Tag: secr

ESOS Phase 3 – Qualification Date has Passed and Compliance is Critical

Posted on by george hunt

The qualification date for Phase 3 of the ‘Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme’ (ESOS) was 31 December 2022, meaning if your business is in scope for Phase 3, you must comply with the reporting criteria. Your business will be in scope of ESOS from that date if it has either or both:

  • 250 or more employees
  • An annual turnover in excess of £44 million, and an annual balance sheet total in excess of £38 million.

What is ESOS?

Large UK firms are required to report on their energy consumption and find potential methods to consume less energy under the ‘Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme’, which is a mandated programme. We are now in Phase 3 of its four-year cycle. If your company falls inside the scope of the plan, you must abide by the rules or risk fines.

What happens if you don’t comply?

Organisations who fail to comply with ESOS regulations or meet the required criteria risk facing financial penalties from the Environmental Agency (EA). The changes to legislation in 2022 have also increased the reporting requirements for Significant Energy Use (SEU) from 90% to 95%.

Additionally, with limited ESOS Lead Assessors available for ESOS Phase 3 compliance, it’s crucial for companies to act now to ensure compliance and avoid potential fines and penalties.

All non-compliance will be made public by the EA on their website, with the amount you were fined. There are different types of non-compliance all with separate breaches and various penalty amounts. These include:

  • Failure to Notify

Any organisations who do not declare they have met with their ESOS responsibilities will be punished since it will compromise the integrity of the programme. Whether or not the organisation has conducted an energy audit, they might still be fined up to £5,000 as well as a daily fee of £500 for each working day they are in violation (for a maximum of 80 days). This amount would be added to any additional penalties as well.

  • Failure to maintain records

Maintaining your records is essential so that you can carry out an energy audit and provide proof of your ESOS compliance. In the event that this is not done, there will be a £5,000 punishment as well as an “amount representing the cost to the compliance body of establishing that the responsible undertaking has complied with the plan,” which must be settled. To correct this violation, the compliance body will provide measures, which must be followed.

  • Failure to undertake an energy audit

The greatest punishment is assessed when an energy audit is not performed because it is a crucial ESOS obligation. It is worth making sure you comply if required since the fine is £50,000 as well as £500 for each working day an organisation is in violation (up to a maximum of 80 days). With a decreased fine of £5,000, new entrants are treated more leniently. Keep in mind that organisation is no longer regarded as a new participant in the ESOS program’s second phase. Additionally, corrective measures (such as doing an energy audit) must still be taken.

  • Failure to comply with an enforcement/penalty notice

Any organisation that disregards a compliance, enforcement, or penalty notice will be subject to this fine. An organisation will be subject to an initial punishment of £5,000 followed by £500 for each day that it is in breach, up to a maximum of 80 days.

  • False or misleading statement

Your ESOS evaluation and report must be factually correct and accurate. The largest penalties, again £50,000, might be expected from an organisation if the EA finds that you made a false or misleading statement.

What should you do now?

The final deadline to complete and submit your ESOS reporting for Phase 3 is 5 December 2023. Your data should be based on a 12-month period that includes the qualification date (December 31, 2022) and ends before the compliance date for ESOS Phase 3 reporting (5 December 2023). It might begin as early as 1 January 2022 and it could finish as late as 4 December 2023. Within that timeframe, any consecutive 12 months are acceptable. This is referred to as your reference period. During then, you need to:

  1. Calculate the overall energy usage of your business

You will need to calculate the total energy consumption of your business, which includes energy needed for industrial operations, building heating and lighting, and transportation fuel. These should be reported in a standard unit, such as pounds sterling or an energy unit like the kWh.

  1. Locate places with high energy consumption

You can classify up to 5% of your organisation’s energy use as “de minimis” under the ESOS regulations for Phase 3. You might decide to exclude a location, an activity, or the use of a certain fuel. You must still have a “significant energy consumption” of 95% or higher.

  1. Review the data

Your report should examine how much energy your business uses and how energy-efficient it is. It should include suggestions for potential improvements to your company’s energy efficiency and include information on their costs and advantages. For more information, please visit EIC Route Zero.

