ESOS Action Plan and Progress Update Compliance explained

With less than six months to go until the deadline for the first Action Plan, are you ready?

As part of the changes brought in by the Environment Agency to the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) during Phase 3, it was announced that organisations that comply with ESOS will be required to submit Energy Action Plans and annual Progress Updates based on their energy saving initiatives. Timothy Holman, Head of Operations at TEAM Energy outlines what this means for businesses working on their ESOS submissions.

What does the Action Plan and Progress Update compliance mean?

Energy Action Plans outline how participants intend to improve energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The plans must include the estimated kWh savings achievable for all energy saving projects and a timeline on how and when organisations plan to implement these savings.

In addition to the Action Plan, businesses must submit an Annual Progress Update providing an effective way to communicate their sustainability achievements. The ESOS Progress Report must include a list of all the energy saving actions the organisation has implemented in the last year and a list of energy saving actions they did not successfully implement. The update must also include an estimate of total energy saving achieved and whether these savings and actions were implemented in line with the dates set out in their ESOS Action Plan.

It is important that these energy saving measures are cost effective and practical, while there may be upfront costs for implementation, the long-term savings can significantly outweigh these expenses. Businesses should clearly state the expected energy savings resulting from their Action Plan. By quantifying these savings, they can track progress and demonstrate the impact of their efforts.

Both the Action Plan and the Progress Update will be published publicly by the Environment Agency to keep businesses accountable for the projects they have set out to deliver. It is important to remember that details of organisations that do not successfully achieve their energy saving goals or that do not submit their Action Plan or Progress Update will also be shared publicly.

What are the key elements of an ESOS Action Plan?

The Action Plan provides a roadmap to achieving specific energy saving actions, and ensuring sustainability goals can be implemented and achieved throughout a business. It can also be used to create targeted actions to improve energy efficiency in an organisation, this can include equipment upgrades, optimising processes, and encouraging behaviour change for employees.

With a focused implementation timeline, businesses can prioritise projects and set their path to meet their energy saving goals. Organisations will also need to set out the estimated savings for both cost and energy from their energy efficiency projects, enabling them to better plan their journey to carbon reduction.

Using annual monitoring and reporting, organisations must regularly track their progress and align their Action Plan with their broader business objectives, whether an organisation wants to set a goal of meeting net zero or make changes to their energy usage, they can celebrate their wins annually.

What are the business benefits of energy saving?

Not only is it important to be compliant with ESOS and avoid the impact of public disclosure or potential regulatory compliance penalties, implementing energy saving actions throughout your business can have numerous benefits:

• Reducing your energy bills and business energy overheads by making savings on your energy consumption and reducing your usage.

• Gain a better understanding of your business's energy usage and how it can be improved.

• Use valuable insights on your energy consumption to make savings and enhance your reporting to stakeholders.

• Reduce your carbon emissions and the impact your business has on the planet.

• Set and meet carbon reduction strategy and net zero targets, elevating your business as a leader in sustainability.

• As the Action Plans and Progress Updates are published publicly, organisations can stand out amongst their competitors as a business committed to energy efficiency and sustainability.

• By integrating energy saving measures into their plans, businesses can drive positive change.

How TEAM can help with your Action Plan

TEAM can support businesses across all aspects of planning and writing their ESOS Action Plan to ensure it is submitted by the deadline of 5 December 2024. With less than six months to go until the deadline for the first Action Plan, are you ready?

Discover more about how TEAM can help you successfully submit your Action Plan and Progress Update



ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact:
Pauline Scoins Marketing and PR Executive
TEAM Energy
Phone: +44 (0) 01908 690018 Ext 204
Email: pscoins@teamenergy.com
EDW House, Radian Court, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PJ
www.teamenergy.com

About TEAM

TEAM is the UK’s leading multidisciplinary energy and sustainability consultancy, committed to helping organisations lower their carbon emissions, reduce energy consumption and save money, supporting them in playing their part in the fight against climate change.
Its expert team works alongside its customers to understand their unique challenges and energy management goals whether it’s net zero and carbon reduction, compliance and certificates, or large-scale projects and business strategy.
The organisation’s 35-year history of collaborating with energy and sustainability professionals has led to the continuous development of software solutions and service innovations to meet the evolving needs of the market at pace and scale, helping its customers to navigate the challenging energy landscape.