Tuesday 17 February 2015

Guest Blog: npower’s Wayne Mitchell on ESOS

Guest Blog: npower’s Wayne Mitchell on ESOS

46% unaware of new mandatory energy audit

If you’ve been following my blogs, you’ll probably know about the forthcoming Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), which requires all large enterprises to complete an energy audit by 5 December 2015. (Click here to learn more.)

However, according to a recent survey of UK manufacturers we asked Censuswide to carry out on our behalf, we were surprised to find that 46% are unaware of ESOS – and 69% are unsure about what they need to do to comply. Clearly, the message isn’t getting through to everyone, despite many organisations already recognising the value of energy efficiency.

I sympathise with businesses. Complying with so many energy-related regulations – from the CRC to the EU ETS – takes time and resources.

Opportunity to save on costs

But while ESOS may seem like another policy that just brings more costs for businesses, we believe it presents a significant opportunity to reduce the pressure on the bottom line.

According to DECC, if businesses can cut consumption by just 0.7% as a result of implementing some of the efficiencies highlighted by their ESOS audit, it will deliver more than £250m in savings a year. And where businesses are prepared to invest in measures with a payback period of two years or less, this increases to £1.6bn a year.

If you’ve seen our recent The Twenty Per Cent Imperative report, you’ll know that we estimate the achievable potential to make savings is far higher – 20%, as the report’s title suggests.

£50k fine for non compliance

What I find strange about ESOS is that while it’s designed to help organisations identify savings, there’s no obligation to make them. As long as you carry out an audit that meets the ESOS criteria by 5 December and then every four years, you fulfill the requirements. Yet if you fail to complete your audit in time, you face a fine of up to £50,000.

To really make the most of the ‘opportunity’ highlighted by ESOS, businesses need to be prepared to act on their audit findings, and then have a clear understanding of how best to structure a holistic strategy that delivers the maximum savings.

A solution to ESOS

There’s just the small matter of completing the audit in the first place, and as we’ve seen with our research, many businesses are clearly unaware or struggling here.

The good news is that we’ve created a proposition that can offer a solution to ESOS. Firstly, by providing end-to-end support – from establishing eligibility to collecting data, auditing and ensuring compliance requirements are met, then advising on audit findings implementation.

And after taking care of the short-term ESOS requirements, we can then lead customers onto ISO 50001 accreditation, exempting their portfolio from future ESOS requirements. Click here to find out more.

So if you happen to be one of the 46% who’s in the dark on ESOS, I suggest you take action now. Remember, we’ve here to help, and if you’re an npower customers, we can use the consumption data we already hold for you, so your audit won’t be nearly as complex as it may sound.

This is a sponsored article.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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