  1. Request that a lead assessor review the report

According to the ESOS regulations, a certified lead assessor is required to review your report. Several situations constitute an exception to this rule:

  • If ISO 50001 certification already covers 100% of your energy use
  • If the company uses less than 40,000 kWh of energy annually

If you have no energy supply (although you will still need to notify the Environment Agency and get a director to confirm this). Before approving it, the corporate directors and the lead assessor should both evaluate your report.

How can EIC help with your compliance needs?

Our carbon team have extensive experience with complex compliance legislation and are dedicated to helping you reach deadlines efficiently. Our Lead Assessors and highly trained Auditors are on hand to assist you throughout your compliance process.

We have assisted over 550 clients with their ESOS journey, and in doing so have identified 4.65 million tonnes worth of CO2 savings. This has meant that our clients have avoided approximately £80 million worth of fines over phase 1 and 2.

Whilst balancing other jobs and responsibilities, schemes may seem like a hassle. Fortunately, EIC can help turn that obligation into an opportunity for your organisation.

Get in touch or call us on 01527 511757 to find out how we can help you start your compliance journey.

ESOS Phase 3 – how will the changes affect you?

Posted on by Sophie Wyatt

In the current energy landscape, Phase 3 of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (‘ESOS’) may not be an immediate priority for your business. But while the Phase 3 deadline is not until December 2023, it is still in every business’s best interest to comply as soon as possible.

In addition, the UK government recently released the outcome of its ESOS consultation. The aim of the consultation was to raise the quality of ESOS audits, and ensure that they are consistent with net zero commitments.

In light of this, we decided to take a look at the changes to the compliance regime, and why it pays to get ahead of schedule.

The consultation focused on four core options: improving the quality of ESOS audits by strengthening minimum standards and making ESOS more standardised, looking at the role of lead assessors, how ESOS can address the net zero challenge, and public disclosure of ESOS data to encourage uptake of ESOS recommendations.

Read on to find out more…

What are the changes?

  1. There will be a standardised template for participants to include summary information, such as organisational structure, energy consumption and outlining the route to compliance.

 

  1. The de minimus is now 5% of total energy consumption (previously it was 10%). The de minimus is the percentage amount of your total energy consumption that can be excluded from your reporting. This is likely to bring more activities within the scope of reporting, which could lead to more energy savings.

 

  1. Clearer guidance on the requirements around site sampling, including clearer guidance on recommended minimum sampling levels for both number of sites sampled and percentage of total energy consumption sampled.

 

  1. Collection of additional data for compliance monitoring and enforcement.

 

  1. The addition of an overall energy intensity metric within the overview section of the report – kWh/m2 for buildings, kWh/unit out for industry and kWh/miles for transport. This also complements existing requirements under SECR and would facilitate comparison between performance in different phases.

 

  1. Requirement to share ESOS reports with subsidiaries.

 

  1. ESOS reports will need to provide more information on the next steps for implementing recommendations.

 

  1. Targets or action plans must be set following the Phase 3 compliance deadline – and they will be required to report against these in Phase 4.

 

  1. There will be an increased penalty for non-compliance – an initial penalty of up to £50k and an additional £500 per day until the company complies.

 

  1. From Phase 4 onwards the ESOS balance sheet and turnover thresholds will align with SECR (250 employees, or a balance sheet of £18 million or a turnover of £36 million)

The Environment Agency will also be working with ESOS professional bodies, to identify how further changes could be made to improve the quality of ESOS audits in Phase 3. This is likely to be through active monitoring of lead assessors’ work.

What does this mean for you?

While there are several changes to the compliance requirements, it is unlikely that this will require revisiting site audits that already meet the current ESOS requirements. However, businesses will be required to audit additional sites, in light of the changes to the de minimis.

Participants may also need to implement a net zero element to their audits and the government response to the consultation is that they will develop a methodology for a net zero ESOS assessment. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is currently working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) on the production of a new net zero audit standard, to facilitate this.

Participants can also implement other Phase 4 changes on a voluntary basis, in Phase 3.

What can you do to prepare?

During Phase 1, more than 40% of businesses were still not compliant, four months after the deadline. If this were to happen again, in excess of 2,800 firms would be fined – and suppliers would be forced to raise their prices again. So, it is essential that businesses that wish to comply do so as soon as possible.

The first step towards assessing your carbon footprint is to carry out an energy audit. Energy audits assess a business’s total consumption – spanning buildings, industrial processes and transport usage. You can pinpoint areas of high energy usage, and your business could make significant energy savings as a result.

