Introducing metered cooking device carbon credit ratings

What makes metered cooking devices unique?

The key factor distinguishing metered cooking devices from other cookstoves is their ability to directly track the amount of fuel or energy consumed by the device. This tracking can occur in real-time via an in-built meter, gauge, sensor or data logger that collects information about the amount of fuel or electricity used during the device’s operation. Alternatively, metering can occur via fuel sales data, which must be trackable to individual stoves. In such cases, fuel sales data can be tracked using the fuel purchase receipts of end users, each identifiable with a unique tracking number.

These methods tend to be technology-intensive with improved precision compared to other traditional methods. For example, many cookstove carbon projects estimate fuel consumption based on user surveys, stove efficiencies and/or default values. This often translates to a greater risk of over-crediting, as the assumptions, standard factors, or user-reported data can be inaccurate.

What methodologies are used to measure metered cooking device project emissions?

Gold Standard’s Methodology for Metered & Measured Cooking Devices defines metered cooking devices as “modern energy cooking appliances that directly measure in real-time the amount of energy or fuel used in the project scenario.” Gold Standard approved this methodology in October 2021, and it went into effect in January 2022, with two projects currently issuing carbon credits and several more validated.

The methodology encompasses many technologies, including gasification pellet stoves, solar electric cookstoves, electric pressure cookers, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves and more. To be eligible under Gold Standard’s Methodology for Metered & Measured Cooking Devices, project devices must have an efficiency of at least 40%, which is higher than the efficiency requirement from other cookstove methodologies (typically 20% to 25% minimum efficiency for improved cookstoves).

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