In plain English

Energy Efficiency & Fuel Switch (Cookstoves)

Energy Efficiency & Fuel Switch (Cookstoves) is a reduction method run by Verra Verified Carbon Standard. People often refer to it by its code, VMR0006. It works in the clean cooking space.

In short

Revision for metered + measured improved-cookstove and fuel-switch projects.

What it is

VMR0006 is a revision of CDM small-scale methodology AMS-II.G that credits energy efficiency and fuel switch measures in thermal applications such as cookstoves, ovens, and dryers, and it must be used together with the latest version of AMS-II.G. The base methodology reduces consumption of non-renewable biomass, and this revision expands the scope to include switching from fossil fuel to renewable biomass. Each credit, issued as a Verified Carbon Unit, represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced. Verra replaced VMR0006 with VM0050 as of 9 October 2024.

What it rewards

The reward is a credit called a Verified Carbon Unit (VCU). One credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere (or taken back out of it). One tonne of CO₂-equivalent verified-and-issued. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.

What gets measured

To earn VCU credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.

  • The baseline: what would most likely have happened to the land or the emissions if the project had not gone ahead.

  • The activity data for the period, with clear units and a clear source for every number.

  • The net result actually achieved, checked by an independent reviewer before any credits are issued.

Who takes part

  • Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.

  • Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.

  • Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.

How it works

  1. 1

    The project team registers the project and its plan.

  2. 2

    An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.

  3. 3

    The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.

  4. 4

    The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.

  5. 5

    Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.

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