Total Utilities Management Group is excited to announce our registration on the ‘New Zealand Energy Certificate System (NZECS)’ – enabling our clients to support renewable generation and reduce their reportable emissions.
Administered and developed by Certified Energy, NZECS allows energy consumers to offset their reportable electricity related greenhouse gas emissions and support renewable energy by buying New Zealand Energy Certificates (NZ-ECs) to redeem against their consumption.
What are New Zealand Energy Certificates (NZ-ECs)? NZ-ECs show how and when energy was generated, and from where. This information is referred to as a ‘generation attribute.’ NZ-ECs can be traded and transferred from electricity generators to electricity retailers, who can ultimately sell these certificates to energy consumers. Through the purchase of a certificate, a consumer ‘reserves’ that unit of generation as their own – enabling them to make a clear statement about the type of electricity that they support.
This means that Total Utilities can now act as an independent broker of NZ-ECs and can buy and trade certificates on behalf of our customers to support them to invest in 100% renewable energy.
Certificates can be used to report zero-carbon electricity usage in accredited Greenhouse Gas Reporting Programmes and are a competitively priced alternative to carbon offsets that also offer the potential for greater impact.
By using Total Utilities as your independent broker for NZ-ECs, you can also be assured of straightforward, flexible contract terms – regardless of whether your energy use is big or small.
Fully Transparent Reporting
New Zealand is a relatively late adopter of a system of tradable energy certificates. Certificates create supply chain transparency with the attributes of each certificate outlining energy generation source, age of the generator and whether or not the generator is certified net zero carbon.
Electricity purchased directly from the grid in New Zealand comes from sources which are on average 80% renewable, however, depending on where and when it is purchased, the actual makeup of energy being delivered can vary sharply. This means that up until now, consumers of electricity had no way to link their consumption directly with a renewable generator.
Certified Energy’s NZ Energy Certificate System changes all this…
NZ-ECs prove that purchased energy is directly tied to a 100% renewable energy generator. They also allow energy consumers to report zero related greenhouse gas emissions and thus, to invest in a sustainable future for New Zealand.
NZ-ECs not only provide a fully transparent method of reporting, but also incentivise generators of renewable energy, who can sell their energy certificates on the open market. Total Utilities currently manages around half a billion dollars per year of utility contracts on behalf of our clients and sustainability has become a major strategic objective for many of these businesses.
We are fully committed to assisting our clients move towards 100% renewable energy, helping them in their journey towards net zero emissions.
Total Utilities Managing Director, Jonathan Gardiner, reacts to our registration on NZECS…
“We thrive on energy competition, and our registration as a participant in the New Zealand certificate market allows our customers to get the best of both worlds – full energy market competition, and quick sustainability wins with New Zealand Energy Certificates.
“By choosing to only offer NZ-ECs from suppliers which meet the strict Toitū Envirocare compliance criteria, our clients can report zero-carbon electricity usage in accredited GHG programmes, be part of New Zealand’s renewable energy future and meet carbon reduction targets.
“Electricity is a major cost and driver of emissions for many of our clients, so providing an independent service to negotiate energy supply contracts along with NZ-ECs means our clients can choose to take energy supply from any retailer whilst also meeting their sustainability goals.
“The certificates help create a circular economy as sellers of certificates are required to invest the revenue they earn from certificates in new renewable generation or decarbonisation projects. Purchasers of certificates are investing in a sustainable future for New Zealand.”
“By being amongst the first NZ-based participants to register on Certified Energy’s NZ Energy Certificate System, Total Utilities underlines our commitment to providing customers with the most powerful tools in their journey towards adopting renewable energy sources and moving towards net zero emissions.”
- Download the Total Utilities info on renewable energy
- Want to know more about NZ-ECs? Contact us for more information.
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