As a continuing commitment of the United Kingdom’s Environment Agencies to keep ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme) stakeholders informed of the regulatory and procedural process, they have published their third newsletter for 2018.
The Newsletter published jointly by the Environment Agencies for the UK, namely, the Environment Agency (England), Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, covers four current topical issues:
1. Findings from Compliance Audits
In an update on their 2016/17 audit review, the Agencies have continued with a programme of auditing ESOS participants and completed 176 audits during the 2017/18 financial year.
The audits have identified the following new and repeated non-compliance issues, which both Lead Energy Assessors and Participants, should update on the ensuring that non-compliances are not present in their next Assessment as they enter the next ESOS Phase, namely:
- ESOS Energy Audits did not meet minimum criteria stated in Regulations/Guidance
- Lead Assessor and or Board Director Sign off missing
- Sampling Approach not representative of Significant Energy Consumption (SEC)
- Moved Premises between the qualification & compliance dates, so thought no need for energy audits
- Process energy consumption omitted
- Omitted transport consumption when a significant part of Total Energy Consumption (TEC)
Additionally, the following remedial actions were identified:
- Organisational Structure
- ESOS energy audit data records
- TEC reference period
- Sampling approach
- TEC data records
- ESOS energy audit analysis
- Calculations to support estimates (TEC and audits)
- Extrapolation of energy savings to non-visited sites
- Conversion factors
- Cost benefit Analysis
- Errors in TEC and SEC
- Alternative compliance route certification
- Board Director sign off
- Lead Assessor sign off
2. Phase 2 Qualification and Compliance
The Environment Agencies encourage any Participants that expect to qualify for Phase 2 to undertake their Energy Audit Program at the earliest opportunity, if they wish to take full advantage of the time provided by the Regulations.
A helpful table is provided to clarify ESOS compliance activities that can be up to the Compliance Date (31 December 2018) and those activities that can, only, take place after that date.
Their helpful table is provided below:
3. Update on amendments to the Environmental Permitting Regulations
Finally, the Environmental Agencies update on their support for the implementation of new regulations applying to Medium Combustion Plants and Specified Generators as introduced by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 SI 110.
If your organization is obligated under these new Regulations then you may want to download the Environment Agencies briefing note, which provides further information, here.
If you are looking for a guide through the complexities of the ESOS compliance obligations & to undertake your ESOS Assessment including the Energy Audit, I have considerable experience as a qualified IEMA ESOS Lead Energy Assessor & welcome your early contact.
In the meantime, a copy of the third 2018 ESOS Newsletter can be downloaded here
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