Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

A solar PV installation should be one of the main energy efficiency solutions considered by large businesses when submitting their ESOS energy audit to the Environmental Agency.

The Government’s mandatory Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) was introduced in July 2014 and requires ‘large businesses’ in the UK to measure their energy usage over a continuous 12 month period and audit their energy usage every four years.

It is expected that over 9,000 businesses will need to conduct an audit which also asks the company to submit feasible energy efficiency solutions that would reduce their energy demand and costs in the future.

The introduction of ESOS

ESOS was introduced by the Government as a response to the European Commission’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) that required all EU member states to introduce a programme for large businesses to regularly audit their energy usage.

Whilst the ESOS initiative is mandatory – with heavy fines given to those that fail to register their compliance – it isn’t compulsory that the energy efficiency measures submitted with the audit are implemented. However, the Government hope that the cost savings identified are enough for the majority of the companies to follow through, with the target of significantly reducing carbon emissions in the UK and collectively saving businesses over £1.6bn in energy costs every year.

Ways to reduce energy demand

If your business does qualify for ESOS compliance, below are some areas you can look into for reducing your energy demands;

Energy technology

Large businesses are likely to operate from multi-sites, typically with large roof spaces (warehouses, manufacturing facilities, etc). It is these roof spaces that make perfect business sense for a solar panel installation, allowing you to generate your own free, green electricity and significantly reduce your energy bills; a fully funded installation may also be possible via a competitive power purchase agreement.

Other technologies such as LED lighting should also be considered, where savings of up to 90% are possible if replacing standard incandescent lighting with the initial investment recovered from just 2.5 years.

Improved processes

Reviewing manufacturing and production processes is also an opportunity to reduce energy usage, allowing you to implement more cost and energy-efficient processes into the company.

Replacing older machinery/technology

It’s a fact that today’s technology is designed and built with energy efficiency in mind. Replacing older machinery and technology across the company can make a much bigger difference than you might expect.

Enquire about solar PV as an ESOS solution

If your company qualifies to submit a regular energy audit as part of the ESOS initiative, Greensphere are here to help you identify how much energy you could generate through a solar PV system to submit with your audit.