Customer FAQ
Questions we hear most.
How clean fuel credits work, how your electric forklifts earn them, and what working with Anvil Monitor looks like day to day.
The Basics
What is a clean fuel program?
A clean fuel program is a government rule that requires transportation fuel to get cleaner every year. Companies that sell gasoline and diesel can't meet the limit on their own, so they buy credits from businesses that supply cleaner energy — including businesses that charge electric forklifts.
Anvil Monitor works with these programs:
- California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), run by the California Air Resources Board
- Oregon Clean Fuels Program (CFP), run by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
- Washington Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), run by the Washington State Department of Ecology
- New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Program, run by the New Mexico Environment Department
- Canada Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR), run by Environment and Climate Change Canada
What is a clean fuel credit?
One credit represents one metric ton of carbon emissions avoided by using cleaner energy instead of fossil fuel. Credits are bought and sold in an open market, so their price moves over time. The more energy your electric forklifts use, the more credits they earn.
Why do electric forklifts earn credits?
Electric forklifts replace forklifts that would otherwise burn propane, gasoline, or diesel. The electricity that charges them produces far less carbon, so the programs reward that energy with credits. If you run electric forklifts and aren't enrolled, those credits are going unclaimed.
Where does the money come from?
Fuel companies that need credits to meet the yearly limit buy them. That money, less fees, comes to you. It isn't a government grant, and it doesn't come out of your electric bill.
Working With Anvil
What does Anvil Monitor do?
We install Remote Energy Monitors (REMs) on the DC side of your forklift chargers, forklifts, or forklift batteries to measure the energy your fleet uses. We use that verified data to generate clean fuel credits on your behalf and send you a share of the revenue. You can see your REMs and energy data anytime in the Anvil Monitor Platform.
What is Energy as a Service?
Energy as a Service lets you start earning credits with nothing due upfront. Anvil supplies and installs your REMs, and their cost — including installation — is repaid from the credit revenue they earn. Anvil keeps the larger share of revenue until the REMs are paid off; after that, they're yours and your share goes up.
Prefer to own your REMs from day one? You can buy them outright instead and keep the larger share of credit revenue from the start.
What does my team need to do?
Very little. Once we have a signed agreement, Anvil will come to site for installation with zero downtime for your employees or operations. After that, Anvil handles reporting and credit sales. Your main job is to keep chargers plugged in and REMs online.
When do I get paid?
You earn credits on energy measured from the day your REMs are installed and verified. U.S. programs run quarterly: energy is reported the quarter after it's used, then credits are issued and sold. In California, for example, energy used January through March is typically paid around mid-August.
Canada runs on a calendar year. Energy used in one year is reported early the next year, and credits are created around May.
Common Concerns
Is this too good to be true?
It's a fair question. The revenue is real, and it comes from a regulated market, not a promotion:
- Government programs. Each program is run by a state, provincial, or federal agency, and you can read its rules directly (see the links above).
- Required buyers. Fuel companies must meet the yearly limit, so there's built-in demand for the credits your fleet earns.
- Measured, not estimated. Every credit is backed by metered energy from your REMs.
- Experience. Our team has worked with clean fuel programs for forklift fleets since 2020.
There are trade-offs worth knowing up front. Credit prices move with the market, so payments vary from period to period. Your first payment arrives several months after install. And with Energy as a Service, your share is smaller until your REMs are paid off.
Why do I need a meter now?
Other programs already require metered energy and starting with 2026 reporting, California does too. Unmetered energy earns nothing and you can't go back in time to collect credits for it. A fleet of 50 chargers can miss out on hundreds of dollars a week. Once your REMs are installed, every charger sends its readings into the Anvil Monitor Platform and starts earning credits. You get paid for energy you're already using.
Still have questions?
Your Anvil representative can estimate what your fleet could earn from your charger count and usage. Email sales@anvilmonitor.com or call (559) 421-9243.