Energy and climate change consultancy AEA has won a contract from O2 to help it prepare for the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC), which begins this April.

AEA is working with O2's management team to prepare all of the necessary data required for registration under the scheme and will be working over the next year to prepare a complete CRC footprint report and evidence pack.

This follows initial work in 2009, where AEA conducted an assessment of O2's liabilities under the CRC and devised an action plan for the organisation to ensure that it would be ready to capitalise on the opportunities the CRC will provide. These include lower energy bills and an improved business reputation.

AEA is the principal technical adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the CRC scheme, and is currently working with a portfolio of over 20 clients to address a range of strategic and practical measures in preparation of the scheme's launch.

The work delivered by AEA will ensure that O2 can focus on implementing energy saving measures such as the installation of automatic metering across all sites. It draws on AEA's experience in CRC reporting to ensure O2 achieves the best possible outcome from its involvement in the scheme.

O2 is a complex organisation with many different types of site, including franchisee arrangements and sites with shared ownership. AEA has helped O2 to establish which of these sites fall within its CRC obligations, thus providing an accurate picture of the ‘value at stake' and the potential recycle payments it can expect to receive.