Registration

To import or sell an appliance in Australia or New Zealand, you need to check whether the product is regulated for energy efficiency. If the product is regulated you will need to ensure it is registered and complies with the relevant regulatory requirements. Depending on the product, this may include minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and/or energy rating labelling requirements.

If you are considering importing or supplying products for sale to New Zealand please refer to the EECA website as the guidelines and regulations are slightly different.

To apply for registration in either country you will need to complete an online application form on the Energy Rating Registration Site. You will be prompted to select either the Australian Regulator or the New Zealand Regulator when you start your application.

The Applicant can be a manufacturer, importer, or another organisation with an appropriate connection to the supply of the product. An appropriate connection to supply could include, but is not limited to, a wholesaler or retailer.

Applicants register their organisation on the product registration website and are given an Applicant ID number (company account number). All product registration applications for your organisation are submitted through your Applicant ID. Organisations may choose to engage a consultant or agent to submit applications on their behalf, but the applications must be submitted within the respective Applicant ID.

Australia: Specific requirements for regulated products can be found in the relevant Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) determination, often with reference to clauses in the relevant Australian or Australia/New Zealand Standard.

Registrants will need to test their products in accordance with the test methods outlined in the relevant GEMS Determination. You may need to provide a full laboratory test report with your application for registration. Test reports from an accredited laboratory are preferred; however they will also be accepted from the manufacturer’s laboratory.

New Zealand: If you wish to submit your product registration application to the New Zealand Regulator you should test your product according to the relevant product standard (link is external). Specific testing information is described on the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) website.

The registration of a product with the Australian Regulator is recognised in New Zealand under the Energy Efficiency (Energy using Products) Regulations 2002 (link is external), as if it was registered to the New Zealand Regulator.  The product can be supplied in New Zealand provided the performance of the product meets the New Zealand requirements.  In most cases the Australian and New Zealand MEPS levels are the same however for ballasts and electric water heaters the New Zealand requirements are slightly higher.

The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) is an on-treaty arrangement between New Zealand and Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory governments and provides provisions for products registered in New Zealand to be permitted to be offered for sale or used for commercial purposes, in Australia, provided they are transported to New Zealand before being imported to Australia. 

Some Determinations or regulatory standards allow two or more models to be registered as a ‘family of models’ within one registration providing the models meet specific requirements. You will need to refer to the applicable Determination or regulatory standard to confirm if you are able to register a family of models for a particular product type.

Under the GEMS Act, a model cannot be covered by more than one registration in a particular product class. Where a number of manufacturers produce a model with the same brand name, model number and technical specifications, one registration is sufficient for the supply of that product.

It is only possible for each brand name/model combination to be registered once at any given efficiency. The various efficiency levels for a product are prescribed in the relevant GEMS Determination. However, if a model is redesigned and retested and achieves a higher level of efficiency it is possible to submit a new application for this improved product. A full registration fee is required to submit the new application.

The requirement under the GEMS Act is that products must be registered prior to supplying, or offering to supply the products, or use them for commercial purposes. There is no restriction on the import of products for testing purposes; however, you must register any products regulated under GEMS prior to supplying, or offering to supply the products. If you are importing a model for testing or to display at a trade fair or exhibition (without offering it as available to order/purchase) then you are not required to register the product.

Commercial use of a product refers to circumstances where there is no ‘supply ‘ event within Australia because a person imports a product into Australia, or manufactures a product in Australia for commercial use in their own business. For example, a supermarket chain may import lighting or refrigerated display cabinets to use in their shops but they are not offering to supply those products to consumers.

Generally speaking, a product that is regulated for energy efficiency in Australia can only be used for commercial purposes if:

- the product model is registered with the Australian GEMS Regulator; and

- the product complies with the requirements set out in the relevant GEMS determination. This may include Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and/ or energy rating labelling requirements; and

- use of the product complies with the requirements outlined in the relevant GEMS determination.

No. If you are importing a product purely for personal use, or purchasing a second hand product, the product does not need to be registered.

