Energy Safe Victoria’s REC guidance, updated 20 August 2026, requires a Victorian REC to display its REC registration number on any advertisement, notice or statement indicating that the business is conducting—or is willing to conduct—electrical contracting work. Its responsibilities guidance, updated 17 December 2025, gives the instruction as covering all promotional materials, including advertisements, notices and statements; neither page specifies a font size, position or spacing (figures checked 1 October 2026).
Which materials trigger the REC-number rule?
The practical trigger is what the material communicates. If it is visible to customers or the public and indicates that the business conducts or is willing to conduct electrical contracting work, treat the REC registration number as required.
Energy Safe describes this as a must, which the regulator says identifies a legal requirement rather than a branding recommendation.
The rule can apply across:
- Paid and unpaid advertising
- Customer-facing notices and statements
- Promotional material published in any format
- Material that offers electrical contracting work rather than merely naming the business
- Material prepared or published by an agency, marketing provider or subcontractor on the REC’s behalf
A purely internal operational record is not automatically promotional material. However, if that record is later sent to a customer, published online or used to market the business, audit it before circulation or publication.
Where should the number appear in a practical audit?
Energy Safe does not provide a closed list of modern marketing channels. The following audit applies its “all promotional materials” wording to common ways an electrical contracting business may hold itself out to the public.
| Customer-facing location | What to check |
|---|---|
| Website | Check the home page, service pages, location pages, landing pages and any About or Contact page that says the business carries out electrical work. Put the number on each page or section that markets those services. |
| Search and display advertising | Check every search ad, display ad, banner and connected landing page. Each standalone advertisement should carry the number clearly. |
| Social media | Check the profile biography and banner, plus posts, stories, reels, livestream descriptions and event promotions that offer electrical contracting services. |
| Directories and marketplaces | Check Google Business Profile, Bing Places, trade directories, supplier panels, marketplace profiles and “find an electrician” listings that describe the business’s services. |
| Email and campaigns | Check email signatures that advertise the business, newsletters, offers, booking emails, seasonal campaigns and electronic invitations to discuss electrical work. |
| Quotes and tender documents | Check customer-facing quotes, estimates, proposals, tenders, scope-of-work documents and price schedules that identify the business as an electrical contractor. |
| Printed material | Check flyers, brochures, posters, signs, vehicle wraps and other items that advertise electrical contracting services. Review replacement artwork as well as the version already printed. |
| Documents and presentations | Check PDFs, project portfolios, safety materials and presentation slides when they promote the business’s contracting services. A number shown only on the hosting webpage may be lost when the file is emailed or downloaded. |
| Agency or subcontractor content | Make the REC registration number a required field in campaign briefs and approvals, then inspect the final advert or post before publication. |
This table is a practical application of the published requirement, not a separate list created by Energy Safe. If a channel or document sits close to the boundary, check the regulator’s current guidance before publishing.
How should the REC number be displayed?
The cited Energy Safe pages do not prescribe a minimum type size, label, position, margin or amount of surrounding space. A sensible compliance audit should still make the number:
- Copied exactly from the REC’s registration card or current registration record
- Legible when the material is viewed at its normal size
- Included in the advertisement, notice or statement itself
- Visible after an image is cropped or resized
- Reproduced on every separately distributed advertisement or document
- Checked after any campaign artwork or website design is changed
A website-wide footer may help manage consistency, but it should not be the only place the number appears when an advertisement, PDF, social post or printed item can be viewed or distributed on its own. Alt text, image metadata or a link to a terms page should not be treated as a substitute for displaying the number in the visible material.
An ABN, an individual electrician’s licence number or an insurance policy number does not replace the REC registration number. The advertising requirement specifically calls for the REC number.
How should mixed-purpose material be handled?
Use two practical questions:
- Will a customer or member of the public see it?
- Does it indicate that the business conducts or is willing to conduct electrical contracting work?
If both answers are yes, include the REC number. A mixed page that contains an article but also offers services should carry the number where the services are promoted. If an image from that page is reused as a standalone social post, include the number in the image or its accompanying visible text rather than assuming the original webpage will remain attached.
The same approach applies to documents that are primarily administrative. An invoice, contract or internal form may not be promotional in every circumstance, but it should be audited if it is used publicly or communicates that the business offers electrical contracting work.
Does insurance information replace the REC number?
No. Registration advertising and insurance are separate compliance checks. If an advertisement also refers to public liability or other insurance, check the wording against the policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS); an insurer’s name or policy number does not satisfy the separate requirement to display the REC registration number.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check Energy Safe Victoria’s current REC guidance before publishing and review your policy’s PDS for any insurance-related wording.
Sources
- Registered Electrical Contractors (REC) | Energy Safe Victoria
- Registered Electrical Contractors | Energy Safe Victoria
Figures checked 1 October 2026.
FAQ
Does the REC number need to appear on every website page?
No. The requirement applies to advertisements, notices, statements and other promotional materials that indicate the business conducts or is willing to conduct electrical contracting work. Pages that market those services should include the number; a purely educational page may fall outside that wording if it does not offer the services.
Is a website footer enough?
Energy Safe does not prescribe a location. A consistent footer can help, but any advert, post or document capable of being viewed separately should carry a clear REC number itself.
Can an ABN or electrician licence number replace the REC number?
No. Energy Safe specifically requires the REC registration number. Other registration, licence, business or insurance numbers may be additional identifiers, but they are not substitutes.
Do quotes, tenders and social media posts need the number?
Yes, where they indicate that the business conducts or is willing to conduct electrical contracting work. Check the final customer-facing version rather than relying only on an agency brief or website footer.
Does every internal REC document need the number?
The cited requirement concerns advertisements, notices, statements and promotional materials, not every internal record. Include the number when a document is published, provided to customers or used to promote the business’s electrical contracting services.
Partner links. Using them costs you nothing extra and may earn us a commission.