The main benefits of ESOS are a clearer understanding of how an organisation uses energy and the identification of practical ways to reduce energy consumption and costs.
An ESOS energy audit will highlight unnecessary energy use such as; equipment running outside operating hours, poor heating controls, inefficient lighting, excessive base loads or maintenance problems. An audit will also identify larger opportunities involving buildings, industrial processes, transport and equipment replacement.
The recommendations should estimate the energy and cost savings available and assess the financial case for each measure, using payback or life-cycle cost analysis where appropriate. This gives managers better information when deciding which projects to fund and when to implement them.
ESOS can also improve the quality of an organisation’s energy data and provide a better understanding of how consumption changes between sites, activities and reporting periods. The requirement for director-level review also brings the findings and proposed investments to the attention of senior management.
However, completing an ESOS assessment does not create energy savings on its own. The organisation must implement suitable measures and monitor the results if it wants to reduce energy use and costs.
