Category: Energy Efficiency

Here you will find our articles relating to Energy Efficiency – I know this is just ESOS to most of you and it probably feels repetitive by now, but there is so much more to avoiding waste in energy. For manufacturers, blending energy expertise with LEAN and Six Sigma informed methodologies means we really want to understand your processes and flows on site, and look for energy savings not only from swapping lighting or putting inverters on fans – but in improving the energy efficiency of your operation as a business. We’ll also talk about tech here, and when changing equipment can actually be the right move.

If you have a topic you’d love to see covered, please send it to us on our contact form and we’ll try to help!

ESOS – Escaping the Cycle

ESOS has always had alternative routes to compliance, in Phase 4 we see two of these being removed, but the third strengthened. DECs and GDAs are no longer an option for deemed compliance, but ISO 50001 is.

ISO 50001 certification can be used as an alternative route to ESOS compliance, removing the need to appoint a lead assessor if:

The ISO 50001 certification covers either the total or significant energy consumption.
The ISO certificate was issued on or after the start date of the compliance period (6^th December 2023) and must remain valid on the compliance date (5^th December 2027).

Your energy management system must be certified by one of the following:

a UKAS accredited certification body
a body accredited by an EU member state’s national accreditation body
a body accredited by a member of the International Accreditation Forum

If only part of your significant energy consumption is covered by your certificate then you must appoint a lead assessor and undertake energy audits to appropriately capture your SEC.

If you do comply via ISO 50001 you still have to:

calculate your total energy consumption and, as applicable, significant energy consumption
calculate energy intensity ratios
get a director (or equivalent) to confirm that the information required for the notification of compliance is correct
submit a notification of compliance through MESOS
keep an evidence pack

There are many benefits to ISO accreditation and the pursuit of a compliant energy management system, reducing the cost of ESOS compliance is only a small part of the picture. If you feel your organisation might be ready then it may be too late to use it for compliance for ESOS Phase 4 but getting a gap analysis is a great first step and will bring savings for Phase 5.

ESOS Phase 4 – who’s captured and what’s changed?

It feels like yesterday the ESOS 3 Action Plans were being drafted, but here we are again preparing for the next cycle of the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme. So what’s new in the fourth iteration of the scheme? Not as much as we were expecting in the end!

During consultation we were expecting this phase to operate quite differently to ESOS P3. The government consulted on:

improving the quality of audits through increased standardisation of reporting requirements
the inclusion of a net zero element to audits
requiring public disclosure of high-level recommendations by participants

Most of the items were approved, with varying timelines, some to be implemented immediately for Phase 3, others to delay until Phase 4.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-energy-savings-opportunity-scheme-esos

Since then, we have had government changes and the outcome of the consultation has not been applied as expected. Changes from ESOS P3 that are planned to go ahead are:

removal of Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and Green Deal Assessments (GDAs) as compliance routes
progress against action plan commitments to be included in the ESOS assessment
where action plan commitments have not been met, participants must provide an explanation

Due to delays in legislature the items which were previously planned to align ESOS with Net Zero and SECR have been pushed to Phase 5. These would have been:

changes to refocus the scheme to cover net zero as well as energy efficiency
change to qualification thresholds to better align with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)

Here at Ethical Sustainability we will be operating to the newer PAS 51215-1:2025, and PAS 51215-2:2025 standards voluntarily. Our priority remains tailoring our surveying and your recommendations to align with your business strategy and manufacturing priorities.