Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, which was agreed by Member States on 25 October 2012 and came into force on 14 November 2012, requires all Member States to introduce a programme of regular energy audits for large enterprises. Audits must be undertaken by 5 December 2015, and then at least every four years from the date of the previous audit. The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is the Government’s proposed approach to implementing this requirement.
Objectives of the consultation
This consultation was issued by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in July 2013 and closed in October 2013. It was seeking views on the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), the Government’s approach to implementing Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.
Government believes that this programme offers a significant opportunity for the UK. It will help drive the take-up of cost-effective energy efficiency measures by participants, benefiting their competitiveness and contributing to the wider growth agenda.
Under the proposed scheme, approved assessors will carry out Article 8 compliant assessments to identify energy saving recommendations. While the EU Directive prescribes many of the key features that ESOS must include, there is some limited scope for flexibility and interpretation. This consultation was seeking views on a range of detailed issues around the implementation of ESOS.
Supporting papers
To download the papers that supported this consultation, please follow the links below.
More information about ESOS is also available in the April 2014 issue of CIBSE Journal.
CIBSE response
CIBSE welcomes the proposals to raise awareness of energy savings opportunities but also notes that identifying opportunities will not save a single kilowatt hour of energy. We have had various schemes over the past forty years to raise awareness of the opportunities to save energy, with relatively little effect. There is nothing in the consultation document or the impact assessment that makes a compelling case that this scheme will change that.
To read the full CIBSE response, please follow the link below.
Results of the consultation and next steps
The Government response to the consultation was published on 26 June 2014 alongside the final stage impact assessment and analysis of stakeholder responses. Guidance has also been published to help potential participants in the scheme understand their obligations. All documents can be downloaded from the government's consultation website.