VEU ceiling insulation · Victoria
Ceiling insulation rebate, taken off your quote.
The short answer
The VEU ceiling insulation rebate comes off your installed price before work starts. There is nothing to claim later. The program expects about 30 to 50% off. The average rebate on a 150 m² Melbourne home is $1,482. You pay at least $200. We are an accredited provider and apply it on your quote.
Sources
Program facts checked against energy.vic.gov.au on 1 October 2026.
Pro Insulation Corp Pty Ltd is an Accredited Person for VEU ceiling insulation (activity 48). The rebate comes off your quote before any work starts.
Certificates will be created by Pro Insulation Corp Pty Ltd. Participation is voluntary. Pro Insulation does not represent the Victorian Government.
Section 01
What is the VEU ceiling insulation rebate?
It is a price cut on new ceiling insulation, funded by Victoria's energy efficiency program. The accredited installer takes it off your quote before any work starts.
VEU stands for Victorian Energy Upgrades. It is a Victorian Government program, run by the Essential Services Commission (ESC). Ceiling insulation is activity 48 on its list of approved upgrades.
Only an Accredited Person can offer the rebate. That is a company the ESC has approved to create energy efficiency certificates. Pro Insulation Corp Pty Ltd is one. We are a private company, not the Government and not the program.
Most people use a word that suggests money back later. That is not how this works. You never lodge a claim and never wait for a payment. The rebate is a line on your written quote, and the price you pay is already lower.
It is also never free. The program sets a minimum of $200 including GST that every customer pays.
Section 02
Who funds the rebate?
Victorian energy retailers fund it. The law makes them buy energy efficiency certificates each year, and your install creates some.
- 01
Energy retailers
Must buy efficiency certificates by law
- 02
VEU certificates
Created for each eligible install
- 03
Pro Insulation
Accredited provider, lodges with the ESC
- 04
Your invoice
The value comes off your price up front
Each eligible install saves energy for years. The program turns that saving into Victorian energy efficiency certificates (VEECs). One certificate stands for 1 tonne of greenhouse gas avoided.
Energy retailers must buy a set number of certificates every year. We create the certificates for your ceiling, sell them to a retailer, and pass their value to you as the rebate. You sign one form that assigns the certificates to us. That is how the rebate is funded.
No Government money is paid to you, and no one from the Government is involved in your quote. The program writes the rules and the ESC checks the work. The rebate still comes off the quote, up front.
Section 03
Who qualifies?
Most houses, townhouses and top-storey units with little or no ceiling insulation qualify. 4 checks decide it, and we do all 4 on site.
A house, townhouse or unit
Class 1, or a single unit in a Class 2 building
Existing insulation under R2.0
No insulation, foil only, or a low average
Every downlight IC or IC-4 rated
Non-compliant fittings replaced by an electrician
No ceiling work in the last 5 years
New builds, extensions and renovations excluded
Also required: no previous VEU ceiling upgrade at this address. On site, a licensed electrician completes a safety check at least 24 hours before install, and the installer checks again on the day.
R-value measures how well insulation resists heat flow. Higher is better. The rebate is for ceilings with no insulation, or existing insulation that averages below R2.0. R2.0 is about 90 mm deep, which is lower than the top of a standard ceiling joist.
- Top-up, +220 mm
- Existing insulation, 60 mm
- Joist, 90 mmJoist top. Below this line is about R2.0 or less.
- Plasterboard
Covered
- A detached house or townhouse. The building code calls this Class 1.
- A top-storey unit in an apartment building. The code calls this Class 2.
- A ceiling with no insulation at all.
- A ceiling with foil only. The program counts foil alone as uninsulated.
- Existing insulation that averages below R2.0, about 90 mm deep.
Not covered
- Any building other than a Class 1 home or a top-storey Class 2 unit.
- Ceiling areas built, extended or renovated in the last 5 years.
- Homes that already had a VEU ceiling insulation upgrade (activity 48).
- Garages, carports, sheds, walls and underfloor. Ceilings only.
- Ceilings with halogen downlights, until they are replaced with IC or IC-4 fittings.
With roof space
A separate space between the ceiling and roof.
