Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards
(WELS) Scheme

Registering products

Please Note:

The average time for processing applications is up to four to six weeks. No applications will be processed if payment is outstanding. Your application may take longer to process if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

Applications that are incomplete or inaccurate three months after being submitted may be refused registration. If an application is refused registration:

Washing machine. Photo: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Online registration system

To access the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme's online registration system please click here: WELS Registration: Login.

How to register

To register a product, you need to submit the following for assessment:

When your application to register a product has been successful, it will be registered by a notice published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Government Notices  and you will receive email notification when this has occurred. Registration of a WELS product is currently for five years. The water efficiency labelling information of the product will also be publically searchable in the WELS Product database.

Testing and certifying your products

As part of the registration process you must demonstrate your manufactured or imported products meet the WELS Standard. Please note that from 1 November 2011 a new WELS standard will take effect.

Applications for registration of showers, lavatory and urinal equipment, tap equipment and flow controllers which are required to have WaterMark certification under state and territory laws will need to include evidence of that certification as a prerequisite for WELS registration. WaterMark certification is required by the states and territories at the point of installation for most plumbing products intended for use in the reticulated water supply system.

For more information see:

The performance and testing requirements for all WELS products are specified in the WELS standard. WELS accepts test reports from laboratories certified by the National Association of Testing Authorities , or their international partners. More information on testing is in the WELS Suppliers Guide - Laboratory testing and maintaining quality of water efficiency performance in WELS products..

For the contact details of bodies accredited to undertake testing of WELS products and supply suitable reports see: contact list.

If you have WaterMark certification which is out of date you need to update it and provide certification and water efficiency test reports to meet the current registration requirements for AS/NZS 6400:2005.

'Family of models' and 'sets of minor products'

Two or more WELS products within the same product type (eg, taps, dishwashers etc) can be considered in the same 'family' if each product has the same:

The WELS Regulator may declare two or more WELS products to be 'a set' of minor products if the manufacturer's application shows:

Washing machine displaying water rating and energy rating labels

Fees

It costs AUD$1,500 to register a product, a family of models, or set of minor products. The registration fee is determined in the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Determination 2007 .

The database will determine if your application requires payment and notify you by email.

Payment can be made by EFT, credit card (Visa or Master Card only) or cheque - details are provided below. EFT is the preferred and quickest payment method.

A Receipt/Tax Invoice will be emailed to you after the fee has been received and processed.

Please include the five-digit WELS Record ID number with your payment to ensure prompt processing of your application.

If you are making a payment from outside Australia the intermediary bank may charge a fee. It is your responsibility to ensure that the full AUD$1500 is transferred for the WELS registration fee. Any bank fees will need to be paid by you in addition to the AUD$1500.

Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Email: wels@environment.gov.au
Telephone: 1800 218 478

Electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Account Name: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Bank: Reserve Bank of Australia
Bank Address: 20-22 London Circuit CANBERRA ACT 2601
BSB: 092 009
Account No: 115859
Currency: Australian Dollars
Sort/Swift code: RSBKAU2S

Credit card

Please telephone 1800 218 478 to make a credit card payment. You will need to provide:

Cheque

Made out and posted to:
The Collector of Public Monies
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
PO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Make sure you include the WELS Record ID number with your payment.

Re-registrations

Under the current Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Act 2005, WELS scheme product registrations expire after five years. Some products are now reaching their expiry date. Products that you intend to continue to supply will need to be re-registered before their existing registrations expire.

For further information email us at wels@environment.gov.au or free call 1800 218 478.

Responsibility to maintain registration records

It is the responsibility of the license holder to:

Enforcement action will be taken for breaches of the WELS Act. More information on compliance policies and processes as well as current enforcement action is on the compliance page.

Registered products database

Find the water consumption and star ratings details for a range of products that carry a water rating label.
Search the Registration and Product search database

Water rating symbol