licenses) are eligible for an obligation. The third phase runs from April 2008 to December 2012 and is intended to deliver 185Mt lifetime savings by 2012. United States Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Nevada have adopted Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards that require regulated utilities to meet a certain percentage of their projected power needs through energy efficiency. Utilities must meet their obligations by either reducing their consumers’ energy usage, or by purchasing energy efficiency certificates (white certificates). More states are expected to follow in the near future. There is also a voluntary market where large corporations are purchasing energy efficiency certificates as a way of meeting their corporate commitments to reduce their carbon footprints. Sterling Planet, a market maker in renewable energy certificates (RECs) is also making a market for voluntary purchases of White Tags. Sterling Planet helped develop Connecticut's Energy Efficiency Standard and is presently the only company actively involved in this space. The white certificate concept is an offshoot of the more mature renewable energy credit or "green tag" trading. The market for white certificates is expected to grow larger than the green tag market because it requires less government approval and expense to install energy efficiency measures in factories and commercial buildings than to construct most renewable energy projects. One issue arising is how to avoid allowing customers to "double dip" in white tag and other incentive programs for energy efficiency, such as ISO New England’s forward capacity market and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative3. See also Additionality Energy conservation Ukeep References External links Luis COLASANTE, Conversion des économies d'énergie du programme CEE selon le mode de reporting de la directive ESD, (Mines ParisTech) White Certificates: concept and market experiences, EuroWhiteCert project brochure. EU SAVE 'White and Green' project International Energy Agency/Demand Side Management Task XIV 'Market Mechanisms for White Certificates Trading' IEA/DSM Task XIV Energy Efficiency Credits by RESNET Energy Conservation Credits Launched An article about Sterling Planet's "white tag" program by EnergyVortex.com Neuwing's partnership with IBM An article about an EEC program created by Neuwing, IBM, and ConEd Environmental economics Renewable energy certification Government documents Energy conservation