A CAE application is easier to manage when the paperwork is designed alongside the technical project. Trying to reconstruct the previous installation after it has been removed often creates avoidable gaps. The exact route depends on whether the action follows a standardised catalogue measure or requires a non-standardised calculation, but both routes need a defined baseline, evidence that the work occurred and a defensible estimate of final-energy savings.
Screen the project before procurement
Begin by describing the site, existing equipment, proposed action, energy source, operating conditions and expected completion date. Compare that description with the current CAE catalogue and its scope conditions. A similar technology name is not enough: capacity limits, required performance, replaced equipment, dates or excluded situations may determine whether a measure applies.
Record the decision in a short eligibility note. It should name the proposed catalogue code or explain why a non-standardised route is being considered, identify unresolved questions and list the evidence needed before dismantling. This note is not an approval, but it helps prevent procurement choices that conflict with the calculation method.
Define parties and rights
Map every role at the outset: savings owner, property owner, project client, installer, technical adviser, authorised scheme participant and verifier. One organisation may perform more than one permitted function, but the file and contracts should not blur who is responsible for technical claims, document collection, verification or submission.
The transfer or assignment of savings rights requires careful reading. Check the identified project, period and installations; whether the assignment is exclusive; how consideration is determined; and whether the owner must provide further evidence. Confirm that signatories have authority to bind companies or communities of owners. Resolve competing assignments before submission.
Build the evidence file
A typical file may contain identity and representation records, site details, the CAE agreement or private energy-savings transfer contract, invoices, proof of payment, technical data sheets, serial numbers, installation or commissioning certificates, photographs and the savings calculation. Depending on the measure, it may also require energy bills, operating records, disposal evidence, plans, meter data or declarations.
Use a document register with four fields: required item, responsible person, due date and status. Give files stable names and retain originals where appropriate. Photographs should show context as well as labels; an isolated equipment plate may prove the model but not where or when it was installed.
Calculate, verify and submit
For a standardised measure, apply the official formula and required inputs without substituting convenient assumptions. For a non-standardised action, document the baseline, boundaries, adjustments, data sources and measurement plan in enough detail for an independent reviewer to reproduce the result. Keep units consistent and separate final energy from primary energy, cost or emissions.
Verification tests the claimed saving and supporting evidence; it is not a formality. Questions or corrections may arise if records conflict or an input cannot be traced. Only an actor legally authorised under the CAE rules may request issuance through the applicable administrative route. Submission does not itself guarantee issuance, so the contract should account for possible adjustments.
Final quality-control checklist
Before handover, confirm that names, tax identifiers, addresses, dates, invoice references, models and capacities agree across documents. Recalculate formulas, check unit conversions and make sure photographs correspond to the invoiced equipment. Verify that signatures are complete and that the rights holder has not assigned the same savings elsewhere.
Keep a controlled copy of the submitted package and a record of later clarifications. Do not alter source documents to make them match; explain legitimate discrepancies with traceable evidence. Requirements can change, so validate the catalogue version, forms and procedural rules applicable when the file is prepared.