ESOS and Energy Audits

ESOS and Energy Audits/Surveys

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is an energy assessment and energy saving scheme, established by the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Regulations 2014 (ESOS Regulations).

The scheme applies to large UK undertakings which meets either one or both of the following conditions:

Employs 250 or more people or
Annual turnover in excess of £44 million and an annual balance sheet total in excess of £38 million

The scheme is administered in England and Wales by the Environment Agency.

We are currently in Phase 4 of a four year cycle, which runs from 6 December 2023 to 5 December 2027. The qualification date is 31 December 2026 and the compliance date is 5 December 2027.

Routes to Compliance

It is necessary to calculate Total Energy Consumption (TEC) in a 12 month reference period which includes the qualification date of 31 December 2026. So the earliest energy data set will be from 1 January to 31 December 2026. The energy use is for buildings, processes and transport.

Up to 5% of TEC can be excluded under the de minimis rule to produce the Significant Energy Use (SEC).

The SEC energy use must be subject to one of the following, or a combination of:

ESOS Energy Audits
ISO 50001 Certification

The ESOS assessment, compliance and notification of compliance must be made to the Environment Agency by 5 December 2027 must be overseen and approved by a qualified ESOS Lead Assessor accredited to an ESOS Register, approved by the Environment Agency. The ESOS assessment must also be reviewed and signed off by both the Lead Assessor and a board level Director.

What Next?

You need to appoint a Lead Assessor and you can start now to conduct ESOS Energy Audits, if that is your selected route to compliance. The Lead Assessor does not necessarily need to conduct the ESOS Energy Audits but does need to review them.

If you intend to use ISO 50001 as the route to ESOS compliance then now is the time to start as this takes considerably longer and involves appointing a certification body to conduct external audits on the Energy Management System (EnMS). To comply with ESOS, the ISO 50001 certification must be held on the compliance date of 5 December 2027.

How can I help?

I can help with any or all of the following::

Provide an ESOS assessment/strategy
Provide a qualified and experienced ESOS Lead Assessor
ISO 50001
ESOS Energy Audits
Conduct compliance ESOS Energy Audits
Compile a compliant ESOS Evidence Pack/Summary Report
Present ESOS findings at Board level
Help with the Notification of compliance to the Environment Agency
Action plans / progress reports

How can I help?

Eur Ing John Mulholland BScTech CEng CSci MIChemE FEI
has been an accredited ESOS Lead Assessor since 2015 and is registered with the Energy Institute where he is a Fellow.

John has been involved with helping clients with ESOS since 2015 and has been involved in Phases 1, 2 ,3 and the current Phase 4.

In 2017/18 John acted as an ESOS Compliance Auditor, via Verco, for the Environment Agency and conducted 30 ESOS Compliance audits (see testimonial from Verco on the left). This invaluable experience feeds directly into his work with clients.

See ESOS case studies

Introduction

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is an energy assessment and energy saving scheme, established by the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Regulations 2014 (ESOS Regulations).

"

The ESOS Lead Assessor, John Mulholland, had good retail experience, was very personable and got on very well with my team. Findings were presented in a commercial way with costs and savings. They looked sensible and we will use them as benchmarks as we start to implement the recommendations.

Chris Bannister

Financial Controller, Maplin Electronics Ltd

"

John is a highly experienced energy management expert with a keen eye for detail. I have worked with him closely undertaking audits of companies’ compliance to the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) regulations on behalf of the scheme regulator, the Environment Agency. This work requires a thorough understanding of every aspect of ESOS regulations and an ability to cut through complexity to deliver clear recommendations. John has delivered work of the highest standard and has proved an unfailingly reliable project partner. He has been a real asset to our team.

Tim Crozier-Cole

ESOS Compliance Director, Verco