ESOS audit
We help organisations comply with Phase 3 of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.
The Government’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is a mandatory energy assessment scheme (for qualifying companies), which aims to make UK businesses more energy efficient.
If your organisation meets the qualifying criteria, then you need to report on your energy use every four years – and look for cost-saving ways to reduce consumption.
ESOS is currently in Phase 3, and the deadline to submit energy assessments is 5 June 2024.
An ESOS Phase 3 energy audit is mandatory for UK companies that meet the following criteria on 31 December 2022:
- More than 250 employees in the UK; or
- A turnover exceeding £44.1m AND a balance sheet exceeding £37.9m; or
- Part of any corporate group that contains at least one ‘large’ company as defined above.
How long left until the deadline?
Book an ESOS audit today
Do you want to find out more about auditing your sites for ESOS? Or are you ready to book a lead assessor?
Simply let us know your details and one of our experts will be in touch.
Benefits
- A comprehensive carbon reduction plan to support your broader Net-Zero targets.
- Lead Assessor support to review and sign off your ESOS Phase 3 report.
- Guaranteed ESOS compliance.
- Hands-on support to measure, interpret and act on your consumption data.
- Future-proof your business by uncovering inefficiencies and transforming processes.
- Technical surveys – from energy metering to electric vehicle feasibility.
- Costed business cases for energy efficient projects and effective asset maintenance.
- All audits comply with BS EN 16247 – 2:2022 standard for energy audits.
Added value
Experience
Expertise
Legislation changes
Business commitment
Gain competitive advantage
What's involved in an ESOS audit?
An ESOS audit measures your total energy usage across your buildings, processes and transport. It also pinpoints your highest consumption areas, helping you locate opportunities to save cost and energy.
The assessment will include:
- Calculating your company’s overall energy consumption
- Identifying and auditing areas of significant energy consumption
- Building energy audits
- Transport and fleet audits
- Process energy audits for manufacturing or construction
- Appointing an ESOS lead assessor to review your report
- Notifying the Environment Agency
- Keeping accurate compliance records
What parts of my business should be covered in the ESOS energy audit?
To calculate your organisation’s total energy consumption, you’re required to measure all energy use across your buildings, industrial processes, and transport.
From there, you must audit the areas that account for 95% of your overall energy. You’re allowed to class 5% of your energy consumption as ‘de minimis’ and exclude it from audits.
Your assessment should cover a representative sample of your operations and sites, and results should be presented in a common unit, such as pounds sterling or kilowatt-hours.
Are there penalties for ESOS non-compliance?
Yes, and they’ve become much tougher in recent years.
Failure to notify the Environment Agency can lead to an initial penalty of up to £5,000 and a daily fine of up to £500 until you comply – even if you’ve carried out your audits.
Making a false or misleading statement could lead to fees of up to £50,000.
When should my company begin its ESOS audit?
It’s wise to start your assessment well ahead of the 5 June 2024 deadline.
In previous phases, companies who put off their audit faced bottlenecks, delays, and a shortage of lead assessors, risking harsh non-compliance penalties.
Early ESOS reporting lets you lock in compliance, spread the cost of energy-saving initiatives, and realise their benefits sooner, rather than later.
Building and process energy audits
By understanding how energy is consumed within your business, it is possible to identify substantial financial and environmental savings. Our experienced energy auditors can develop a detailed energy audit programme, bespoke to your organisation. With our expertise in sustainability, fuel, and energy infrastructure, not only can we identify actions to reduce your consumption but support you to implement change in the optimal manner.
Our experts can work with your organisation to identify:
- When and where energy is being consumed
- Unnecessary out-of-hours energy waste
- Employee engagement and behavioural change
- Energy intensity ratios and reduction targets
- Zero and low-cost opportunities
- Capital expenditure projects with simply payback and/or full lifecycle cost analysis
- Suitable low carbon or renewable energy sources
- Grant funding, incentives, subsidies and other financing mechanisms
Transport audits
Transport can often represent a significant operational cost to a business and have an extensive environmental impact.
Through improved data capture, improved operating practices and investment in new and emerging technologies, a business can significantly reduce its energy consumption and carbon emissions.
And by extension, a company can also contribute to enhancing local air quality and improving health and wellbeing.
A transport audit can cover company owned vehicle fleet, employee vehicles and public transport use.
The process analyses actual energy and fuel use against expected levels to identify any inefficiencies. Costed recommendations, including simple payback calculations and full lifecycle analysis set out the expected return on investment.
A transport audit can reduce the need to travel, where possible while reducing the health and safety risks associated with travelling.
An energy and transport audit can have significant organisational benefits including:
- Identifying energy, fuel, and efficiency savings
- Reducing operating costs
- Future proofing against upcoming changes in legislation
- Transitioning to a Net-Zero society
- Playing your part in tackling climate change
- Regulatory compliance with ESOS
- Gaining competitive advantage
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