We recommend that you:

  • Review your business structure and understand any anticipated changes.
  • Review your portfolio and ensure that you have a clear view of all UK responsibilities, including sites where you are a tenant, or where you have operational control.
  • Choose your ESOS compliance representatives – as a minimum, this must include a primary contact and a Company Director for sign-off.

If you have any questions about your compliance, please contact your dedicated team or alternatively contact esos@eic.co.uk and a member of the Carbon team will get back to you.

Where does EIC come in?

Our carbon team has extensive experience with complex compliance legislation and we are dedicated to helping you reach deadlines, efficiently and effectively. Our Lead Assessors and highly trained Auditors are on hand to assist you throughout your compliance process.

We have assisted hundreds of clients with their ESOS journey, identifying 4.65 million tonnes worth of CO2 savings. As a result, our clients have avoided approximately £80 million in fines during phases 1 and 2.

You are busy balancing other tasks and responsibilities, and we know that compliance schemes such as ESOS can seem like a hassle. Here at EIC, we can help turn that obligation into an opportunity for you.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you start your compliance journey.

ESOS Phase 2 Compliance – Act Now

Posted on by Josh Ellison

While it may seem like a costly and time-intensive process, there are financial opportunities and benefits to be found in this mandatory scheme.

In Phase 1 of ESOS, we at EIC identified a total of 527GWh worth of energy savings for our clients, equivalent to £49 million in cost savings. If you act now, you could avoid fines of £90,000 and reap the rewards of a new green plan.

What is ESOS?

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is a mandatory compliance scheme in the UK, derived from Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. ESOS’s aim was to reduce EU energy consumption by 20% by the end of 2020. ESOS occurs in four-yearly phases and introduces regular energy audits that highlight energy savings for large businesses.

Who needs to comply?

Public bodies are not affected. Large organisations that must comply are classified as those with:

  • More than 250 employees or
  • A turnover of more than £50 million and an annual balance sheet total of more than £43 million

ESOS Phase 2 Updates

The ESOS deadline for Phase 2 was 5 December 2019. 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 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 of the effectiveness of energy audits and ESOS can be found here.

business analysis with colleagues

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.

Reach out

Whether it’s ESOS, SECR, or CCA, EIC will work with you to reach compliance deadlines and targets. 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.

SECR: Why use EIC?

Posted on by Josh Ellison

A brief look into SECR, why it matters, the deadlines and reasoning behind the legislation and how EIC can combine it with ESOS in an economic package suited to your organization’s needs.

The Nuts and Bolts

The UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Policy (SECR), is a piece of government legislation that came into effect April 1st of last year. It seeks to consistently highlight the carbon footprint of companies, whilst encouraging long term strategies that are congruent to UK carbon emissions goals.

To that end, the SECR requires companies to provide a detailed report which includes items such as their carbon emissions and energy efficiency/carbon reduction behaviours implemented to redress their overall carbon footprint.

Established as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) was ending, last year’s regulations will affect approximately 11,900 companies in the UK, considerably increasing the range of influence that the CRC originally enjoyed.

The scheme affects businesses described as “large organisations” within the Companies House terminology. Therefore businesses which have at least a turnover of £36 million, balance sheet of at least £18 million, or 250 or more employees, will be within this category.

SECR works in cooperation with the pre-existing legislation the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

Year 1 – Act Now

Since the SECR came into effect on April 1st 2019, it means that we now sit on the eve of the first regulatory deadline, with the first trench of qualifying businesses financial year ending in March 2020.

For businesses which also qualify for ESOS, the SECR scheme is a useful tool to provide the necessary data sets required for compliance, making the journey smoother.

As such, we felt that the timing was right to remind our readers of the combined ESOS and SECR package that we offer. The fusing of the two services is designed to remove unnecessary stress and inconvenience with the promise of a dedicated Carbon Consultant.

Finally, EIC also offers a 10% discount to any clients that sign up for a 4-year joint service package, our website contains further details on all of our services and we invite you to find out more should they appeal to you.

An update on ESOS Phase 2

Posted on by Amy Coniff

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.

Time to focus on SECR compliance

Posted on by Amy Coniff

The ESOS deadline has now passed and it’s time to focus on a new compliance scheme.

