Carbon reduction commitment

Started in April 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment (recently renamed the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme) is the UK's first mandatory carbon trading scheme. The initial phase of the Carbon Reduction Commitment will be compulsory for organisations that consume over 6,000 MWh (6,000,000 kWh) of half-hourly metered electricity during the period from January 2008 to December 2008. At today's prices, this is roughly equivalent to total half hourly electricity bills of approximately £500,000 per year.
The aim of the Carbon Reduction Commitment is to reduce the level of carbon emissions currently produced by the larger 'low energy-intensive' organisations by approximately 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2020. As a Climate Change Bill commiment, the scheme is aiming for a 60% redution in CO2 emissions by 2050.
The Carbon Reduction Commitment will cover both public and private sector organisations. At present, the carbon reduction scheme is expected to affect approximately 5,000 organisations in the UK. In doing so, it is anticipated that the scheme will affect 25% of total business sector emissions within the UK.
The scheme will work in tandem with the existing European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and Climate Change Agreements. As a result, where emissions have been captured by the EU ETS and CCA, these emissions will not be captured by the CRC. In essence, the CRC is targeted at low energy-intensive users. The Climate Change Bill also sets the enabling powers for the Carbon Reduction Commitment and sets out the role of the Climate Change Committee that will oversee much of the CRC scheme. While the scheme doesn't officially start until April 2010, many organisations will need to make preparations before that date to ensure that they comply with all legal requirements and fully participate in the scheme.