An update on ESOS Phase 2

The ESOS deadline for Phase 2 was 5 December 2019. Unlike Phase 1, no extra time has been issued to allow for late submissions. Any qualifying organisations who did not complete their assessment and submit a compliance notification by the deadline are at risk of enforcement action. Penalties issued in Phase 1 for compliance failures ranged up to £45,000 with a potential maximum fine of £90,000.

Compliance Notices

ESOS Regulators are currently issuing compliance notices to all UK corporate groups who they believe should have participated but they haven’t yet received a notification of completion from.

If you receive this, you must inform the regulators whether you are;

• in the process of completing your compliance, or
• provide evidence you have already submitted your notification, or
• advise that you do not qualify for ESOS

ESOS submissions

You can find a published list of all businesses who have made a submission via the ESOS notification system as of 1 February 2020 here.

Further evaluation on the effectiveness of energy audits and ESOS can be found here.

ESOS support

If you need urgent support with your Phase 2 compliance, talk to EIC today. Our dedicated team of ESOS Lead Assessors and highly trained Energy Auditors will work hard to help you comply as soon as possible, and support you in any conversations with the Environment Agency.

After ESOS compliance

It’s vital that you don’t let your compliance go to waste. ESOS aims to highlight where companies can make energy improvements, cut wastage and lower costs. Use these opportunities to improve your operations and make significant energy savings. The most common areas for energy savings are lighting, energy management through smarter energy procurement, metering, monitoring and controls, and air conditioning.

SECR

If your business complies with ESOS, it’s highly likely you will need to comply with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) too. SECR was introduced in April 2019 as a framework for energy and carbon reporting. Its aim is to reduce some of the administrative burden of overlapping carbon schemes and to improve visibility of energy and carbon emissions for large UK organisations.

SECR can also help businesses on their first steps to meet the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target. Companies in scope of the legislation will need to include their energy use and carbon emissions in their Directors’ Report as part of their annual filing obligations. They will also need to report any energy efficiency actions they have taken within each financial year. If the coronavirus is likely to cause a delay to your accounts, there is guidance here.

Talk to EIC on 01527 511 757 or email info@eic.co.uk if you need any further advice on ESOS or SECR. We’re here to help.