More than 3,000 companies eligible for the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) still haven’t notified the Environment Agency (EA) of their intent to comply.
The Environment Agency has repeatedly issues warnings of the substantial fines (see below table) that will be imposed on organisations that do not comply by 29th January.
Companies that miss the deadline could find themselves facing fines in the order of £90,000+. Non-complying companies will also be named and shamed.
If you’re subject to the penalty, the Environment Agency will publish details on their web pages of:
- The person on whom the penalty was imposed
- The legal requirement that was not complied with
- The amount of any financial penalty imposed
What is the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme?
ESOS is a mandatory scheme for large businesses in the UK. It requires businesses with more than 240 employees, £40 million annual turnover or a balance sheet of more than £34 million to complete an officially approved energy efficiency audit every four years.
According to the EA, only 6,500 of an estimated 10,000 organisations had registered by the original 5th December deadline. Of these, 4,000 said they had fully complied and 2,500 confirmed they intended to comply by 29th January.
Ellen Salazar, TEAM’s Energy Services Manager and a CIBSE Certified Lead Assessor is urging businesses to act without delay. She said:
“There is everything to gain from being ESOS compliant and a lot to lose if you aren’t. To comply with ESOS, businesses need to undertake an audit that measures energy consumption in three areas; buildings, transport and industrial processes. TEAM can provide you with a full submission service, ensuring your business is fully compliant and avoids fines.”
TEAM are here to help
Even at this late stage of the ESOS submission process our Energy Services team can provide you with a full ESOS service. Our expert consultants can assist your organisation with:
- Collating data for building, transport and process energy use
- Review of your portfolio to determine the number of energy surveys required
- Carry out energy surveys following BRE guidelines
- Produce survey reports including cost-effective energy efficiency recommendations
- ESOS Assessor review, verification and sign-off
- Preparation of Submission Document and Evidence Pack including sign-off by an accredited ESOS Lead Assessor
Contact TEAM
TEAM’s ESOS Service is available to help you become ESOS compliant and help you identify possible energy savings for your organisation.
Simply call us on 01908 690018 or send us an enquiry through our Contact Us page.
Environment Agency ESOS Penalty Structure
| Non-Compliance | Penalities |
| Failure to notify the Environment Agency of your complaince with ESOS | A fixed penalty of up to £5,000. An additional £500 for each working day starting on the day after service of the penalty notice until the notification is completed, subject to a maximum of 80 days. This could equal a total of £45,000. |
| Failure to undertake an energy audit | A fixed penalty of up to £50,000.Plus an additional £500 for each working day starting on the day after service of the compliance notice, until the breach is remedied, subject to a maximum of 80 days. This could equal a total of £90,000. |
| Failure to maintain records for ESOS | A fixed penalty of up to £5,000.Plus… the cost to the Environment Agency for undertaking sufficient auditing activity to confirm that your organisation has complied with ESOS. |
| Failure to comply with a compliance notice, an enforcement notice or a penalty notice | A fixed penalty of up to £5,000.An additional £500 for each working day starting on the day after service of the penalty notice, until the breach is remedied, subject to a maximum of 80 days.This could eqaul a total of £45,000. |
| False or misleading statement | A fixed penalty of up to £50,000. |