SECR, Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, 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. Given the timing of its introduction, SECR could 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.

We believe it’s time to focus on SECR. The good news is, if your business complies with ESOS, you’re in a much stronger position as you may have much of the data you require already to hand.

Who needs to comply with SECR?

The scheme affects UK quoted companies and ‘large’ unquoted companies and LLPs. These are defined as those meeting at least two of the following; 250 employees or more, annual turnover of £36m or more or an annual balance sheet of £18m or more.

What the scheme requires

For SECR, companies are required to report the following:

  • Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) energy and carbon emissions (electricity, gas and transport as a minimum).
  • Previous year’s figures for energy and carbon. At least one intensity ratio (e.g. tCO2/turnover).
  • Detail of energy efficiency action taken within the reporting year.
  • Reporting methodology applied.

When will you need to comply?

Compliance will be based on your financial reporting year. Therefore, if your financial year is 1st April – 31st March, your first energy and carbon disclosure data collection will be for the period covering 1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020. This must be submitted in your Director’s Report after March 2020.

Take a look at our chart to see when your SECR deadline will be.

What happens if I don’t comply?

Whilst there are no fixed penalties specified, as there are in ESOS, there are still consequences for non-compliance. Not meeting the reporting requirements of SECR can result in accounts not being signed off. Missing the filing deadline could lead to a civil penalty. So it’s important for organisations to fully align communications between their energy and finance teams and to get a head start where possible.

Save time and hassle

There are similarities with SECR and ESOS when it comes to required data for each scheme, this can be used to your advantage. We offer a combined ESOS and SECR compliance package for businesses at a discounted rate. If you’d like more information on this or any of our services, call +44 1527 511 757 or email us.

Updates to the SECR Scheme

Posted on by Chris Taylor

The Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Scheme (SECR) came into force at the start of this month. Quoted companies and large unquoted companies and LLPs are affected, and will now be required to make a public disclosure within their Directors’ Annual Report of their UK energy use and carbon emissions.

Over the last few months the ETG (Emissions Trading Group) have been consulting with various parties and collating feedback and queries regarding the guidance for the scheme. As a result, a number of minor updates have been made to the SECR section (Chapter 2) of the Environmental Reporting Guidance.

 

A guide to the updates

All of the updates can be found in Chapter 2 of the Environmental Reporting Guidance.

Below is a summary of the changes:

  • Page 14, 20, 36 – hyperlinks for ISO 14001, BS 8555, ISO 14064-3 and ISO 14064-1 have been updated.
  • Page 26 – reference to public sector has been expanded (first paragraph and footnote 22) and also for charitable organisations (second bullet point).
  • Page 26 – new paragraph inserted to ensure that guidance is not seen as a substitute for the SECR Regulations.
  • Page 30 – reference to corporate group legislation has been expanded (sections 1158 to 1162 of Companies Act 2006) in the last paragraph of section 2.
  • Page 33 and 39 – amended reference to NF3 to reflect that it is not currently listed as a direct GHG in section 92 of the Climate Change Act.
  • Page 45 – footnote 39 referencing Government consultation published on 11 March 2019 on the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Financial Reporting Council.
  • Pages 50-56 – changes to reporting templates to recommend grid-average emission factor is included as the default by those organisations that choose not to dual report.


Our view on the changes

These updates provide useful clarification on outstanding queries raised by EIC such as dual reporting of electricity. Dual reporting remains voluntary but doing so allows companies to demonstrate responsible procurement decisions. For example, those selecting to procure electricity from renewable sources with a lower emissions factor can demonstrate this within their energy and carbon report if they choose to dual report.

EIC work closely with the ETG and BEIS to help the group reach key decisions regarding carbon compliance scheme development and implementation, including SECR, and will continue to do so. As a result we are able to ensure all of our customers receive the most up-to-date information and we are always on hand to support with SECR compliant reporting.

Click here to learn more about the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting scheme.

