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The Energy Savings Certificates (ECC) scheme is a cornerstone of the Group's energy efficiency policy. energy consumption management to achieve national targets.
Because of its organization and the establishment of an EWC market, it can be compared to the greenhouse gas quota trading scheme (with the difference that the latter is set up at European level, whereas the EWC scheme is set up at national level only).
How the CEE scheme works
The CEE scheme, introduced by the law of July 13, 2005, is based primarily on an energy savings obligation imposed on "obligated" players.
These "obligated parties" are :
- Persons releasing motor fuels or heating oil for consumption above a certain sales threshold;
- Persons selling energy (electricity, gas, heat, etc.) to end consumers above a certain sales threshold.
All obligated parties are subject to an energy savings obligation. To do so, they must implement actions to achieve these savings:
- Or directly on their activities;
- Or through its customers, by encouraging them to make their own energy savings.
Other important players in this mechanism are the beneficiaries of actions (and in particular the customers of "obligés" - industries, individuals, etc.) aimed at obtaining CEE, who do not receive CEE directly.
Indeed, only "obliged" players (but also "eligible" players - mainly local authorities and public-sector entities) can collect these CEE by proving the "active and incentive" role they have played with the beneficiary of the energy-saving actions.
However, these beneficiaries can take advantage of the targets set for "obligated parties" to finance part of their energy-saving work, pay a bonus for the purchase of more energy-efficient equipment, etc.
Implementing the system
To obtain CEE, "obligated parties" must either acquire them on the market, or carry out energy-saving operations as part of eligible actions. The various eligible actions are as follows:
- Standardized operations. These actions, which concern standard operations, carry a fixed CEE value. Standardized sheets, organized by sector (residential, tertiary, etc.) specify the sector of application, the content of the operation and the conditions for issuing CEE ;
- Specific operations not covered by a standard operation sheet;
- Contribution to energy-saving certificate programs. In this context, certificates are issued for actions that do not directly result in energy efficiency gains.
A regular monitoring of the decrees listing standardized operation sheets and programs enables us to measure the scope of operations that can be carried out within the CEE framework.
Once the energy-saving actions have been carried out, obligated parties (and "eligible" players) can apply for CEE to be issued within a certain timeframe, by submitting a file to the Minister in charge of Energy.
The EECs obtained are then recorded in the national register of energy-saving certificates.
Controls and penalties
At the end of each period (and in particular at the end of the 5th period running from January1, 2022 to December 31, 2025), obligated parties must hold a sufficient number of CEE to justify compliance with their energy savings target.
Failing this, and after formal notice, the "obliged party" is liable to a financial penalty.
Similarly, to ensure that CEE is not obtained fraudulently, controls have been gradually introduced over the years.
Illustration credit: 557915959 @Oleg