The relevant GEMS Determinations and product standards relate to energy efficiency performance. Product suppliers must also ensure that they are meeting requirements under any other regulations (such as safety).

In Australia, a product’s registration remains valid for five years from the date on which it was approved, as long as it continues to meet the requirements specified in the relevant Determination. The only time this would vary would be if the model fails check testing.

There is no expiry date on registrations approved by the New Zealand Regulator.

Periodically a replacement Determination or amendment to a standard may be published.

If there is a change to the MEPS level for a specific appliance, any new appliances made or imported into Australia, and offered for supply, must meet the new requirements.

Registered products that comply with the new MEPS level can continue to be sold until their current registration expires.

Products that do not meet the new MEPS level are covered by grandfathering provisions in the GEMS Act, stock that was manufactured or imported prior to the change  may continue to be sold until it has run out.

Section 164 of the GEMS Act 2012 (link is external) sets out GEMS Regulator decisions that are reviewable. If an applicant believes that they have grounds for the appeal of a decision, they can request a review of the decision.

How?

The applicant must apply in writing to the GEMS Regulator within 30 days of the person receiving notice of the decision, unless the GEMS Regulator grants a longer period of time. The GEMS Regulator must review the decision if requested, and is entitled to affirm, vary or revoke the decision as he or she sees fit, based on the review.

Are there independent avenues for appeal?

A decision may be reviewed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) on application by the applicant. An AAT review can only take place after an internal review of the decision by the GEMS Regulator, or where the GEMS Regulator has made the initial decision personally.

Before using the registration system you will need to set-up a user account. This is your personal user account and will let you log into the system to create your Applicant ID and submit applications to register products. For detailed instructions on setting up a user account, click here. 

For the steps involved in submitting a request to create a new Applicant ID,  click here. The decision on whether or not to approve a request to create a new Applicant ID rests with the Energy Rating Team, so therefore we recommend that you do not commence any product registration applications within your Applicant ID until such time as your request to create a new Applicant ID has been approved and has an ‘Active’ status.

If you are an agent or consultant submitting registration applications on behalf of an Applicant, please check whether the Applicant has an existing Applicant ID before submitting a request to create a new Applicant ID. The Energy Rating Team prefers that you are invited to join an existing Applicant ID rather than submit a request to create another Applicant ID for a company.

When the current listed Authorising Officer within your Applicant ID has left your organisation and has not provided access to your company account, you can contact the Energy Rating Team for assistance. The request to appoint a new Authorising Officer in your Applicant ID should be on your organisation’s letterhead and cannot be signed by the person to be appointed as the new AO. Please ensure your request contains the full contact details for the incoming AO.

Product registration applications are submitted to either the Australian or New Zealand Regulator through the online Energy Rating Registration Site. For the steps involved in submitting your product registration application, click here. Please contact us if you require further assistance.

Further information on submitting product registration applications to New Zealand can be obtained on the EECA website (link is external) or by emailing info@eeca.govt.nz

Information you will need to provide as part of the online application process includes:

• Your organisation’s details
• Product and manufacturer details
• Contact details for an administrative contact person, a technical contact person and an accounts payable person within your organisation
• An electronic copy of the laboratory report—if required
• An electronic copy of the energy rating label—if applicable
• The prescribed registration fee—Australia only.

Applications submitted to the Australian Regulator require a non-refundable registration fee prior to submitting an application for assessment. The registration fee varies depending on the appliance or equipment type. Fees are payable online via a secure payment gateway. The online payment facility only accepts payments from Visa, Mastercard or American Express (Amex). The Australian Regulator has taken this decision to maximise efficiency and minimise the time taken to approve payments and process registrations. Online payment provides both the applicant and the regulator with immediate confirmation that payment has been successful - or that it has not.

