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The EU Energy Efficiency Directive entered into force in November 2012. The Directive aims to drive improvements in energy efficiency across the EU. Article 8(4) includes a requirement that all large (non-SME) enterprises i.e. businesses with more than 250 employees; and annual turnover over £42.5 million and a balance sheet exceeding £32.5 million; or part of a corporate group containing a large enterprise, undertake energy audits by 5 December 2015 and every 4 years thereafter.

In the UK the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) will run in four year phases. For each phase, there will be a qualification date, when  participants should determine if they are in scope of the scheme, and a compliance date, by which participants must have completed their ESOS Assessment. The first qualification date will be 31 December 2014. Undertakings that qualify for ESOS on this date will need to participate in ESOS.

You will need to check and ensure that all your areas of significant energy consumption are covered by an ESOS energy audit or one of the alternative routes to compliance. ESOS audits must be carried out by, or overseen/approved by, qualified lead auditors (members of professional registers which are approved by the Environment Agency). These can be either in-house expert(s) or an external party.

For further information and help with compliance please contact Dan Wellington, Principal Environmental Consultant,  dan.wellington@peakhse.co.uk