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Three ways to make your ESOS report work harder

By Jason Stoyel, Engineering Manager for Energy Services | Posted April 08, 2015

Are you one of the thousands of UK companies who have started compiling the evidence required to comply with the government’s Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)  legislation?

If you are then congratulations; only 25% of those companies required to do so have started to liaise with a potential ESOS supplier, and time is already running out to meet the December 5th 2015 deadline.

To really get ahead of the game, you should think about your next step and choosing your ESOS partner could prove pivotal to your future success.

The forgotten audit

Too many energy efficiency audits are left to gather dust on an over-crowded shelf or in a long forgotten cabinet which used to belong to George/Georgina, the site maintenance manager before they moved on.

Imagine how much money, energy and carbon emissions could have been saved if only a small percentage of the measures recommended in these reports had been implemented.

Or, to look at it another way, how much money has been wasted in paying consultants to prepare reports that have never been utilised or in many cases, been fully read!

In short, don’t let ESOS be another tick box exercise; make it work for you and your company.

You can do so in three ways:

1) Get it signed off: The great advantage of an ESOS report/audit is not that it is as detailed or as in depth as any other energy audit. In order to comply with the legislation, it has to be presented and signed off by a company director – and that means exposure for you and your team.

A properly presented, interesting and appropriate ESOS report can help you considerably – choosing the right ESOS supplier can make all the difference.

2) Present a clearer picture: An ESOS audit should not only identify potential opportunities to reduce your energy demand (achieved through the installation of energy efficient technologies such as Variable Speed Drives (VSD) on motors or LED lighting) – the audit should also present the approximate cost of these initiatives together with simple and/or lifecycle payback times in a way that engages with your key decision makers, the CFO or budget holder.

Without this high level buy-in actually realising the benefit of any report, no matter how good or compelling, is significantly more problematic.

3) Gain the advantage: Of course an ESOS audit can’t give you all the answers but it can help you to prioritise potential solutions.

It can help you to decide between a short term, quick fix or a long term, more strategic decision that will enable your company to develop and gain that all important competitive advantage – reducing costs, increasing environmental performance and safe guarding your energy future.

The importance of choosing the right supplier

ESOS is not only the first step in reducing your energy demand but it is the start of an exciting journey realising real and tangible cost savings and increased energy performance.

So choosing an ESOS supplier shouldn’t be a quick decision but one that is taken with due care and attention.

Your ESOS provider should be ideally placed to work with your company to develop Investment Grade Proposals, contacting suppliers, driving down costs and, ultimately, guaranteeing the performance of their energy efficiency recommendations.

Your ESOS provider already knows what drives and powers your company, making them an ideal partner to finally deliver efficiency and energy savings. This can help you implement the recommended projects and then monitor and verify the savings achieved – but only if they have the depth of expertise and capability necessary to be your energy partner.

Choosing an ESOS supplier could be one of the most important appointments you get to make and hopefully you have chosen someone who can not only deliver ESOS compliance but also be your energy partner moving forward.

As the saying goes, “An ESOS assessor is not just for compliance but for your whole energy life” – well this isn’t strictly true, but you get the idea.

What are you going to do with your ESOS report?

Don’t let it sit there gathering dust or being used as a doorstop. This report should be your gateway to engaging with your senior management and securing the financing you need to make the changes recommended and save your company money by reducing energy demand and carbon emissions.

Get your ESOS report out and use it as it was intended – to drive energy efficiency and reduced energy spend.

Oh, and if you haven’t done it yet, pick an ESOS supplier you can trust to stay with you throughout your journey.

For more information about ESOS, please visit www.edfenergy.com/large business/customers/energy-advice or email: energyexperts@edfenergy.com

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