The following surcharges apply to payments made through the registration system payment portal, and have been supplied by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

For Visa and MasterCard transactions, the applied surcharge varies depending on the type of card used for payment (i.e. credit, debit or prepaid credit card):

• Visa Credit – 0.72%
• Visa Debit/Prepaid Credit: – 0.46%
• MasterCard Credit – 0.49%
• MasterCard Debit/Prepaid Credit: – 0.22%
• American Express (Amex) – 1.45%

Note that GST does not apply to these surcharges.

Applications submitted to the New Zealand Regulator do not currently have a registration fee.

No, GST does not apply to registration fees.

The application fee, which must be paid prior to submitting an application, is a processing fee and is non-refundable.

If you are receiving an error message in your application form, you should first review the information you have entered to ensure there are no errors. For information on errors, warnings and messages in the application, click here.

If you are still experiencing issues, take a screen shot of the error message and paste it into a document. You can then send it to the Energy Rating Team as an attachment and explain the problem. Please ensure you include your record ID number in your email so we can investigate the issue.

If your Technical Assessment Officer has any concerns in relation to your application, or if further information is needed from you in order to assess the application, it may be returned to you. The reason for the application being returned will be shown on the Notes and Change History tab of the individual Record ID. You should provide the information necessary or make the required changes to your application prior to resubmitting your application. For further information, please click here.

Please allow up to 28 days for your application to be processed. The administrative contact within your Applicant ID will be contacted when your registration has been approved, or if any further information is required from your organisation in order to assess your application.

If you wish to renew your product’s registration, and the technical specifications of the model remain the same as those in the original registration, you can use the Renew Registration feature within the existing registration. This will copy the existing registration into a renewal. You should pay for and submit this renewal registration in the same manner as you submit a new registration application. Further information on how to renew your registration is available in the Registration Site Help section.

If there have been any changes to the technical specifications of the model, you will need to fill out a new application form to re-register your product. Please note, you should check your product still complies with the current Determination. You may be required to provide a new test report to comply with any changes to the relevant GEMS Determination or Standard.

If your original registration was before the inception of the GEMS Act (October 2012) you may not meet the definition of an applicant as described in the GEMS Act 2012. You must have  an “appropriate connection to the supply chain”, that is an importer, manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer.

If you have a current Family of Models registration or a single model registration you can add a new model to this if it complies with the relevant conditions for the product type. There is a $210 fee (link is external) when adding a model to an existing registration. For instructions on submitting a variation request to add a model, click here. 

For a product to appear on the Comparison Tool, it must have a valid registration or be covered by a ‘grandfathering’ provision. If an Applicant has stated that the product is not currently available, the product will be marked as unavailable on the comparison tool. The comparison tool now shows all valid registrations and those covered by grandfathering provisions, regardless of availability; however, you can adjust this to only search for ‘available’ products by un-selecting the ‘Include run-out products that are no longer manufactured in or imported into Australia/New Zealand’ box.

To ensure products appear on the comparison tool and mobile app, Applicants must ensure their publication settings are correct. For instructions on how registrants can update their product’s website settings, click here.

When an Applicant submits an application, they may nominate a date after which the product will become ‘unavailable’. Once that date has passed, the models in the registration will show as ‘unavailable’ and will only appear if the ‘Include run-out products that are no longer manufactured in or imported into Australia/New Zealand’ box is selected.

Applicants can update or remove this date at any time during the registration period. If an Applicant does not enter a date, the product will remain as ‘available’ until the expiry date, or until updated by the Applicant. For further information on how your registration appears on the Comparison Tool, click here.

If you look on the public comparison tool of the Energy Rating website and view the computer registrations, you will notice various suffixes added on each of the models listed.

The suffix represents the category type as defined under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Computers) Determination 2013 (link is external). All computer registrations include their appropriate category type. Consumers are still able to locate specific models by searching for the model number.

The Energy Rating Team has no knowledge of any individual's password as these are set by each individual when they first register to use the product registration website. However, you are able to reset your own password. For instructions on how to reset your own password, click here.

You can contact the Australian Regulator by using the Contact Us form or the New Zealand Regulator at info@eeca.govt.nz (link sends e-mail).