ESOS Newsletter (August 2019)

If you need to know how to ensure compliance with the UK ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity) Scheme – This article brings you the latest information.

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 newsletter for August 2019

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:

Auditing your Significant Energy Consumption (SEC)
It is a requirements that an ESOS participant has to identify their significant energy consumption (SEC), at least 90% of the total energy consumption, this energy has to be audited or subject to one of the alternative compliance routes.

For an ESOS energy audit, the energy data must:

• detail a period of 12 consecutive months’ energy use for the asset or activity
• begin no earlier than 12 months before the start of the compliance period (for the second compliance period they must begin no earlier than 6 December 2014)
• begin no earlier than 24 months before the start of the ESOS energy audit by the participant in the compliance period (for example, for an ESOS energy audit on say 1 April 2019, data must begin no earlier than 1 April 2017)
• not extend beyond the compliance date (that is, not extend beyond 5 December 2019 for the second compliance period)
• not have been included in energy audits for a previous compliance period.

The energy audit must, so far as is reasonably practicable include all the following steps:

• analyse the organisation’s energy consumption and energy efficiency
• identify any way to improve the organisation’s energy efficiency
• recommend practical and cost-effective energy saving measures for the organisation
• identify the estimated costs and benefits of any energy saving opportunity.

Site Visits and Sampling
Sampling is permitted as part of ESOS energy audits where it would be impractical to measure energy at all the sites or locations.

There are no fixed rules for sampling and it is up to the participant and the lead assessor to agree an appropriate sampling level.

The ESOS Assessment Report must explain the approach taken in the evidence pack and how this reflects the energy consumption patterns and saving opportunities for the portfolio of assets and activities.

In a compliance audit, the regulators will look for well-reasoned and documented justifications for the approach taken and why conclusions from the sample of site visits would be applicable to the other sites covered in the sample.

ESOS Notification System
The Phase 2 notification process is very similar to the Phase 1 system, and looks very similar.

There are two significant changes:

1. If you wish, you can update that you do not qualify (DNQ) for ESOS within the new Phase 2 Notification System as the DNQ option is, now, built in rather than a separate system.
2. There is, now, an option to upload a list of all the organisations in your participant group, either as a standard template (downloadable from the notification system) or in any other format, such as group structure chart.

Critical Dates
Don’t forget that the final date for compliance with ESOS Phase 2 and making your notification is 5th December 2019.

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 August 2019 ESOS Newsletter can be downloaded here