The short version
An Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) is a digital record that proves a specific amount of energy was saved, generated, or shifted by a distributed energy resource. Each certificate carries a unique serial number, is tied to real data, and tracks three attributes: energy, capacity, and carbon.
EACs are the unit of exchange for distributed energy. They allow the value created by a heat pump, a solar installation, or a demand response event to be measured, certified, and transferred to a buyer, all with a complete audit trail.
How EACs differ from RECs
Most people in energy markets are familiar with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). EACs were designed to address several limitations of the REC framework.
| REC | EAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Attributes | Single (renewable generation) | Three: energy, capacity, carbon |
| Granularity | Annual or monthly | Hourly |
| What it tracks | Generation only | Generation, savings, and demand reduction |
| Verification | Self-reported or periodically audited | Meter-based, continuous M&V |
| Resource types | Renewable generation (solar, wind) | All DERs including efficiency, electrification, storage, and demand response |
The most important difference is scope. RECs only cover renewable generation. EACs cover the full range of distributed energy resources: energy efficiency retrofits, heat pump installations, battery storage, demand response, and solar. Any resource that delivers measurable energy, capacity, or carbon value can generate EACs.
The three attributes
Each EAC carries data on three dimensions of value:
Energy. How many kilowatt-hours were saved or generated? This is the most straightforward attribute. A heat pump that reduces consumption by 500 kWh in a month generates certificates reflecting that savings.
Capacity. When did the savings occur relative to grid peak demand? This is measured by GridScore, which captures the percentage of savings during the top 10% of demand hours. A resource that delivers most of its value during peak periods is worth more to grid reliability than one with savings spread evenly across all hours.
Carbon. How much CO2 was avoided? CarbonScore measures kilograms of CO2 avoided per MWh, factoring in local grid emissions intensity and, for fuel-switching assets, the fuel being replaced.
These three attributes together give a complete picture of what a distributed energy resource actually delivers.
How EACs are created
The process has two steps: verification and certification.
First, a measurement and verification (M&V) engine analyzes real data to quantify what happened. It builds a statistical baseline of what energy consumption would have been without the resource, compares it to actual post-intervention consumption, and calculates the verified difference. This happens continuously, not as a periodic audit.
Second, the verified results are issued as certificates in a registry. Each certificate gets a unique serial number. The registry tracks ownership and prevents double-counting: once a certificate is retired (claimed by a buyer), it cannot be transferred or claimed again.
At WattCarbon, Aristotle handles the verification step and WEATS (the WattCarbon Energy Attribute Tracking System) handles the certification and registry.
Why hourly granularity matters
Traditional RECs are typically annual or monthly. This means a certificate for “1 MWh of solar generation in January” tells you nothing about when that generation actually occurred.
Hourly EACs change this. They allow precise matching between when energy was produced or saved and when it was consumed. This matters for two reasons:
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Grid value varies by hour. A kilowatt-hour saved during a summer afternoon peak is worth far more to grid reliability than one saved at 3 AM. Hourly certificates capture this.
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Credible claims require temporal matching. If a corporation claims to be “100% clean energy,” hourly certificates prove that claim hour by hour, not just on an annual average basis.
Who uses EACs
Energy service providers (developers, ESCOs, aggregators) generate EACs by enrolling their assets in an M&V platform. The certificates become portable proof of their portfolio’s performance that they can bring to any deal.
Utilities and CCAs use EACs to verify that DER programs are delivering claimed results, count distributed resources toward resource adequacy, and design performance-based incentive structures.
Large energy consumers (data centers, corporations) retire EACs to back sustainability claims, demonstrate community energy investment, and prove the impact of their clean energy commitments at hourly granularity.
Getting started
Any distributed energy resource with meter data can generate EACs. The process starts with enrolling assets in a verification platform that can analyze the data, calculate verified savings or generation, and issue certificates through a registry.