Price a split system installation for a Kew home and you soon hit the catch: two separate trades usually touch the job, and a Victorian Energy Upgrades rebate has to be claimed without the paperwork falling over. What you really want is one person who fits the unit, runs the wiring and lands the rebate on the quote. That is the job Martin Turnbull has done since 2017. He is a licensed A-Grade electrician who is also licensed to install split systems, so on a larger Boroondara home the unit, the dedicated circuit and the rebate paperwork are one accountable ticket rather than three. Tell us the rooms you want cooled and what you are replacing, and a fixed price follows.
How a VEU rebate actually gets onto your quote
Most installers mention a rebate and leave you to discover what claiming one involves. The Victorian Energy Upgrades program rewards swapping an inefficient system for an approved high-efficiency one. When that unit is installed correctly, the job creates Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates that carry a market value, and that value comes off your install as an upfront discount. We are licensed to claim VEU rebates, so where your job qualifies the savings lands on your quote rather than being left for you to recover later.
The part that trips people up: the certificates are tied to the install being done by an accredited party to the program's method, not just to the right box arriving on site. A claim is only as sound as the trade lodging it. If the unit goes outside that method, or the supporting electrical work is hard to evidence, the savings you were counting on can be the one that does not hold. We carry that end to end: eligibility, approved systems, the certificates, and the rebate applied to your figure.
Whether your job qualifies moves with three things together: what is coming out (the program rewards replacing an inefficient setup), the premises (a Kew family home and a consulting suite near Kew Junction are not assessed alike), and the unit going in (it has to be an approved high-efficiency model on the program's list). Because they move together, the only honest answer is one given against your actual job, not a figure off a flyer. We will tell you upfront whether yours is likely to qualify and what the realistic saving looks like. If you are also looking at getting off gas to electric cooking or heating in the same project, that conversation usually covers more than the cooling alone.
Why one licensed trade keeps the rebate clean compliant
This wedge runs deeper than convenience. A split system wants its own dedicated circuit back to the switchboard, an isolating switch at the outdoor unit, and a board with the capacity and protection to feed something that draws steadily for hours through summer. A dedicated air-conditioning firm fits the head, then sub-contracts that electrical half to whichever sparky is free. Now two trades have touched one job: the wiring sits with one and the rebate-bearing install with the other, and if anything needs evidencing later, accountability is split down the middle.
Smartlec works the other way around. Martin is an A-Grade electrician first, licensed to install split systems as well, so the circuit, the switchboard check, the unit and the certificate paperwork are one job under one licence. When the board needs work first, common enough on Kew's older homes, that is the same quote and warranty, not a second contractor to brief. It is the same reason a household renovating here often books the cooling alongside a Kew electrician visit, or pairs it with a Kew EV charger and wider EV charger installation: one accountable trade across the appliance, the wiring and the claim.
What you can put your name to before the claim goes in
A rebate claim is only as good as the contractor lodging it. Most of what stands behind a Smartlec install you can check before you hand anything over:
- Licensed to claim Victorian Energy Upgrades rebates, with the eligibility check, the certificates and the paperwork all carried by us.
- Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) number 27608, a licence you can look up rather than take on trust.
- Run by Martin Turnbull, an A-Grade licensed electrician who can install a range of split system air conditioners.
- A lifetime workmanship warranty on what we install, where a good number of installers stop at twelve months.
- Full $20 million public liability cover, so the wiring feeding your system is properly insured.
- Operating since 2017, with more than 3,000 customers served and a 4.9-star rating from 32 reviews.
If your board is older, an install is a sensible moment for an electrical safety check while a licensed electrician is on site.
