In this article
- The definition
- Why an ERE is not a certificate
- The six ERE types
- The sector codes
- How an ERE comes into being
- Frequently asked questions
The definition
The NEa defines an ERE like this: “1 ERE represents 1 kg CO2eq emission reduction across the chain relative to an EU-set fossil reference value.”
That sentence packs in three things that all matter:
- CO₂-equivalent, not CO₂. This measure accounts for several greenhouse gases and converts their impact into a comparable amount of CO₂. So it is not carbon dioxide alone.
- Across the chain. It covers greenhouse gas emissions over the whole fuel chain, not just what comes out of the tailpipe.
- Against a fossil reference value. An ERE always measures a difference: how much emission is avoided relative to an EU-set reference value? For electricity, that reference value is 183 g CO₂eq/MJ. That comparison is needed to determine how much emission is actually avoided.
Why an ERE is not a certificate
An emission reduction unit is not paper, not a document and not proof of anything. It is a unit held in an account in the REV, comparable to the balance on your bank account. Yet the market often still calls it an ERE credit or certificate. The reason is that an ERE is something you can own and pass on, just like a certificate. So it is understandable that the term stuck, even though the word “certificate” does not appear anywhere in the NEa’s official sources.
That distinction is not pedantry. Describing an ERE as a certificate suggests a document with a legal status of its own. What actually exists is a registration: the charging session itself has no market value, but the registered and validated unit that comes out of it does.
The six ERE types
EREs are not all the same. There are six types, split by energy carrier, each with its own registration unit.
| ERE type | Energy carrier / fuel |
|---|---|
| ERE-E | Renewable electricity delivered to transport |
| ERE-G | Advanced biofuels (feedstocks from Annex IX, Part A) |
| ERE-R | RFNBOs: renewable hydrogen and renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as e-fuels |
| ERE-B | Biofuels from Annex IX, Part B (used vegetable and animal oils and fats) |
| ERE-C | Conventional biofuels from agricultural and energy crops |
| ERE-O | Other biofuels; for 2026 also the converted HBE-Os |
Worth knowing: ERE-R stands only for RFNBOs, so renewable hydrogen and e-fuels. Other fuels, such as biofuels, have their own ERE type. This is often misread.
Minimum and maximum amounts can apply to some biofuel types. For EREs, no sub-targets (minimums) or limits (maximums) apply within the fuel transition obligation.
The sector codes
Every ERE also carries a sector code showing which transport sector the reduction counts in: LRE for land, BRE for inland shipping and ZRE for maritime.
EREs above the saving limit (the maximum number of EREs you may carry into the next year) expire after the annual close on 1 April. An ERE-E for the land sector (LRE-E), for instance, cannot be used in other sectors either.
How an ERE comes into being
In short: whoever delivers renewable energy to transport can have the delivered kWh registered. After validation, the corresponding EREs are credited to an account in the REV. From there, these EREs can be traded on the market, for example to fuel suppliers that need them to meet their sustainability obligations.
You can read more about registering EREs, including the thresholds and required evidence, in ERE registration. What changed in 2026 compared with the HBE system is in HBE vs. ERE. Want the full overview? Read what ERE credits are.
What Voltico does for you here
Voltico registers your supplied kWh as EREs in the REV, validates the underlying data and sells them to fuel suppliers that need them. You authorise us once; the rest follows automatically.