7 things you need to know about SECR

Posted on by Chris Taylor
  1. SECR stands for Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, a new UK Carbon Reporting framework. 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.
  2. It starts on 1 April 2019 and companies will need to report annually, reporting deadlines align with the company’s financial reporting year.
  3. The scheme affects UK quoted companies and ‘large’ unquoted companies and LLPs, defined as those meeting at least two of the following; 250 employees or more, annual turnover of £36m or more or an annual balance sheet of £18m or more.
  4. It will affect over 11,000 firms from high street retailers to manufacturers.
  5. SECR requires companies to report the following: their Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) energy and carbon emissions (electricity, gas and transport as a minimum). Previous year’s figures for energy and carbon. At least one intensity ratio (e.g. tCO2/turnover). Detail of energy efficiency action taken within the reporting year. Reporting methodology applied.
  6. Not meeting the reporting requirements can result in accounts not being signed off and missing the filing deadline could lead to a civil penalty. So it’s important for organisations to fully align communications between their energy and finance teams and to get a head start where possible!
  7. There is an overlap with other reporting and compliance schemes such as ESOS so savvy businesses can save time and hassle by using data collection from one to support compliance with another.

Find out more at our Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) service page.

Energy Policy Dates for 2019

Posted on by Amy Coniff

As we look ahead to 2019, we’ve outlined key energy industry changes and dates to take action by.

EU ETS – Market Stability Reserve (MSR)

1 January – MSR Implementation

The European Commission is introducing a solution to the oversupply of allowances in the carbon market, which will take effect in January.

EU carbon allowances, or European Allowances (EUAs) serve as the unit of compliance under the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). In response to a build-up of these allowances, following the 2008 global financial crisis, the European Commission has introduced a long-term solution known as the Market Stability Reserve (MSR). With Brexit looming, there’s uncertainty as to whether these changes will affect the UK.

 

Energy Price Cap

1 January – Price Cap implementation

Price protection for 11 million customers on poor value default tariffs will come into force on 1 January 2019. Ofgem has set the final level of the price cap at £1,136 per year for a typical dual fuel customer paying by direct debit.

When the price cap comes into force suppliers will have to cut the price of their default tariffs, including standard variable tariffs, to the level of or below the cap, forcing them to scrap excess charges. The cap will save customers who use a typical amount of gas and electricity around £76 per year on average, with customers on the most expensive tariffs saving about £120. In total, it is estimated that the price cap will save consumers in Great Britain around £1 billion. Read more here.

 

Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review (TCR) – the end of Triad season?

4 February – Consultation conclusion

Ofgem has launched a consultation, due to conclude on 4 February 2019, into how the costs of transporting electricity to homes, public organisations, and businesses are recovered. Proposed changes could remove the incentive for Triad avoidance.

Costs for transporting electricity are currently recouped through two types of charges:

  • Forward-looking charges, which send signals to how costs will change with network usage
  • Residual charges, which recover the remainder of the costs

In order to ensure that these costs are shared fairly amongst all users of the electricity network, Ofgem are undertaking a review of the residual network charges, as well as some of the remaining Embedded Benefits, through the Targeted Charging Review (TCR). Ofgem are exploring the removal of the Embedded Benefit relating to charging suppliers for balancing services on the basis of gross demand at the relevant grid supply point. This is important as it would eliminate the incentive of Triad avoidance.

 

Brexit

29 March – Scheduled date to leave the EU

Whilst not a specific energy policy announcement, the UK’s departure from the EU is a significant event that has raised a lot of questions concerning UK energy security.

We put together a Q&A on how Brexit may impact the UK energy industry and climate change targets. Read more here.

 

Closure of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme

31 March – Scheme Closes

The Government has confirmed plans to remove the export tariff for solar power, which currently provides owners of solar PV panels revenue for excess energy that they generate. This will coincide with the closure of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme.

The FiT scheme was introduced in April 2010 in order to incentivise the development of small scale renewable generation from decentralised energy solutions such as solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP). Generators were paid a fixed rate determined by the Government, which varied by technology and scale.

The scheme will close in full to new applications from 31 March 2019, subject to the time-limited extensions and grace period.

 

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)

1 April – SECR implementation

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is on the way, due to come in to effect from 1 April 2019. The introduction of this new carbon compliance scheme aims to reduce some of the administrative burden of overlapping schemes and improve the visibility of energy and carbon emissions when the CRC scheme ends.

EIC can help you achieve compliance. Read more about Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) by clicking here.

 

UK Capacity Market

Early 2019

The UK Capacity Market is currently undergoing a temporary suspension, issued by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), on the back of a legal challenge that the auction was biased towards fossil fuel generators.

