Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) Programme
Information about the programme, including how to register a Combined Heat and Power scheme for certification online using the Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance portal.
Update: 2 September 2025
A new Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) self-assessment submission portal is now available.
You need to log on to the new portal to register with the CHPQA scheme and use it to submit your self-assessment for certification for your next submission - see the section Registering with CHPQA.
We are updating these pages and any linked guidance.
The legacy CHPQA digital service is now redundant, and you no longer need to complete the following forms:
- F1 - to register with the CHPQA programme
- F2 or F2(s) - to provide a description of CHP schemes to be self-assessed where already commissioned
- F3 or F3(s) - self-assessment for proposed or predicted, new or upgraded CHP Schemes
- F4 or F4(s) - self-assessment for actual performance data for existing schemes for the previous calendar year
If you have any questions, please contact the CHPQA Programme.
About the programme
If your organisation uses Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology, you may be entitled to various financial incentives.
CHP, also known as cogeneration, is the simultaneous generation of heat and power in a single process. It is a cost-effective approach for making carbon savings and an efficient way of generating your business or organisation’s energy demands.
Energy management, including monitoring, reporting and audits, can help your organisation to:
- improve its energy efficiency
- reduce operating costs
- demonstrate commitment to environmental sustainability
You can register and submit a CHP system for certification through the CHPQA portal - see Registering with CHPQA and assessment.
Certification benefits and eligibility
Successful CHPQA certification can provide eligibility for a range of incentives including:
- exemption from the main rates of Climate Change Levy (CCL) and fuel-oil duty
- exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) (heat relief) tax
- exemption from business rates of power generating plant and machinery
The following pages provide more guidance about application, programme eligibility and certification criteria:
- the complete list of potential CHP incentives, including links to application guidance
- CHPQA Standard
- the simple guides to CHPQA
How certification works: Registering with CHPQA and assessment
Register your CHP scheme and submit your self-assessment for certification
A CHP scheme can have multiple configurations based on whether site boilers or other equipment are included. The CHPQA boundary is the method a Responsible Person (the person registered with the administrator as responsible for the operation of a scheme) uses to specify which equipment / section of the plant is part of the CHP scheme. This boundary is an imaginary line drawn around the prime mover (s) and any essential plant or equipment to be included. The CHPQA boundary must be illustrated on a Scheme Line Diagram (SLD) when submitting to CHPQA.
More information is available in the simple guides to CHPQA with full details in the CHPQA Guidance Notes.
The information you provide about your scheme gets assessed against the CHPQA Standard.
The CHPQA assessment will evaluate the quality of your CHP based on a 2-step process:
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If your scheme achieves a power efficiency of at least 20%, then all of the fuel will qualify for exemption on the main rates of CCL. Otherwise, the quantity of fuel qualifying is scaled back.
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Then a value called the Quality Index (QI) is calculated, derived from the CHP scheme’s overall efficiency, capacity and fuel types. CHPs with a QI less than a threshold value are partially qualified, while those greater than threshold are fully qualified. Threshold levels are dependent on certain stages of plant development and operation.
Partial or full scheme qualification determines the extent of CCL and CPS tax exemption on the consumption of electricity generated by the CHP.
The Standard sets out the CHPQA methodology, definitions, thresholds, and criteria for ‘Good Quality’ certification. There are currently 3 issues of the Standard (Issue 5, 6 and 7) and applicants will need to identify which issue of the Standard is applicable to their specific Scheme situation - see the CHPQA Standard for more detail.
Using certificates to claim exemptions and incentives
CHPQA certificates can be used to access a range of incentives. The incentives available for your scheme will depend on the specifics of your CHP system setup, for example the type of input fuel and scheme performance.
More detailed instructions on how a CHPQA certificate can be used to apply for exemptions and incentives can be found under the CHPQA guidance notes (GN40 to GN49).
Scheme management and renewal
CHPQA certificates last for one calendar year and expire at the end of December each year. We strongly recommend that new self-assessments are submitted before the end of March, to ensure there is enough time for processing ahead of the end of June deadline for tax purposes.
CHPQA cannot backdate certificates, and any submissions sent to CHPQA after the end of March may be at risk of not being processed and certified by the end of June deadline. This means entitlement to CCL exemption will be removed from the beginning of the calendar year up until the time a new Secretary of State CHP exemption certificate, also known as an SoS (CHP Exemption) certificate, is issued.
To renew an existing certificate, you need to use the CHPQA online portal to provide performance data from your CHP scheme from the previous calendar year, and any other information required by scheme assessors.
Refer to the CHPQA guidance notes for more information about certification renewal steps and requirements.
Manage existing schemes and certificates
You can access your existing registered CHP schemes online by signing into the CHPQA portal.
With the CHPQA portal you can:
- view a list of all the schemes you’ve submitted, including their latest certification status
- look at the details behind your individual scheme, within its submission cycle
- complete the annual self-assessment process to renew certification for a scheme
- register and submit a new scheme self-assessment for certification
- view latest messages and updates from the programme
Contact
CHPQA helpline
Phone: 01235 75 3004
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (except public holidays)
General enquiries
CHPQA Programme
The CHPQA Administrator
The Gemini Building
Fermi Avenue
Didcot
OX11 0QR
Email: chpqainfo@chpqa.com
Updates to this page
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Added link to new portal for managing Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance programme submissions.
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Link added to the latest (2023) CHPQA workshop.
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A link has been provided to the presentations delivered at the latest CHPQA workshops held in November 2019.
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The 2019 CHPQA workshop events have been announced and the associated event registration form attached.
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CHPQA Workshop and Seminar 2018 presentation have been published.
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CHPQA workshop and seminar 2018 announced
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CHPQA Event presentations are published.
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November 2017 events announced.
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CHP Case Studies have been uploaded
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CHPQA workshop and presentations have been uploaded
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CHPQA events in November
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Published CHPQA workshop and seminar presentations
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Additional date for the CHPQA Event
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CHPQA Events date has been changed.
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CHPQA Event announced
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First published.