Organisations will be required to participate in the carbon reduction commitment, if their total half hourly metered electricity exceeds 6,000 MWh from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008. For the purpose of determining the scheme qualification, the government has proposed that the definition of "half hourly metering" will include all meters that monitor electricity consumption on a half hourly basis. To this end, half hourly metering will include voluntary automatic meters that produce half hourly data.

As of January 2009, the required standards for automatic meter reading equipment have not yet been published. However, during summer 2008 the government published draft consultation on the Carbon Reduction Commitment and it is considered that the standards published in that document will not change with regards to Automatic Meter Reading equipment.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment's 90 percent emissions rule, otherwse known as the 'flexible de minimis' rule, requires all particpants to account for at least 90% of their total carbon footprint emissions. The 90% rule aims to focus attention on the largest, and most cost effective, opportunities to reduce carbon emissions.

The 90% emissions rule can include all energy reported through the Climate Change Agreement, European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as all 'Core Sources' of non-transport energy consumption.