Energy efficiency business accused of fraud by Victorian authorities

An energy efficiency business has been suspended from a Victorian government scheme for allegedly providing doctored photos of work and falsified customer details. The Essential Services Commission said Royal One Pty Ltd has had its Victorian Energy Upgrades program accreditation suspended. The scheme is designed to help people lower their energy bills through upgrades. A Victorian business business has been accused of submitting doctored photos and falsifying customer details to claim certificates for energy efficiency projects. Royal One Pty Ltd has had its Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program accreditation suspended by the state's Essential Services Commission. The business promoted itself as a provider of energy efficient air conditioning, hot water and solar and battery power on its website. The commission's fraud taskforce said some photos submitted by Royal One as evidence of energy efficiency upgrades had been digitally altered. The commission also said phone audits of Royal One's listed consumers provided further evidence of attempted fraud. The VEU program is an energy efficiency scheme designed to help people lower their energy bills by increasing efficiency. Accredited businesses that carry out the energy efficiency improvements can earn certificates which they can then sell to energy retailers. Royal One's VEU accreditation expired shortly after it was suspended and the business has not applied to renew it. Essential Services Commission chairperson and commissioner Gerard Brody said the commission was alerted to Royal One's alleged fraud. "The taskforce uses data, tip-offs and other intelligence to identify areas of unusual activity and in this case, uncovered what we allege to be deliberate and fraudulent conduct from Royal One," he said. "Immediately suspending Royal One directly affected their ability to generate income from the VEU program. "The message is clear — deliberately breaking the rules puts your business at risk."