The ECJ’s decision means that payments made under the Capacity Market (CM) scheme will be frozen until the UK Government can obtain permission from the European Commission to continue. In addition, the UK will not be allowed to conduct any further CM auctions for energy firms to bid on new contracts.

The UK government has since iterated that it hopes to start the Capacity Market as soon as possible and intends to run a T-1 top-up auction next summer, for delivery in winter. This is dependent on the success of a formal investigation to be undertaken by the European Commission early in the New Year.

 

Spring Statement and Autumn Budget

The UK Government’s biannual financial updates are always worth looking out for.

The Spring Statement will be delivered in March and the more substantial Autumn Budget is scheduled for October. The 2018 budget had a very heavy focus on Brexit, with very little to say concerning energy policy. It is likely this will be the case for the Spring Statement and potentially going forward.

 

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

5 December – ESOS Phase 2 compliance deadline

ESOS provides a real chance to improve the energy efficiency of your business, on a continual basis, to make significant cost savings.

In Phase 1 of ESOS we identified 2,829 individual energy efficiency opportunities, equivalent to 461GWh or £43.9m of annual savings across 1,148 individual audits. Our team also helped over 300 ESOS Phase 1 clients avoid combined maximum penalties of over £48million.

With EIC you can achieve timely compliance and make the most of any recommendations identified in your ESOS report.

 

Stay informed with EIC insights

Our Market Intelligence team keep a close eye on the energy markets and industry updates. For the most timely updates you can find us on Twitter and LinkedIn Follow us today.

Visit our website to find out more about EIC Market Intelligence and how we keep our clients informed at a frequency to suit them.

An insight into SECR

Posted on by Amy Coniff

SECR will require all quoted companies, large UK incorporated unquoted companies, and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) to report their energy use and carbon emissions relating to gas, electricity, and transport, and apply an intensity metric, through their annual Directors’ reports.

 

Summary of the Government’s proposed SECR framework

From April next year, large organisations in the UK will need to comply with the SECR regulations. The new scheme is part of the Government’s reform package.

Its aim is to reduce some of the administrative burden of overlapping carbon schemes and improve visibility of energy and carbon emissions. As such, it will be introduced to coincide with the end of the current Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme.

SECR will build on the existing mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by UK quoted companies and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

 

Who needs to comply with SECR?

SECR qualification will follow the Companies Act 2006 definition of a ‘large organisation’, where two or more of the following criteria apply to a company within a financial year:

  • More than 250 employees.
  • Annual turnover greater than £36m.
  • Annual balance sheet total greater than £18m.

There is no exemption for involvement for energy used in other schemes – e.g. Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) or EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

 

What are the reporting requirements?

From 1 April 2019, affected organisations will be required to:

  • Make a public disclosure within their annual directors’ report of energy use and carbon emissions.
  • Report using a relative intensity metric e.g. tCO2/number of employees.
  • Provide a narrative on energy efficiency actions taken during the reporting period.

Reporting will align with an organisation’s financial reporting year.

 

Is anyone exempt from SECR?

Yes – those exempt from complying with SECR include:

  • Public sector organisations.
  • Organisations consuming less than 40,000kWh in the 12-month period are not required to disclose SECR information.
  • Unquoted companies where it would not be practical to obtain some or all of the SECR information.
  • Disclosure of information which Directors think would be seriously prejudicial to interests of the company.

 

There seem to be similarities to ESOS – can ESOS compliance help with SECR?

Yes. Though ESOS and SECR are separate schemes, and will continue as such, the information from your ESOS compliance can be used to support SECR reporting.

 

Where do I start with compliance?

The detailed guidance for SECR will soon be published. EIC can assist with compliance as well as providing bespoke reporting to ensure that you have real visibility of your energy and carbon emissions both at organisational and site level.

If you would like to know more about SECR, what it means for your business visit our Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) service page.

How ESOS can help you get ahead with SECR

Posted on by Amy Coniff

You probably know all about ESOS, and you may feel that even now, with 15 months until the next deadline, there’s still no rush to get started with Phase 2. We disagree. Rather than put off compliance until the bitter end, we recommend getting ahead of the curve to avoid any bottleneck in resources later on.

The ESOS Phase 2 compliance deadline is 5 December 2019, however, the qualification date is 31 December this year. This means that if you know your business will fit the criteria, you can start some compliance activities now.

