Firms urged to check energy savings compliance

The Environment Agency-administered Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme is set to report on energy usage

Engineering firms have been reminded of their responsibilities to comply with a mandatory UK government scheme that aims to reduce energy wastage.

The Environment Agency-administered Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS), which has an extended compliance deadline of 29 January, will report on energy usage and ensure that all large organisations carry out ESOS assessments every four years. 

From lighting to compressed air, all categories of commercial energy usage must be measured by companies with 250 or more employees or an annual turnover in excess of €50 million and a balance sheet of at least €43 million, of which there are estimated to be more than 10,000 in the UK. 

However, only 850 surveys have been submitted so far, reports have revealed. 

Richard Warren, senior energy and environment policy adviser at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said there had clearly been some issues with the timing of ESOS implementation, and that had led to it being received with mixed response within industry.

“Many organisations that have had to use an external lead assessor have said they lack the industry-specific knowledge to make the audit worthwhile. On the other hand, there are plenty of organisations that hadn’t done a great deal on energy efficiency before and believe this scheme will be positive,” he said.

Dirk Ville, general manager at Atlas Copco Compressors UK and Ireland, said ESOS would help firms gain a clear picture of energy usage, which made financial and environmental sense. “Compressed air systems, for example, consume on average 10-12% of an industrial facility’s electricity and sometimes as much as 30%. Gaining insight into the energy usage of a compressed air system, through in-depth auditing, can reap rewards by identifying areas of poor efficiency.”

Despite the timeframe compliance concerns in industry, ESOS could have an impact in lowering carbon emissions and raising energy efficiency, added Ville. But he called on the government to help companies fund necessary upgrades to equipment.