ENECHANGE enhances its support for the decarbonization of the real estate industry through the use of renewable origin certificates

ENECHANGE has been supporting the decarbonization of companies through the use of FIT Non-Fossil Certificates with Tracking, a specific type of renewable origin certificates, since December 2021. In response to the growing need from the real estate industry for clean electricity, ENECHANGE will enhance its support for the decarbonization of the real estate industry through the sale of FIT Non-Fossil Certificates with Tracking, amongst other measures. The enhanced support for the real estate industry will leverage the customer base of Oberlous Japan Inc. (Oberlous), whose shares were acquired in October 2021.

While previously only electricity retailers were able to purchase FIT Non-Fossil Certificates with Tracking, from December 2021, companies looking to decarbonize will be able to purchase these certificates directly. The use of these renewable origin certificates will allow the real estate industry to respond to the increased demand for renewable energy with more flexibility, such as “for specific tenant use” or “for their own co-ownership”.

Oberlous merged with ENECHANGE in May 2022 after the Company acquired its shares in November 2021. Through the share acquisition, we have strengthened our customer base in the real estate industry and are supporting the decarbonization of the real estate industry in addition to switching electricity through our platform.

Background and Purpose

CO2 emissions in the real estate industry account for about one-third*1 of Japan’s total and are still on the rise, and there is an accelerating trend toward switching to 100% renewable energy for power used in office buildings and commercial facilities. Since occupying companies will automatically be able to use renewable energy power, it will attract companies with high environmental awareness, such as those that need to comply with international standards including RE100. Occupiers will be able to benefit from the certificates, as it may lead to additional markers such as CASBEE*2 certification and GRESB*3 compliance. In addition, the asset size of real estate investment trusts (J-REITs) is increasing year by year, and foreign institutional investors, which hold a large share of the J-REIT market, consider CO2 emission reduction efforts as one of the most important factors in investment decisions.

We will contribute to the decarbonization of the real estate industry through the use of FIT Non-Fossil Certificates with Tracking to the customer base of Oberlous, which has provided energy switching services to over 3,000 properties owned by the real estate industry (developers, property owners, J-REITs, real estate funds, etc.).

*1 Quoted from the website of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
*2 CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) is a building environmental performance evaluation system led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism that comprehensively evaluates the environmental quality and performance of housing, buildings, and urban development and the reduction of their impact on the global environment, and presents evaluation results as easy-to-understand indicators.
*3 GRESB is an abbreviation for Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, a system established in 2009 mainly by major European pension funds to promote ESG considerations for real estate companies and funds.

◎ENECHANGE FIT Non-Fossil Certificate With Tracking website: https://enechange.jp/biz/renewable-energy (Japanese only)

The FIT Non-Fossil Certificate with Tracking is a renewable origin certificate that certifies the value of electricity generated by power sources that generate electricity without using fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which are subject to the Feed-in Tariff Scheme established to promote the spread of renewable energy. FIT Non-Fossil Certificates with Tracking can be used to report and respond to international organizations such as RE100 and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), and can be used to demonstrate externally that your company’s electricity is generated from renewable energy.

About ENECHANGE Ltd.

ENECHANGE is an energy technology company that promotes a carbon-free society through digital technology with the mission of Changing Energy For A Better World. We offer services based on data utilization in the field of the 4Ds of Energy: Deregulation, Digitalization, Decarbonization, and Decentralization. Our company’s roots come from an energy data lab at the University of Cambridge, U.K., a country where liberalization is mature. ENECHANGE has a British subsidiary, SMAP Energy Limited, as well as a global network and analytical technology for energy data.

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