Without roof space
The ceiling follows directly beneath the roof.
The rebate is for attic ceilings. Cathedral ceilings and flat roofs with no accessible cavity are quoted and invoiced separately.
Please do not remove or disturb existing insulation before the assessment. It is the evidence that your ceiling qualifies. If it is gone, the check cannot be done.
Not sure what is up there? Answer a few questions online and we measure your roof from aerial imagery. If something does not fit, you see the reason before anyone visits.
Section 04
What is the rebate worth?
About 30 to 50% off the installed price. The average on a 150 m² metro Melbourne home is $1,482, and $2,104 for the same home in a regional cold climate zone.
Metro and regional Victoria
Victorian Energy Upgrades
Average rebate
$1,482
off the installed price. Average 150 m² metro Melbourne home.
Your exact rebate is worked out for your ceiling and shown on your written quote. You pay at least $200 including GST.
The $1,482 shown is an average for a 150 m² metro Melbourne home, not a cap. Your exact rebate is worked out for your ceiling and shown on your written quote. Subject to eligibility under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
Certificates will be created by Pro Insulation Corp Pty Ltd. Participation is voluntary. Pro Insulation does not represent the Victorian Government.
Regional Victoria, cold climate zone
Victorian Energy Upgrades
Average rebate
$2,104
off the installed price. Average 150 m² home in regional Victoria, cold climate zone.
Your exact rebate is worked out for your ceiling and shown on your written quote. You pay at least $200 including GST.
The $2,104 shown is an average for a 150 m² home in regional Victoria (cold climate zone), not a cap. Your exact rebate is worked out for your ceiling and shown on your written quote. Subject to eligibility under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
The two figures are averages, not caps and not promises. Your rebate depends on your ceiling area, how much insulation is there now, and your postcode. Colder postcodes save more energy, so the program credits more certificates.
We work out your exact rebate from the measured roof and show it on your written quote. Nothing is estimated on the phone.
Section 05
What do you still pay?
You pay the quote less the rebate, and never less than $200 including GST. That minimum is set by the program, so a genuine offer is never free.
Your written quote shows 3 lines: the installed price, the VEU rebate, and the balance you pay. The rebate is already taken off. There is nothing to claim afterwards.
The installed price covers the whole job:
- Removal of old insulation where needed, and a full vacuum of the roof cavity.
- Knauf Earthwool batts, from R5.0 to R8.0, supplied and installed over the joists.
- Our own employed installers. We do not use subcontractors.
- Before and after photos on the day, and the VEU paperwork lodged by us.
- A 50-year Knauf product warranty and a 2-year workmanship warranty from us.
Two things can add to your share. Choosing a higher R-value raises the installed price, and the rebate stays about the same. Replacing halogen downlights is a separate line, explained in the next section.
The rebate comes off the quote before any work starts. You see the balance before you accept, not after.
Section 06
Why does an electrician come first, and what about downlights?
Insulation over hot lights or faulty wiring is a fire risk. A licensed electrician checks the ceiling before any insulation goes in.
The program requires a pre-installation electrical safety assessment, called a PIESA. A licensed electrician from a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) does it. It must happen no earlier than 30 days before the works.
You and the installer both receive the report at least 24 hours before work starts. On the day, the installer does a second check, the pre-installation installer safety assessment (PIISA). Then the insulation goes in.
The 2009 federal insulation program showed what happens when this step is skipped. The electrician comes first, every time, on every job.
Halogen downlights
Halogens run hot and cannot be covered. Each one must be replaced with an IC or IC-4 rated fitting. IC means insulation contact: the fitting is made to touch insulation safely.
What replacement costs
$90 per fitting including GST. Under 10 fittings there is a $180 call-out. At 10 or more, no call-out. You see the total before you decide anything.
Halogens are the most common reason a home does not pass the first time. Once they are replaced, the install can go ahead and the rebate still applies. LED downlights that are already IC-4 rated need no change.
Read the downlights page for the three fitting types, the electrician's check and the fixed prices.
Section 07
What happens, step by step?
6 steps, from a 60-second online check to the warranty. The electrician's visit sits in the middle, before any insulation.
