The Essential Services Commission has taken action against two Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) accredited businesses for allegedly breaching the program rules.
The VEU program is an energy efficiency program, designed to help Victorians cut their energy bills by supporting households and businesses to use energy more efficiently. Accredited businesses undertake energy efficiency upgrades that entitle them to create Victorian energy efficiency certificates, which they can then sell.
Target Green
The commission has suspended Target Green Pty Ltd from the VEU program for three months for allegedly making false claims and breaching multiple consumer protections.
The commission alleges Target Green and contractors working on its behalf:
- made false claims about completing weather upgrades that did not occur and claiming more upgrades than were performed
- engaged in banned sales and marketing activity, including doorknocking and high-pressure sales tactics.
The commission:
- ordered the surrender of 64 allegedly non-complaint certificates, valued at $5,146*
- required Target Green to do a compliance audit to assess their compliance with the VEU rules.
This is the fourth enforcement action uncovered by the commission’s fraud taskforce – a unit focussed on stamping out fraudulent activity in high-volume, low-cost energy efficient upgrades.
Cyanergy
The commission has placed a six-week restriction on Cyanergy Pty Ltd’s accreditation for allegedly claiming Victorian energy efficiency certificates for four non-compliant heat pump water upgrades.
The commission alleges that contractors working on behalf of Cyanergy completed the non-compliant installations, which had wiring issues that posed potential safety risks to consumers.
The commission has:
- restricted Cyanergy’s VEU accreditation, preventing it from undertaking heat pump water heater upgrades for six weeks, including contractors working on its behalf
- ordered the surrender of 36 certificates which are allegedly non-compliant, valued at $2,895.
When the commission notified Cyanergy about the safety risk, it immediately rectified the installations.
As a VEU accredited business, Cyanergy must ensure its contractors and the certificates they create comply with VEU program rules.
*Figure calculated using the certificate value of $80.40, the spot price on 27 January 2026.
Quotes attributable to Essential Services Commission Chairperson and Commissioner Gerard Brody
“Tackling practices that undermine program integrity and substandard installations are priorities for the commission, which we have seen in both of these cases.”
“We expect businesses to have safeguards in place to ensure anyone working on their behalf adheres to rules, and standards that protect consumers. If they don’t, their accreditation, reputation and income are at stake.”
“The fraud taskforce was set up to use analysis and intelligence to focus on areas we consider high-risk. When concerns arise, the taskforce can mobilise quickly to investigate and act, as we have done here.”
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