The ESS Rule has expanded to include new fuels in addition to electricity and gas. These fuels can be used for fuel switching activities in the Project Impact Assessment with Measurement and Verification (PIAM&V) method and Metered Baseline Methods (MBM).
The fuels eligible for fuel switching activities include:
- electricity
- gas – natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas
- diesel – petroleum-based fuel as defined in the Biofuels Act 2007
- biomass – organic matter other than fossilised organic matter
- biogas – gaseous fuel derived or recovered from biomass
- biofuels – liquid fuel from biomass, including biodiesel and ethanol
- on-site renewable fuels – energy generated on site, such as solar and wind.
Activities that involve switching to another fuel may be used to create energy savings certificates (ESCs) provided the activity meets certain requirements. Among other things the fuel switching activity:
- must reduce consumption of one or more of the fuels listed above
- cannot reduce consumption of the fuel by increasing consumption of non-renewable fuels (other than electricity) to provide equivalent goods or services. This means a project that switches to gas or diesel from another of the fuels above cannot be used to create ESCs
- must not increase greenhouse gas emissions.
The below figure may assist potential applicants for accreditation to determine if a proposed fuel switching project is eligible to be treated as a RESA under the ESS.