How these projects work
A commercial and public lighting project involves installing upgrades that improve the energy efficiency of lighting in commercial, industrial and public buildings. Public area lighting, including pedestrian, street, traffic, and common area lighting, is also eligible. Multiple buildings or public spaces can be included in a single project.
Commercial and public lighting projects can be run by owners, operators or tenants of commercial and industrial buildings, local and state governments, electricity companies or lighting manufacturers and suppliers. Building eligibility is based on building classes under the
Building Code of Australia.
Project activities
You can improve your lighting energy efficiency by undertaking a broad range of activities. Activities can include:
- Modifying or replacing lights and lighting equipment.
- Installing lighting control systems which affect the way lights consume electricity.
- Installing equipment that generates electricity for direct use by the lighting systems such as solar powered lighting (not grid connected).
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible you must:
- Ensure that lights upgraded as part of a project must have been in working order prior to the upgrade. The area serviced by the upgraded lights cannot have its size or purpose changed (e.g. you couldn't convert a car park into a public park).
- Establish legal right (the right to run your project and claim carbon credits) - for example, entering into legal arrangements with the building owners, building managers and tenants.
- Obtain regulatory approvals required to run your project and ensure project activities are not required to be carried out under a Commonwealth, state or territory law. Note that a lighting upgrade will not be eligible if it is part of reconstruction or renovation works that would require development approval under state or territory law, with or without the lighting upgrade. Ensure project activities are not required to be carried out under a Commonwealth, state or territory law.
- Ensure all lighting and equipment (both pre- and post-upgrade) must be of a type listed in Schedule 1 of the
Commercial and Public Lighting Methodology Determination.
- Make sure your project is new - you cannot start project activities until after we register your project.
Running and reporting on your project
As part of registering a project, you will need to describe your proposed activities, provide the locations of your lighting improvement activities and calculate your expected carbon credits.
Your project does not require continuous monitoring, as the emissions reductions are calculated based on the lighting technical specifications. However, there are operating, reporting and audit obligations in running a commercial and public lighting project. You will need to report on your project at least once every two years. You receive carbon credits each time you report calculated emissions reductions over seven years.
Relevant legislation and resources