This working paper is to discuss policy instruments which would, in principle, lend themselves for a scale-up of employer-led incentive schemes. Given that such an implementation requires financial transfers, our focus is on project-based CO2-markets and direct subsidy schemes to end-consumers. Up to the present, only Switzerland has implemented a credit-based emissions trading scheme on the domestic level. While, currently, the Swiss regime does not provide for a potential pooling of small-scale reductions, extending the scheme accordingly would engender only low additional cost. Other eligible regulations are dominated rather by state-set incentives, like subsidies, directly provided to households. Such schemes would be suitable for a pass-through via the employer. Yet, such a redirection of subsidies via firms seems to be more difficult to be implemented from a political and legal perspective. Still, these programmes provide solid support for the presumption that financial transfers provided within an employer-led incentive scheme can considerably speed up switches toward the use of “greener” technologies within households