Step 1: Check
Answer a few questions online. About 60 seconds.
Step 2: Quote
Measured from aerial imagery. Your rebate on every option, within 1 business day.
Step 3: Accept
Pick your R-value, e-sign. Two short forms follow.
Step 4: Safety check
A licensed electrician checks wiring and downlights. You get the report at least 24 hours before install.
Step 5: Install
Old out, cavity vacuumed, Earthwool in. Before and after photos the same day.
Step 6: Warranty
VEU rebate already off the invoice. 50-year manufacturer. 2-year workmanship.
We measure your roof from Nearmap aerial imagery, so no one needs to visit to quote. The written quote arrives within about 1 business day, with the rebate already taken off every option.
Our own employed crews do the install across all of Victoria. You get before and after photos the same day, plus the 50-year Knauf product warranty and our 2-year workmanship warranty.
Section 08
What can go wrong, and what if you don't qualify?
Most blockers are halogen downlights, recent building work or an earlier upgrade. If you don't qualify, you see the reason and a full-price quote.
- Fixable
Halogen downlights
The most common blocker, and fixable. An electrician swaps them for IC-4 fittings, then the install can go ahead.
- Full price instead
Building work in the last 5 years
A new ceiling, an extension or a renovation rules that area out. It cannot be fixed. We quote the full price instead.
- Full price instead
An earlier VEU ceiling upgrade
Each home gets activity 48 once. A second top-up is at full price.
- Full price instead
Existing insulation above R2.0
Your ceiling is too well insulated for the rebate. A top-up may still be worth it, and we quote it in full.
- Fixable
Unsafe wiring
If the electrician finds a fault, it must be repaired before any insulation goes in. You get the report first.
Whatever the result, there is no charge for the check and no pressure. A full-price quote is still a written quote, measured the same way, with the same crew and the same warranty.
One thing to avoid: do not pull out or move existing insulation to make the ceiling look empty. It is the evidence the program needs, and the check fails without it.
After the install, the ESC audits a share of jobs. Someone from the Commission may call or visit to check the work. That is normal, and it keeps installers honest.
Renting, or a landlord? The owner must agree to the work. From 1 March 2027, a new rental agreement needs ceiling insulation rated at least R5.0 where none exists. It also applies when an existing agreement converts to month-to-month. It does not apply where some insulation already exists. Read our guide for renters and landlords, or the Consumer Affairs Victoria standard.
Section 09
How do I spot a dodgy offer?
Walk away from cold calls and doorknockers, both banned for VEU since 2024. A genuine offer is never free, never compulsory, and never installed before an electrician checks.
A cold call or a knock at the door
VEU telemarketing has been banned since 1 May 2024, and doorknocking since 1 August 2024. A genuine provider does neither.
Someone who claims to be the Government
No installer is the Government, the Essential Services Commission or the program. We are an accredited private company.
The word free
The program sets a minimum you pay. If the offer is free, it is not this program.
The word compulsory
Taking part is voluntary. No one can require you to insulate under VEU.
Install first, electrician later
The electrician's safety check must come before the install, with the report in your hands 24 hours ahead.
No written quote
The rebate must appear as a line on a written quote. If you cannot see it, you cannot check it.
Check any installer against the official list on energy.vic.gov.au. Look for the company's legal name and ask for its accreditation details. You can check ours on the same page.
If something has gone wrong with us, or with another provider, our complaints page explains who to contact and in what order.
Quick answers
Quick answers
The 14 questions we are asked most, in plain words. Tap a question to open it.
Official sources
Read the program's own pages
- Insulation rebates, Victorian Energy Upgrades (energy.vic.gov.au)
- Consumer factsheet (PDF, energy.vic.gov.au)
- The 7 community-language pages (energy.vic.gov.au)
- Need an interpreter? Call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to call 1800 960 650.
Written by Jan Kretschmer, co-founder.
Electrical licence, engineering degree.
Checked against energy.vic.gov.au on 1 October 2026.
Check your home.
60 seconds to check your home, 1 business day to a written quote.
About 60 seconds. You see the result before we ask for any contact details. The rebate comes off your quote before any work starts.