Carbon Emissions Reduction Target 2008-2011 (CERT):
• the overall target is a reduction of 154 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (lifetime). At least 40 per cent of this target must be achieved by targeting certain low-income domestic consumers or those over 70 years old – the ‘Priority Group’
• the target is divided between the obligated suppliers according to the number of domestic customers they supply electricity and gas to
• to ensure there is no break in activity between the programmes; suppliers were allowed to carry forward any excess measures from EEC2 into CERT
• measures can be provided to any domestic household in Great Britain that is heated by gas, electricity, coal, oil or LPG
• the funding for the installation or distribution of measures comes from the obligated suppliers. However, they are not required to spend a fixed amount of money
• the suppliers are not limited to offering measures to their own consumers and can partner with other organisations for the distribution of measures or to encourage the uptake of measures. For each scheme suppliers must demonstrate that their activity has led to additional energy efficiency measures being installed
• Suppliers can meet up to 5 per cent of their obligation through the Priority Group flexibility mechanism. This aims to target low income hard to treat homes. Priority Group flexibility recipients must be in receipt of relevant benefits or tax credits and not in social housing. Ground source heat pumps qualify where they are promoted to those within the Priority Group flexibility group whose homes do not have mains gas supply. Solid wall insulation also qualifies where it lowers the U-value of the walls to 0.5W/m2K or less.
• an uplift of 50 per cent additional energy savings is available on market transformation actions (those not approved under EEC1), which include microgeneration
• Suppliers can also meet a proportion of their obligation through carrying out demonstration projects, to trial new types of measures or customer reactions to information or measures
• Market transformation action and demonstration action combined are capped at 6 per cent of a supplier’s obligation, or 8 per cent if a supplier achieves at least 2 per cent of its target through microgeneration measures.