We are pleased to share that BeZero Carbon, one of the world’s leading independent carbon ratings agencies, has assigned a BBB rating to two of our Rwanda improved cookstove projects; VCS3699 and VCS4150. With more than 680 projects rated on the BeZero Carbon Markets platform, a BBB rating places our programmes in the top 9% of rated cookstove carbon projects globally.
This is a significant milestone not only for DelAgua, but for the broader carbon market, where the credibility of carbon credits is always under scrutiny. An independent, third-party endorsement of this calibre reinforces what we have always maintained: that our cookstove programme delivers real, measurable climate impact.
Additionality
BeZero found a “very high likelihood of additionality” for both projects through its full reliance on carbon finance and targeted free distribution. Nearly 98% of rural households depend on inefficient cookstoves, and with high quality stoves retailing at approximately $40, the provision of a fully subsidised stove is the only viable path to adoption for poor rural households.
Our Live Well programme implements the free distribution of Tier 4 high-performance cookstoves integrated with long term education and support at a household level. BeZero state” the project provided a technological leap that significantly deviates from the basic low-tier cooking solutions that dominated the Rwandan market “. Carbon finance is the sole revenue stream for Live Well: without this the programme would not exist.
Our beneficiary validation process, run in coordination with Rwanda’s Energy Development Corporation Limited and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, ensures that stoves reach only eligible households that lack clean cooking alternatives.
Both projects also hold Letters of Authorisation with Corresponding Adjustments under Article 6.2 from the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, ensuring that credited emission reductions are reflected in national carbon accounting and contribute directly to Rwanda’s Nationally Determined Contribution.
Permanence
This rating also assesses permanence risk as low, concluding that the carbon avoided by our projects is highly likely to remain permanent for the committed period. This is a fundamental advantage of avoidance credits in the cookstove sector; once a household burns less wood, that avoided tonne of CO₂ simply never enters the atmosphere.
Carbon Accounting
BeZero’s assessment highlights the inherent challenges of carbon accounting in large-scale cookstove programmes, and we welcome this scrutiny. The rating recognises several conservative safeguards already embedded in our approach: the VM0050 methodology requires the use of the lower of two baseline calculation methods, and a 5% leakage deduction is applied to all credited reductions.
Our transition from the VMR0006 methodology to VM0050 for both projects, which resulted in the voluntary reconciliation of approximately 42% of previously issued credits for VCS4150, demonstrates our commitment to methodological integrity even when it means reducing our own credit volumes.
We are continuing to invest in strengthening our monitoring and evidence base. This includes the planned deployment of Stove Use Monitors across our programmes, which will provide continuous, technology-based tracking of stove usage to complement our existing Kitchen Performance Test programme. We are also refining stratification approaches to further improve the robustness of our field data.
Looking Ahead
A top 9% rating is a milestone worth celebrating; it emphasizes the integrity of our Rwanda projects, a reminder that behind every data point is a family cooking with cleaner air, spending less time collecting firewood, whose livelihood and community has been transformed by the programme.
With the industry now demanding higher standards of evidence that credits deliver what they claim, independent ratings like BeZero’s provide transparent, data driven assessments that allow market participants to distinguish high-quality projects.
For more information, contact DelAgua’s Chief Technology Officer, David Kitt [email protected].
