ECO meaning

STOP PRESS: From 24 February 2025, the principal provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) take effect. Procurements initiated on or after that date must proceed under PA 2023, while those started under the former regime—the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, the Concession Regulations 2016, and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011—must continue to be conducted and administered in accordance with that legislation. See Practice Note: Introduction to the Procurement Act 2023—PA 2023. PCR 2015 as assimilated law PCR 2015 are EU-derived domestic legislation and therefore constitute assimilated law under sections 2 and 6 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. For practical guidance on the status and interpretation of assimilated law, see Practice Note: Assimilated law...

The Green Deal The Green Deal was a government initiative enabling households and businesses to carry out energy efficiency upgrades to domestic and commercial buildings using a ‘pay-as-you-save’ model. Approved Green Deal providers sourced low-cost finance for the works with no advance payment required. Instead, the cost of the efficiency measures was added to the property’s energy bills and settled in instalments by the energy bill payer, in accordance with the Green Deal Golden Rule, namely that the anticipated monetary savings from the measures would be equal to or exceed the charges applied to the bill. Responsibility for repayment is attached to the property itself, and therefore passes to any new owner or occupier on sale or letting. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which replaced the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme, operated alongside the Green Deal. The Green Deal was brought in across Great Britain by the Energy Act 2011 (EnA 2011) and given effect through various regulations and orders, including the Green Deal...

In this issue: EU fundamentals Commercial Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases March 2024 infringements package The European Commission has unveiled its March 2024 infringements package, highlighting EU Member States it is pursuing for breaches of EU law. It is sending letters of formal notice, issuing reasoned opinions and making referrals to the Court of Justice against Member States including Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovenia, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Netherlands and Croatia, for infringements spanning the environment, internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), migration, home affairs and security union, justice, energy and climate, and mobility and transport. See: LNB News 13/03/2024 51. Council of the EU allows EU to...

Pagden (as Security Trustee under a Security and Intercreditor Deed dated 24 December 2015) and others v Ridgley [2025] EWHC 2674 (Ch) What was the background? Orthios Eco Parks (Anglesey) Ltd and Orthios Power (Anglesey) Ltd (together, the Companies) sat within the Orthios Group. The group obtained capital from Cresta Energy Ltd (Cresta), which put £66m into bonds issued via MPB Eco Parks Ltd (MPB), and from between 300 and 400 retail investors who subscribed £36.4m of bonds. Those bonds were backed by fixed and floating charges over land granted by the Companies, with all such security vested in Mr Colin, as security trustee, under a Security Trust Deed. On 25 March 2022, after an event of default, Mr Colin used his qualifying floating charge to appoint Mr Ridgley as administrator of the Companies. He did so without consulting Cresta beforehand. In late April 2022, Mr Colin executed a letter authorising Mr Ridgley’s sale of the land subject to the fixed charges and agreeing the following: remuneration to Mr...

In this issue: Arbitration in England & Wales International arbitration Institutional and ad hoc arbitration Sector- and industry-specific arbitration Other arbitration and ADR-related news and developments Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Arbitration in England & Wales Diverging paths? English courts restrict assignment of ICSID awards in contrast to other major enforcement venues On 10 November 2025, the High Court of England and Wales issued a notable ruling in OperaFund Eco-Invest & Schwab Holding v Spain [2025] EWHC 2874 (Comm), determining that an ICSID award made under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is not capable of assignment to third parties. This new approach to assignability may add further complexity to the enforcement of ICSID awards in England—a forum that has been receptive to ICSID enforcement (including proceedings against Spain)—and could influence the secondary market for investing in the recovery of arbitral awards. In this news analysis, the Freshfields team explore...

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. What is the ECO? The ECO is an energy efficiency obligation requiring major energy suppliers to deliver improvements in existing domestic properties. It provides support and funding of around £640m each year (at 2017 prices). Working alongside the domestic green deal, it concentrates on installing energy efficiency measures in low income households and areas, as well as homes that are harder to treat. The ECO superseded earlier domestic schemes aimed at cutting carbon and achieving energy savings—the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme. Relieving fuel poverty and contributing to fuel poverty targets Lowering carbon emissions Reducing the cost of meeting the UK’s renewable energy target by promoting energy efficiency Encouraging innovation within the industry The legislative basis for the ECO comes from Chapter 4 of the Energy Act 2011, which empowers the Secretary of State to set targets for reductions in carbon emissions and...

What is a legal register? A legal register is the documented outcome of a process through which an organisation seeks to evidence compliance with applicable legislation. The calibre of legal registers varies, based on the compliance approach adopted and the: rationale scope (ie types of issues, types of requirements, etc) input from those with the necessary technical expertise documentation evidencing compliance They can range from a simple catalogue of legislation to more comprehensive spreadsheets containing details of: the scope of the legal obligations imposed how those obligations apply to the organisation the relevant ‘aspects’ affected, eg cardboard, flooding, treatment plant, etc the appropriate regulator who within the organisation holds responsibility for demonstrating compliance any specific controls that have been implemented compliance, eg any relevant authorisations and records the revision history Organisations develop legal registers as part of their compliance process. The drivers for adopting this process are...

NIS 2 Directive Relentless digitalisation of society and the economy has heightened organisations’ exposure to cyber-attacks. To respond, the EU adopted Directive (EU) 2022/2555 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity throughout the Union, known as the Network and Information Security Directive, the NIS 2 Directive or simply NIS 2. This framework places broad governance and incident-notification duties on sectors designated as critical. It replaces Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (the NIS Directive) from 18 October 2024, which took effect in 2016. Consequently, cybersecurity benchmarks for in-scope organisations rise markedly. Member States had to transpose NIS 2 into national law by 17 October 2024, so organisations were expected to ready themselves for compliance during 2023/24. Where available, national transposition texts can be found on the EUR‑Lex website. Compared with its predecessor, NIS 2 broadens its reach to additional sectors and subsectors, notably in technology, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics...

1 The decision is unlawful under section 6 of the Human Rights Act (section 84(1)(c) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002). 1.1 For the purposes of article 8(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), the entry clearance officer’s (ECO) decision is unlawful because it fails to comply with the partner entry clearance requirements in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. 1.1.1 The decision disregards pertinent evidence demonstrating the genuine nature of the relationship, notably extensive telephone contact, photographs, and letters of support from friends and family that were submitted. Paragraph E-ECP.2.6 of the Immigration Rules is met. ...

UK Within the UK, Defra leads the development of new regulations arising from initial studies that prioritise gains in energy efficiency. These rules are policed by the National Measurement Office (NMO). EU Ecodesign and energy-using requirements The European EuP Directive 2005/32/EC acted as a framework, with precise performance benchmarks and test methods defined in accompanying implementing measures and regulations. It was later replaced by the Eco-Design Directive 2009/125/EC. In the UK, the 2005 Directive was transposed via the Ecodesign for Energy-Using Products 2007, SI 2007/2037, which was in turn revoked by the Eco-Design for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2617. The 2010 Regulations transpose Directive 2009/125/EC into UK law, aiming to enhance product environmental performance across the whole life cycle by embedding environmental considerations at the earliest stages of design. The EU is setting minimum energy and environmental performance standards for more than twenty product groups, including lighting. Detailed technical provisions appear in the regulations, while the Market Transformation Programme (MTP) offers further information and the evidence...