ESOS Phase 2 compliance: Have you got a plan in place?

With the compliance deadline for ESOS Phase 2 just a year away – 5 December 2019 – proactive organisations have started to prepare by planning and carrying out energy audits as part of the compliance process.

With only a few exemptions for public bodies, your organisation qualifies if on the 31st December 2018, it meets the ESOS definition of a large undertaking:

• You employ 250 staff or more
• You have an annual turnover exceeding €50m and a balance sheet exceeding €43m

Qualifying organisations that fail to undertake an ESOS assessment will be liable for a penalty of up to £50,000 and details of non-compliance would be published.

To avoid this action, organisations are required to complete the following compliance procedures;

1. Measure and report energy use for a continuous 12-month period (overlapping the qualification date of 31 December 2018), to include energy consumed by buildings, industrial processes and transportation activities
2. Identify your areas of significant energy consumption. ESOS assessments must be completed to cover at least 90% of an organisation’s total energy consumption
3. Appoint a Lead Assessor to carry out, oversee or review your energy audits and overall ESOS assessment
4. Undertake energy assessments for your areas of significant energy consumption using one or more of the following approved routes:
   • ESOS Energy audits
   • Display energy certificates
   • An ISO 50001 Energy Management System
5. Report compliance to the National Scheme administrator – the environmental agency in England, SEPA in Scotland, NIEA in Northern Ireland and NRW in Wales and store your records of assessment.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the energy saving opportunities identified – EVORA identified £2.8M of energy savings in Phase 1 of ESOS.

With our expertise and data management solution SIERA, we can implement energy efficiency programmes, leading to substantial reductions in energy usage and associated costs. Our energy management team typically find quick win energy savings with payback in less than a year. Read more here on how ESOS can be a long-term investment to your business.

EVORA employs qualified Lead assessors and can support you to develop a practical compliance strategy that is appropriate for your organisation.  To ensure you fully comply with ESOS Phase 2, we offer a range of practical solutions. Find out more in our ESOS Compliance Guide .