CRC energy efficiency scheme

What was the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC Scheme)?

The CRC Scheme was a mandatory emissions trading scheme in the UK that aimed to cut carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy efficiency in large non-energy-intensive public and private sector organisations. Organisations that qualified for the CRC Scheme had to purchase allowances for every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted.

The CRC Scheme was divided into two phases. Within each phase, there was a series of annual compliance years. There was a qualification year before the start of each phase, which enabled organisations to determine whether they needed to participate in that phase of the CRC Scheme.

The first phase of the CRC Scheme (the 'Introductory Phase (Phase 1)') ran from April 2010 to March 2014 and contained different requirements to the subsequent phase of the CRC Scheme. The second (and final) phase of the CRC Scheme ran from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2019 and was confusingly officially named as the Initial Phase. For the sake of clarity, we refer to this phase as the 'Initial Phase (Phase 2)'.

The CRC Scheme was introduced using enabling

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