Less than 1000 days left for businesses to avoid £50,000 fines

The Environment Agency has revealed it has fined more than 300 companies for not obeying energy saving legislation – and Scottish businesses are being warned that they have less than 1000 days to avoid a similar fate.

200 further companies are also facing fines of up to £50,000 for not carrying out energy audits under the first phase of the UK government’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) before the deadline of April 2016.

The deadline for the second phase of the scheme is December 5 2019 – but Glasgow energy expert and leading ESOS assessor Raj Chall of Scottish Energy Services is warning that businesses should not delay in carrying out mandatory energy assessments.

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Leading Glasgow Commercial Energy Performance Certificate expert and ESOS assessor Raj Chall of Scottish Energy Services said:

“It’s tempting for organizations to fall into the trap of thinking that with over two years until the deadline ESOS compliance is something they can afford to delay – but they must be aware they are risking £50,000 fines if they don’t meet their obligations in time and that they might not have as much time as they think.

“There are a surprisingly small number of qualified ESOS assessors in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and even less are accredited by the right bodies. As a result there is bound to be a bottleneck in assessments as the ESOS phase 2 deadline comes closer.

“The key word in ESOS is opportunity – the opportunity to improve organizational energy efficiency and save a fortune. So given the risks of non-compliances, why wait to get started?”

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Measure, Audit & Report

All businesses employing more than 250 people or with a turnover in excess of £38.9m or balance sheet in excess of £33.4m must commission a qualified assessor to conduct an ESOS assessment, including:

• Measurement of all energy use for a continuous twelve-month period – including energy expenditure from company vehicles
• An audit of all main areas of energy consumption.
• Reporting compliance to the Environment Agency.
• Maintenance of ESOS Evidence Pack proving compliance.