Simply Energy and Billcap Abatement Project (Revoked)

Simply Energy and Billcap Abatement Project (Revoked) is an Aggregated Small Energy Users project located in Richmond, approximately 3km east of the Melbourne CBD in Victoria. It was registered in August 2015. Rather than covering a fixed, continuous land area, the project size is marked as unknown because it targets a distributed network of residential households and small businesses. The regional land use is highly urbanised, comprising dense residential and commercial developments. Melbourne typically experiences a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, and local soils historically vary between coastal sands and basaltic clays; however, these environmental and agricultural conditions are largely non-applicable given the software and behavioural nature of this energy-efficiency project.

The Aggregated Small Energy Users method involves offering products, services, software, or information to large groups of energy users to influence their behaviour and reduce their grid electricity or natural gas consumption. To accurately measure these reductions, the methodology strictly requires the engagement of a statutory statistician accredited by the Statistical Society of Australia. The statistician must maintain a control group and verify that the difference in energy usage between the control group and the treatment group is statistically significant.

The project was established by Billcap Pty Ltd in collaboration with energy retailer Simply Energy. It utilised demand modelling and consumer behaviour trials, supported by research capabilities from the Melbourne Energy Institute, to encourage households to lower their energy footprints. Originally, the project included "The trustee for the Sustainable Melbourne Fund" as a key participant, but they were formally removed from the project following a variation in February 2016. Ultimately, no Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) were issued to the proponent, and the project was formally revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule in March 2018. The Aggregated Small Energy Users methodology itself was later flagged in government reviews for its high barrier to entry and low market uptake.