About the scheme

The Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) scheme ran from 2002 to 2005 and the second scheme (EEC2) ran from 2005 to 2008. The forerunner of EEC was the Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance (EESoP), which ran from 1994 to 2002. EESoP1, EESoP2 and EESoP3 ran respectively from 1994 to 1998, 1998 to 2000 and 2000 to 2002.

EESoP was jointly developed and managed by Ofgem (initially the Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER) and the Energy Saving Trust.

EEC, while differing in several important ways, built on the success and basic methodology of EESoP.

Both EEC and EESoP had an emphasis on disadvantaged customers. The majority of measures in EESoP1 and around two thirds of supplier expenditure in EESoP2 and EESoP3 focused on disadvantaged customers. Similarly, EEC2 had a requirement for at least 50 per cent of the target to be met in relation to Priority Group consumers, defined as those in receipt of certain income-related benefits and tax credits.

Ofgem’s role was to monitor compliance with the scheme requirements including the level of savings and the way in which these were achieved.