Booking service provider and verifier: who does what in ERE registration?

When you dive into ERE registration, you quickly encounter a few roles that look suspiciously similar. Booking service provider, verifier, backoffice, sometimes also "register", "NEa", "audit". Sounds like a simple kWh meter is being transformed into half an accountant's audit.

And honestly, it kind of feels that way too.

But there is logic to it. Not because it needs to be complicated, but because ERE certificates have value and are therefore fraud-sensitive. If nobody checks, the system becomes worthless within a week. That's why there's a chain of parties, each carrying a slightly different piece of responsibility.

Here's what you actually want to know, without policy language.

First, the idea behind ERE registration

EREs aren't a "bonus" that someone hands out for free. It's administrative proof that emission reduction was achieved by supplying electricity to transport. That reduction can be sold to parties who need it.

So money is involved. And as soon as money is involved, someone needs to be able to demonstrate that the foundation is correct. Otherwise, you could theoretically produce endless "kWh's" with an Excel spreadsheet and a clever photo editor.

That's exactly where the booking service provider and verifier come in.

What a booking service provider actually does

A booking service provider is the party that "books" your kWh's into the register. Sounds like they're just pressing a button. In reality, they're mainly a kind of project manager for evidence.

What they concretely do:

They arrange that they can act on your behalf. This happens through an authorization, because you as the connection owner can't just let anyone use your data and rights. Without authorization, they can do nothing.

They link the correct connection (EAN) to the correct person. Sounds boring, but this is where things often go wrong. Name on the energy bill, data in the connection register - it all needs to match. Otherwise, a booking can be rejected later.

They collect charging data. This can be done manually (export, meter readings, files) or automatically via a backoffice connection. The method differs per party, but the goal is always the same. They need a dataset that demonstrably represents your deliveries to transport.

They check whether the measurement setup even qualifies. For home charging, this often comes down to one simple question: is there a measurement point that meets the requirements? Think of MID in or at the charger, or an exclusively metered allocation point. Which construction can and cannot "participate" differs per year and transition period, and that's exactly why you shouldn't blindly trust marketing claims.

They calculate the EREs and submit the booking. This is where the formula comes into play. But note, this is usually not the most exciting part. The real risk is almost always in the quality of the data and evidence, not in the calculation.

They sell the EREs (or have that done) and pay out. Some booking service providers sell themselves, others through a trading partner. You often don't see much of this. You mainly see the result, and of course the costs and commission.

And that last point is exactly why transparency is such a big deal. The booking service provider determines not only the administration but also a large part of your "net revenue" through timing, fees, and conditions.

Why you can't do it yourself (and why that's the case)

Many people think: I have a MID meter, I have kWh's, I can just register, right?

The problem isn't that you can't understand it. The problem is that the system isn't built on "I promise this is correct." The system is built on parties that are held accountable. And that accountability is legally and organizationally much heavier than it seems.

A booking service provider can be audited, held accountable, and in the worst case excluded. An individual home charger cannot. That's why there's a threshold for self-booking, and that's why it works for households through such a service provider.

And then the verifier. What exactly do they do?

The verifier is the party that checks the booking service provider. Not you. Not your charger. But the entire chain of "how does this party get this data and why is it reliable."

You can see it as an independent auditor, but specifically for EREs. Verifiers must be accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA).

What a verifier does, in normal human language:

They check whether the administrative chain is correct. So whether there are valid authorizations, whether EANs and names match, whether the data is traceable.

They assess whether the measurement data is plausible and consistent. No science fiction, just simple checks. Are there strange spikes? Do totals match counter-data? Is the measurement setup logical? Is there reason to assume double counting?

They look at whether the party performs the right checks. It's not just about your charger, but about the process. The verifier wants to see that the booking service provider works structurally, not ad hoc.

And ultimately they give the green light or not. If the verifier rejects the booking, those kWh's are simply worthless for ERE in practice. That's also why "cowboy risk" really exists here, but not in the way it's often claimed. It's not a drama story. It's just simple. If a party doesn't have their process in order, you get nothing.

And that's also why the verifier is often the most expensive link for the booking service provider. Many fee structures are basically an attempt to cover those costs and that risk.

Where the backoffice fits in the story

The backoffice (e-flux, Last Mile Solutions, RoboCharge, you name it) is usually just the source of your charging sessions. It records who charged when and how much.

But note. The backoffice is not automatically "ERE-proof." Some backoffices can export, others have APIs, some can invite an additional user who can retrieve data. And sometimes your charger is set up locally without a backoffice, which means you suddenly have to provide exports yourself.

This is exactly why choosing a booking service provider isn't just about commission in practice. It's also about how easily they can support your situation without you having to change everything.

Where Plugchoice makes the difference

In many setups, ERE registration is technically solved by having the booking service provider also be your entire charging platform at once. Then it's one package, one party, one route.

Until you want to switch.

Plugchoice is specifically useful when you don't want that. Plugchoice sits between your charger and the various "destinations" of your data. Your charger can stay connected to your existing backoffice, while through Plugchoice you choose which booking service provider handles your ERE registration.

That might sound like a detail, but it's the difference between "my charger always works" and "my charger depends on the party I happened to choose today."

And yes, that's exactly the point many people only discover after they've already signed.

What to look out for before you sign

Not to scare you, but to prevent hassle.

• Can you switch mid-term, and what happens to your charger then?
• Who manages the connection with your backoffice?
• How do you get your data back if you want to leave?
• How transparent are the costs, and when is payment made?
• What happens if the verifier rejects something?

If you get clear answers to these questions, you're usually in good shape. If you get vague answers, then you actually know enough too.

Read more

• ERE certificates: how does it work? — the calculation rules and requirements
• ERE certificates: what to consider before connecting — before you link anything
• What does ERE yield, and where does that 10 cents come from? — the math behind the rule of thumb
• Comparing ERE providers without regret — questions to ask
• NEa: Saving emission reduction units — official rules for booking service providers
• Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA) — verifier accreditation
• Environmental Management Act, Chapter 9 — legal basis