Where Should the Green ES Battery Label Actually Go?

A common battery-labelling mistake that’s worth clearing up

If you spend enough time looking at battery installations around Australia, you’ll probably notice something interesting.

That little green ES label is very often installed right beside the battery.

At first glance, that seems perfectly logical.

ES = Energy Storage. Battery = Energy Storage.

Put the label next to the battery.

Done.

Except that’s not really the purpose of the ES identification sign.

The ES sign is there primarily to alert emergency services that an energy storage system is installed at the property - and that means its location matters just as much as what is printed on it.

So, where should the ES label be installed?

The Clean Energy Regulator states that an Energy Storage identification label must be installed on or next to the meter box and switchboard, and it must be clearly visible when approaching the site.

This reflects the emergency-services identification requirements associated with battery installations under AS/NZS 5139:2019.

In practical terms, the important location is where someone approaching the property’s electrical infrastructure is likely to look first:

The meter box / main switchboard.

Not simply beside the battery.

But why?

Imagine emergency services arrive at a property following a fire, electrical incident or other emergency.

Their first priority isn’t to wander around the side of the house looking for a battery.

They need to be able to identify the electrical hazards associated with the property before interacting with the electrical installation.

That’s what the green ES sign is helping communicate: This property contains an energy storage system.

If the only ES marker is installed beside a battery around the side or rear of the property, emergency workers may not see it when they first approach the meter box.

That rather defeats the purpose of an emergency identification sign.

What should the ES sign look like?

For the common lithium-ion battery installations used in Australian homes, you’ll usually see a circular green reflective sign containing:

ESUN 3480

The applicable UN number identifies the primary battery chemistry.

The current Clean Energy Regulator photo guidance requires the ES reflector photographed at the meter box to be at least 100 mm in diameter and to display the relevant UN number.

So the little 30 or 40 mm green ES sticker you sometimes see beside a battery isn’t the same thing as the main emergency-services identification sign.

Can an ES sticker still be installed beside the battery?

Certainly.

There’s nothing particularly mysterious about giving emergency workers more information, and additional identification at the battery location may be useful.

The distinction is that an ES sticker beside the battery shouldn’t replace the required identification at the meter box or switchboard.

An easy way to think about it is:

At the meter box:“There is an energy storage system installed at this property.”

At the battery:“This is the energy storage system.”

Those are two slightly different jobs.

What signage belongs near the battery instead?

The signage installed on or adjacent to the battery generally relates much more directly to the hazards associated with the BESS.

Depending on the installation and equipment, this can include signage relating to:

• battery hazards

• restricted access

• risk of battery explosion

• toxic or flammable gases/fumes

• chemical hazards and first aid information

• isolation requirements

• emergency shutdown information.

The exact signage required depends on the battery system, installation method and applicable requirements.

This distinction is also visible in the Clean Energy Regulator’s current photo requirements.

Installers are required to provide photographs covering three separate areas: the outside of the meter box, the switchboard and its critical labelling, and the front and sides of the solar battery showing its critical labelling.

In other words, battery signage and meter-box emergency identification aren’t being treated as interchangeable.

Conveniently, I know someone who makes a plaque that looks professional- and less like Tetris gone wrong.

Why this matters more in 2026

Battery labelling is getting considerably more scrutiny.

The Clean Energy Regulator has identified incorrect labelling for emergency services as one of the common technical non-compliances found during battery inspections.

It specifically notes that missing or incorrectly positioned ES labels are a common issue.

And from 1 March 2026, installers claiming STCs for eligible solar battery installations have been required to collect clear, geotagged and timestamped photographs of critical battery labelling.

One of those photographs captures the critical labelling located on or visible when approaching the meter box.

That includes the green ES reflector.

So putting the only ES sign beside the battery isn’t just an interesting interpretation of the labelling requirements anymore.

There’s now photographic evidence being collected showing exactly where critical signage has been installed.

The goal is simple: someone responding to an emergency shouldn’t have to play hide-and-seek with a battery system.

The long and short of this very detailed and very interesting blog post...

If you’re installing a battery energy storage system, don’t think of the green ES reflector as simply another sticker that belongs with the battery.

Think about who the sign is intended for and when they need to see it.

And with battery installation labelling now receiving greater attention from the Clean Energy Regulator, it’s worth getting both the label and its location right the first time.