and the app that quietly deletes them
Geo-tagged photos, and the app that quietly deletes them
Since 23 April 2026 the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) scheme has needed geo-tagged photos for activities 1, 3, 6 and 28. The before shot shows the old unit still connected, the after shot the full wall and surrounds. The catch is that messaging apps strip the location out, so a photo sent by WhatsApp won't pass an audit.
- Mandatory since
- 23 Apr 2026activities 1, 3, 6 and 28
- Before photo
- Old unit in placestill connected to gas or electricity
- After photo
- Full walland what's around it
- The trap
- Location wipedmessaging apps strip it out
What has to be in the photo?
It's not just a picture of the unit. The before photo has to show the old unit still in place, connected to its gas or electricity supply. The rules call that "in situ". A shot of a disconnected appliance sitting on a trailer doesn't prove it was ever installed and working at that address.
The after photo needs the full wall and the surrounding area, not a tight crop of the new gear. The wider shot is what ties the install to a place.
The rule covers activities 1 and 3, which are water heating, activity 6, which is space heating and cooling, and activity 28, which is gas heating ductwork.
The
audit
trap
Your phone adds the geo-tag. Your messaging app deletes it.
The location is stored inside the photo file, in hidden data called EXIF. Most messaging apps strip that data out when you send, as a privacy feature. So your installer photographs the job properly, sends it to the office on WhatsApp, and the evidence is gone before it lands.
The photo still looks fine. It opens, you can see the unit, you can see the wall. The bit the auditor needs is the bit you can't see, and it's not there any more. It's one of the most avoidable compliance failures in the scheme right now.
So how do you get the photos to the office?
- Use something that keeps the location in the photo. Your job management app's own upload, a cloud drive sync, or email with the photo attached as a file rather than pasted in.
- Test one. Send a photo the way your team normally sends them, open the file properties at the other end and look for the location. Do it once and you'll know.
- Tell the installers why, not just what. A rule nobody understands gets worked around on a busy day.
- Keep the original on the device until the claim's registered.
What about the switchboard photo?
A switchboard photo rule was announced on 24 March 2026, then withdrawn on 15 April 2026 until it's been through consultation with Energy Safe Victoria. It's not in force.
Worth knowing, because some providers added it to their paperwork and never took it back out. If yours still asks for it, that's their own rule, not the scheme's.
Want a second look at your evidence pack?
A lot of compliance failures aren't dishonesty. They're a process that made sense on a busy Tuesday and doesn't survive an audit.
Kevin will go through what you collect now and where the gaps are.
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
- When a VEU claim fails, who actually carries it?The accredited provider and the installer don't carry the same risk when a VEU claim fails. The regulator's own enforcement cases show how that plays out.
- Can you claim STCs and VEECs on the same job?On heat pump hot water you can claim both certificates, and that's deliberate. On residential solar or a battery, claiming both is an offence.
- How a VEEC is created, registered and actually soldOne certificate is one tonne of CO2 equivalent saved. The path from your install to a retailer handing it in, and why there's only a short list of buyers.
- The 2026 Act: what changes, and what isn't law yetNine big changes are coming, including a new name for VEECs. Only a handful started on 9 September 2026. The rest wait until the government switches them on.
Review date: 1 December 2026. 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.