With a 5th December deadline, now is the time for qualifying organisations to prepare for ESOS. Axel Du Mesnil, project manager at Bureau Veritas, looks at the benefits of the scheme
Much has already been written about the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) – a mandatory scheme that requires all companies with more than 250 employees, or a turnover of more than €50million, to produce detailed reports on their energy use and efficiency every four years.
By the 5th December 2015, qualifying organisations must either conduct an ESOS assessment, be fully certified to ISO 50001 or display a Display Energy Certificate (DEC). Organisations will be required to review their total energy usage across the business, from building energy and industrial processes, to transport and utilities.
According to the Carbon Trust, implementation of the measures identified through ESOS could help to deliver net savings of £1.9billion to British businesses between 2015 and 2030. Potential savings identified from an ESOS assessment can be as high as 13.5 times the cost of the audit itself.
The audit process
ESOS energy audits must be carried out or reviewed by a registered lead assessor and many will choose a third-party organisation to help them comply with the legislation.
The audit reports will be categorised into buildings, processes and transport. For buildings and industrial processes, organisations should receive detailed recommendations with a ROI (Return on Investment) on elements such as lighting, HVAC and office equipment. For transport the findings will cover procedures and systems specifically relating their fleet activity.
Once the audit is completed, the cost-saving potential becomes clearer. For buildings and industrial processes, the ESOS audit will deliver a detailed report with description of each individual recommendation to save energy, the cost of that action and the profit expected. The audit findings would also include benchmarking of energy usage and energy cost against similar companies, together with an analysis of carbon footprint and impact on the environment.
For transport processes, recommendations could include modifying the way that routes are planned and controlled, as well as which roads to use, the method of refuelling, the potential implementation of a vehicle tracking system or an analysis of the training provided to driver. The detailed report can also include improvements in the way vehicles are maintained, refurbished, disposed or replaced.
With all of the relevant data to support proposed actions and a step-by-step guide on how to submit your notification of compliance, a Bureau Veritas ESOS audit provides all the information needed to be compliant and to cut costs through reduced energy consumption. Bureau Veritas has undertaken a number of audits that demonstrate significant short-term savings that have covered the cost of an audit within 12 months.
