The NSW Government’s Safeguard Acceleration Program (the Program) is supporting the uptake of energy efficiency upgrades in sectors and regions of NSW needing support.
The Program is delivered through the Energy Security Safeguard (the Safeguard), using market-based schemes to encourage households and businesses to take up energy technologies. These schemes include the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) and the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS).
The Safeguard Acceleration Program is supporting:
- households and small businesses with more affordable energy efficient upgrades
- commercial and industrial businesses with funding to undertake electrification projects
- energy efficiency and sustainability delivery partners, such as manufacturers, industry bodies and local councils, to understand and access the Energy Security Safeguard’s schemes
- installer businesses to participate in the Safeguard and deliver energy efficient air conditioning and hot water systems in their local area.
Impact and reach
The Safeguard Acceleration Program is driving energy upgrades in areas and sectors requiring support to keep pace with NSW’s net zero emissions targets.
Delivery
9,500 appliance upgrades across NSW households
500 installers operating across 77% of NSW
Energy savings
171,000 MWh of electricity savings
82,000 MWh of gas savings
Energy bill savings
$820 in average household bill savings each year
$66m in lifetime bill savings
Environment
90,000 tonnes of carbon abatement
Carbon abatement equivalent to removing 45,000 cars from roads for a year
Reach
As of June 2026, the Program has delivered air conditioner and heat pump water heater upgrades in 77% of NSW postcodes.
Opportunities for delivery partners
We’re collaborating with delivery partners such as councils and manufacturers to:
- promote the Safeguard Acceleration Program to installers
- increase customer awareness and uptake of the Safeguard’s offers
- understand barriers to uptake
- drive uptake in target markets and regions.
By working together, we can help achieve NSW’s carbon emissions reduction target of net zero by 2050.
For more information or to collaborate with the Safeguard Acceleration Program please email [email protected]
Delivering upgrades in your area
If you’re a delivery partner wanting to support energy efficiency upgrades in your area, you can contact the following businesses delivering upgrades.
These businesses are Accredited Certificate Providers (ACPs) who have contracts to deliver incentives through the NSW Government’s Safeguard Acceleration Program.
Upgrades for commercial and industrial sites
Commercial and industrial sites in NSW may be able to access extra support when upgrading to energy efficient commercial heat pump water heaters.
These upgrades can help businesses reduce energy use, lower operating costs and support emissions reduction.
Your business can contact the below Accredited Certificate Providers to discuss if your project may be eligible for higher incentives.
Opportunities for installers
Installers of heat pump water heaters and air conditioners in NSW can access higher incentives through the Safeguard Acceleration Program.
We rely on local installers to pass discounts on to their customers, and to complete upgrades compliant with the Safeguard’s schemes.
We’re enabling installers to:
- establish new or expand existing business models
- provide their services to more customers across NSW
- make energy technologies more affordable for customers.
If you’re a local council, community organisation, industry body or manufacturer, you can share these business opportunities with local installers by directing them to the below offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
To increase uptake of the Energy Security Safeguard’s schemes in regions and markets identified as needing support, the Safeguard Acceleration Program has contracted some Accredited Certificate Providers to operate in targeted regions of NSW with higher certificate prices.
These certificate prices enable local installers to give a higher incentive to customers in regions and markets targeted by the Program.
Installers must work with one of the listed air conditioner or heat pump water heater Accredited Certificate Providers to access this higher incentive and provide larger discounts to their customers. Accredited Certificate Providers are accredited businesses responsible for ensuring all upgrades comply with the requirements of the Safeguard’s schemes.
Installers complete eligible upgrades and provide the required documentation to Accredited Certificate Providers. They create certificates proportional to the energy savings the upgrade will generate. Technologies that are more energy efficient will typically create more certificates.
The certificates are sold to parties obligated by NSW legislation to offset their energy use by buying these certificates. The Accredited Certificate Provider passes the dollar value of the sold certificates to the installer, which allows the installer to provide discounts to their customers.
For more information, visit the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) website.
The value of the incentive that installers can offer their customers depends on:
- the model of air conditioner or heat pump water heater being installed
- the certificate price an Accredited Certificate Provider has received to deliver an upgrade in specific regions of NSW.
Installers should discuss with the Accredited Certificate Providers listed on these air conditioner and heat pump water heater pages to ensure the best commercial arrangement for their business model.
Households and small businesses in NSW can find out more on our website about our hot water and air conditioner upgrade incentives.
The higher incentives will be available through the Program until June 2027 or until funding is exhausted. After June 2027, installers can continue to access Energy Security Safeguard incentives at the standard market value.