ESOS and What You Need to Do Now

What is ESOS?

In October 2012 the European Union established the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). The Directive specified that all member countries were to create an energy audit scheme which would ensure the achievement of the Union’s 2020 target on energy efficiency. From this, the ESOS Regulations 2014 was established.

The ESOS Regulations 2014 requires large organisations in the UK to undertake comprehensive energy audits, every four years, which focuses on the energy that is used by the organisation’s buildings, industrial processes and transport, the consumption of the energy being used, and any potential energy saving opportunities that the organisation could instrument.

Who is Required to Comply with ESOS?

Any large organisations that employ 250 or more staff or have an annual turnover in excess of £42m and an annual balance sheet total of around £36.5m or are part of a corporate group containing a large enterprise are required to comply to ESOS.

When Do You Need to Comply By?

We are now in the second round of ESOS Assessments and below are important dates to remember;

•             The Qualification Date – 31st December 2018

•             The Reporting Date – 5th December 2019

How do you Comply to ESOS?

There are two paths to become complaint with ESOS;

Step 1 

You will need to carry out an ESOS Audit. In order to complete your assessment, you will be required to undertake the following;

Identify and Calculate your Total Energy Consumption

You will be required to calculate the energy used by your organisation/group’s buildings, industrial processes and transport.

• Identify Areas of Significant Energy Consumption

While calculating your Total Energy Consumption, you should also be identifying the energy used by your organisation that accounts for at least 90% of your total energy consumption.

• Appoint a Lead Assessor

If you don’t have an ESOS Lead Assessor undertaking the audit, you will then be required to appoint a lead assessor to either carry out and oversee or review your energy audits and overall ESOS assessment. If you do require a Lead Assessor, they can be external, but you must ensure they are members of an approved professional body register.

• Notify the Environment Agency

Once you have conducted and completed your ESOS Audit, the next step is to submit your ESOS Notification of Compliance to the Environment Agency. The deadline for the this is 5th December 2019.

• Keep Records

Once you have notified the Environment Agency with your ESOS Notification of Compliance, you must keep the ESOS Audit as evidence.

Step 2

If your organisation is certified to ISO50001, you are not required to carry out an ESOS Audit. All you have to do it notify the Environment Agency that you are compliant with ESOS.

Need help with ESOS? We’d be happy to help, simply contact us on: enquiries@blackmoresuk.com