ESOS applies to large organisations, classified as those with:

  • More than 250 employees or;
  • A turnover of more than €50,000,000 and an annual balance sheet total of more than €43,000,000 or;
  • Part of a corporate group containing a large enterprise.

 

It’s time to get started

In their latest ESOS newsletter, the Environment Agency (EA) emphasised that businesses can start audit work now. They state that although you won’t be able to complete the assessment of your Total Energy Consumption (TEC), as this has to include the qualification date, if you expect to qualify for Phase 2 – and you know that an energy supply will be included in your Significant Energy Consumption (SEC) – you can do the audit work on this supply.

This audit will need to have at least one-year’s energy measurement, but this can be from anytime between 6 December 2015 and 5 December 2019. The audit can use data that has been collected at any time during this period provided that it is carried out no later than 24 months after the data period (and the data has not already been used for an audit in Phase 1).

 

SECR is coming – ESOS can help get you ready

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) aims to further incentivise the improvement of energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions. It’s also hoped that SECR will reduce some of the administrative burden of overlapping carbon schemes. As such, it’ll be introduced from April 2019 to coincide with the end of the current CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Taking action with ESOS compliance will help you get a head start with preparing for SECR compliance. Though ESOS and SECR are separate schemes, and will continue as such, you can use information from your ESOS compliance to support energy and emissions reporting and narrative on energy efficiency action taken in your annual reports.

 

Make EIC your trusted compliance partner

Whether it’s ESOS, SECR, or CCA, EIC will work with you to reach compliance deadlines and targets. In Phase 1 of ESOS we identified a total of 527GWh worth of energy savings for our clients, equivalent to £49,000,000 in cost savings.

Reduce your CRC costs through the secondary market

Posted on by Amy Coniff

The cost associated with CRC reporting will be replaced from 1 April 2019 with an increase in the Climate Change Levy (CCL), whilst the reporting element of the scheme is to be replaced with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR).

Participants are required to order, pay, and surrender allowances each compliance year in order to comply with the CRC scheme. There is no further opportunity to purchase forecast allowances at a lower cost, and July 2019 will be the last time ‘Buy to Comply’ allowances will need to be purchased to meet CRC obligations. One allowance equates to one tonne of CO2 reportable, and allowances purchased in the ‘Buy to Comply’ sale will cost more than those sold in the forecast sale at around £1.10 additional cost per allowance.

Allowances can be purchased in government sales of allowances or, where available, through the secondary market.

What is the secondary market?

CRC allows the trading of allowances through buying or selling to another CRC account holder on the registry. This does not impact the ‘Buy to Comply’ allowance process and doesn’t have set deadlines for purchasing or selling allowances.

The appetite for trading on the secondary market is dependent on the use by other participants and there is no guarantee that buying and selling of allowances will occur when using the notice board.

Why use the secondary market?

The decrease in fossil fuel use for electricity generation and the increase in renewable electricity production has had a positive impact on the emission factor. This has been a favourable outcome for most CRC participants, reducing their emissions and allowance obligations for electricity in CRC reporting.

Organisations that have utilised the lower cost forecast purchase option for CRC reporting have been caught out by the decrease in electricity emission factors for 2017/18 reporting by over forecasting allowances required. This has left some organisations with surplus allowances.

The cost to comply in the 2018/19 Buy to Comply sale has been set at £18.30 per tonne of CO2 reportable.

Purchasing on the CRC secondary market could save your organisation on average approximately £2.18 per tonne of CO2.

How can EIC help?

EIC can manage the transfer process for you from start to finish*, whether you have surplus allowances to sell or are looking to buy on the secondary market to reduce the cost of complying for the final year of CRC reporting.

The process is simple and if you would like to find out more our dedicated Carbon team is on hand to guide you. You can contact our team on 01527 511 757 or email us.

*EIC will not process payment of allowances on behalf of an organisation. Payments for allowances bought or sold on the secondary market are to be made off system between the participants involved. Any additional administration or transaction fees associated with the transfer will need to be pre-agreed between the two organisations.

Our offices will be closed for the Bank Holiday (Monday 29 August 2022).
If you have a query, please contact us from Tuesday 30 August onwards, and we
will be happy to deal with your query then.