You suddenly see it everywhere: ERE certificates, home charging, a few cents per kWh, easy money. Sounds tidy. Charge the car at home, send over the numbers, collect the reward.
That is exactly where people get tripped up.
Because the calculation behind ERE is actually the easy part. The hard part is the proof. Who measured the power? Was it really delivered to transport? Is the connection registered correctly? And can anyone show that the same kWh was not claimed twice? That is why this topic feels simple from the outside and strangely bureaucratic the moment you get closer.
First things first: what is an ERE?
ERE stands for Emissiereductie-eenheid. In plain English: one administrative unit that represents one kilogram of CO₂-equivalent chain emission reduction compared with a fossil reference.
So no, it is not a cashback coupon. It is not a loyalty point either. It is part of a regulated system for renewable energy for transport.
That distinction matters. People often talk about ERE as if it is a bonus on your charger. It is not. The system rewards verifiable emission reduction linked to transport. Your charger is only one small part of that chain.
How is an ERE calculated for electricity?
For electricity, the official ERE formula is more fixed than many websites make it sound:
Number of ERE = delivered electricity [kWh] x renewable share [%] x 183 [g/MJ] x 3.6 [MJ/kWh] / 1000
In normal language, that means this:
- Delivered electricity [kWh] is the amount of electricity that can actually be shown to have gone to transport.
- Renewable share [%] is not just whatever feels green. In normal household situations, this is based on the official grid average.
- 183 g/MJ is the fossil reference value used in this system for electricity.
- 3.6 MJ/kWh is just a conversion factor.
- /1000 converts grams into kilograms.
Not glamorous. Just arithmetic.
Quick example
Say your charger delivered 2,000 kWh in a year, and the applicable renewable share is 50%.
Then the calculation becomes:
2,000 x 0.50 x 183 x 3.6 / 1000 = 658.8 ERE
That means 658.8 kilograms of CO₂-equivalent chain emission reduction within the official rules.
This is also where another misunderstanding pops up. People assume that their green electricity contract, or the fact they have solar panels, automatically changes this result. In ordinary household ERE registration, that is usually not how it works. The household setup still needs to fit the formal rules, and the inbooking itself typically uses the grid-average renewable share.
So why can you not just register it yourself?
Fair question. If the formula is known, why not just enter your own annual kWh and be done with it?
Because ERE registration is not only a math exercise. It is a control exercise.
The system needs an accountable party that can prove:
- the connection belongs to the right person or business,
- the measured electricity actually went to transport,
- the metering setup meets the rules,
- and the same electricity is not being claimed elsewhere as well.
That is why private users cannot simply open a spreadsheet and "book in" their own charging sessions. For self-registration, the threshold is very high: 2 million kWh per year. Smaller businesses below that threshold, and private individuals, have to work through an inboekdienstverlener.
And yes, that already tells you something important: this system was not built around casual DIY administration at home.
Which conditions usually matter for home charging?
This is where things go from abstract to practical.
In many home situations, these are the points that decide whether your charging can be registered properly:
1. The charging must be measured properly
The amount being claimed must come from a valid metered delivery point. If the connection is not exclusively used for transport, a MID-certified meter is usually needed on the charger. In some specific setups, an exclusive allocation point can also solve that problem.
That sounds technical because it is technical. There is no way around that.
2. The connection has to be on the right name
For private users, the official registration of the connection matters. Not your energy app. Not a friendly email. Not "but I pay the bills." The formal EAN-side registration is leading.
This is exactly the sort of detail people only notice after they thought they were already done.
3. You work with one inboekdienstverlener at a time
Private users register through an inboekdienstverlener, and that contract is tied to at least a full calendar year. Switching halfway through the year is not the normal setup.
So when someone says "just connect and we'll sort it out later," that should make at least one eyebrow go up.
The practical mistake people make most often
Oddly enough, the biggest mistake is usually not the formula.
It is handing over control of the charger too easily.
Once reimbursement, billing, or another external service enters the picture, people often connect their charger into one fixed technical route and only later discover what that means. Maybe changing provider gets messy. Maybe settings end up living in the wrong platform. Maybe the charger is suddenly much less flexible than it was before.
That is why the useful question is not only "How many ERE do I get?"
It is also: "What happens to my charger setup after I connect this service?"
Where Plugchoice fits in
Plugchoice does not define the ERE rules. The authorities do.
What Plugchoice does help with is the layer around your charger: keeping your setup manageable, keeping home charging flexible, and avoiding unnecessary lock-ins when you need external backoffice or reimbursement services around your charger.
That matters more than it sounds.
Because once the ERE side is arranged, you still want the basic things to remain sane: insight into your charger, freedom to connect services, and room to change course later without rebuilding everything from scratch. That is very much in line with how Plugchoice approaches home charging and backoffice freedom.
The short version
ERE is not magic. It is a regulated way of valuing measured emission reduction from electricity delivered to transport.
The formula is fixed. The proof is the hard part.
So if you want the cleanest mental model, use this one:
- ERE is about verifiable electricity delivered to transport
- home setups need the right metering and registration
- private users do not self-register; they use an inboekdienstverlener
- and the technical route you choose around your charger still matters
That last point is easy to underestimate. Right until it becomes annoying.
If you are sorting out home charging and want to keep flexibility around your charger and connected services, start there first. The paperwork is one thing. Being stuck later is another.